Locally, NDP’s Harwinder Sandhu won the Vernon-Lumby riding, while Tara Armstrong of the Conservatives candidates won the Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream riding.

Conservative candidates also won the seats for Kelowna Centre, Kelowna-Mission, West kelowna-Peachland, and Salmon Arm-Shuswap.

No seats were won by Independent or Unaffiliated candidates.

— Update: 5:15 p.m. Oct. 28 —

The B.C. NDP are on track to form the next government, though wether it’s a majority or minority is still pending.

As of 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, ElectionsBC’s count of the absentee ballots had the provincial New Democrats winning or leading in 47 ridings, which is enough seats to form a majority.

As of the latest update the Conservative Party of B.C. was winning 44 seats, including nearly all the local ones, and the B.C. Green party was ahead in two ridings.

As the independent, non-partison body overseeing provincial election continues to sort through the absentee votes, NDP leader David Eby issued the following statement.

“Based on today’s final vote count, and pending judicial recounts, British Columbians have asked our BC NDP team to lead our province for a third time. It is an incredible honour and a huge responsibility. We are listening to the message voters sent with this close election, and will be getting to work on today’s tough challenges right away,” Eby stated.

“After a close and hard-fought campaign, it’s now time to come together to deliver for people. Today, I met with Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin. She has asked me to form the next government. We will, and we will work hard every day to earn the trust you have placed in us.

“People want their elected representatives to deliver results. With renewed determination, we will build on the progress we’ve made to reduce daily costs like car insurance and childcare, hire thousands of health care workers and get you a family doctor, deliver homes you can afford, and make sure our economy works for everyone–not just those at the top. There is so much more work to do to lighten the load for people.

“British Columbians have asked us to work together and make life better for them. That is exactly what we intend to do. A majority of BC voters have elected a legislature that shares common values – like addressing affordability, tackling climate change, making sure health care is there when you need it, and building an inclusive province with safe communities where everyone belongs.

“With these results, we are saying goodbye to talented colleagues whose voices will be missed in the Legislature. We are also welcoming skilled new electeds with fresh ideas. Each elected BC NDP MLA is committed to deliver results for people. Together, we can make sure BC is a place where people can get ahead and everyone can build a good life. We won’t stop until the job is done.”

Locally, the Conservatives were leading in all ridings except Vernon-Lumby, where incumbent NDP candidate Harwinder Sandhu was projected to win the seat.

The closest local race remained Kelowna Centre, where Conservative Kristina Loewen had a slim lead over the NDP candidate, Loyal Woolridge.

The local results as of the latest update were as follows:

Vernon-Lumby
- Harwinder Sandhu (NDP) – 11,836
- Dennis Giesbrecht (Conservative) – 11,359
- Kevin Acton (Unaffiliated) – 4,266
- Robert Johnson (Libertarian) – 265
Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream
- Tara Armstrong (Conservative) – 14,301
- Anna Warwick Sears (NDP) – 9,349
- Kevin Kraft (Independent) – 1,724
- Andre Rose (Greens) – 1,151
Kelowna Centre
- Kristina Loewen (Conservative) – 11,028
- Loyal Woolridge (NDP) – 10,993
- Michael Humer (Unaffiliated) – 2,612
- Bryce Tippe (Greens) – 1,111
Kelowna-Mission
- Gavin Dew (Conservative) – 14,071
- Harpreet Badohal (NDP) – 8,913
- Ashley Ramsay (Unaffiliated) – 2,996
- Billy Young (Greens) – 1,349
Salmon Arm-Shuswap
- David L. Williams (Conservative) – 16,563
- Sylvia Lindgren (NDP) – 9,677
- Greg McCune (Independent) – 2,921
- Jeb Wiebe (Greens) – 2,250
- Sherry Roy (Independent) – 373
West Kelowna-Peachland
- Macklin McCall (Conservative) – 13,472
- Krystal Smith (NDP) – 7,391
- Stephen Johnson (Unaffiliated) – 5,630

ElectionsBC was still counting absentee ballots heading into Monday evening. Vernon Matters will continue to provide updates as they become available.

— Update 4:10 p.m. Oct. 28 —

The B.C. NDP are still leading in the 2024 Provincial General Election.

ElectionsBC’s update at 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, showed the provincial New Democrats still leading in 47 ridings. The number of seats needed to form a majority government is 47.

The Conservative Party of B.C. was leading in 44 ridings, including nearly all the local ones, while the B.C. Green party candidates held leads in two ridings.

Vernon-Lumby was the only local riding where an NDP candidate was projected to win their seat, as of the latest update.

Kelowna Centre had the closest race, with the Conservative candidate leading their NDP counterpart by less than 50 votes.

As of 4 p.m. the local races stood as follows:

Vernon-Lumby
- Harwinder Sandhu (NDP) – 11,829
- Dennis Giesbrecht (Conservative) – 11,358
- Kevin Acton (Unaffiliated) – 4,266
- Robert Johnson (Libertarian) – 264
Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream
- Tara Armstrong (Conservative) – 14,296
- Anna Warwick Sears (NDP) – 9,344
- Kevin Kraft (Independent) – 1,723
- Andre Rose (Greens) – 1,148
Kelowna Centre
- Kristina Loewen (Conservative) – 11,027
- Loyal Woolridge (NDP) – 10,984
- Michael Humer (Unaffiliated) – 2,612
- Bryce Tippe (Greens) – 1,111
Kelowna-Mission
- Gavin Dew (Conservative) – 14,067
- Harpreet Badohal (NDP) – 8,907
- Ashley Ramsay (Unaffiliated) – 2,993
- Billy Young (Greens) – 1,347
Salmon Arm-Shuswap
- David L. Williams (Conservative) – 16,562
- Sylvia Lindgren (NDP) – 9,677
- Greg McCune (Independent) – 2,921
- Jeb Wiebe (Greens) – 2,250
- Sherry Roy (Independent) – 373
West Kelowna-Peachland
- Macklin McCall (Conservative) – 13,468
- Krystal Smith (NDP) – 7,388
- Stephen Johnson (Unaffiliated) – 5,630

ElectionsBC was still counting absentee ballots and certifying results. Vernon Matters will provide updates as they become available.

— Update 3:15 p.m. Oct. 28 —

ElectionsBC is still counting absentee ballots, but early figures show the NDP having a chance to form a majority government.

As of 3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, ballot counting showed the B.C. NDP leading in 47 ridings, which is the amount of seats needed to form a majority government.

The Conservative Party of B.C. was still leading in 44 ridings, including nearly all the local ones, while the B.C. Green Party was ahead in two ridings.

As of 3 p.m. the NDP candidate was leading in Vernon-Lumby, but the other local ridings had Conservative candidates leading. The closest race in the area as Kelowna Centre, where the Conservative candidate was ahead of their NDP candidate by less than 50 votes.

The local ballot counts as of 3 p.m., Oct. 28, were as follows:

Vernon-Lumby
- Harwinder Sandhu (NDP) – 11,826
- Dennis Giesbrecht (Conservative) – 11,357
- Kevin Acton (Unaffiliated) – 4,266
- Robert Johnson (Libertarian) – 264
Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream
- Tara Armstrong (Conservative) – 14,294
- Anna Warwick Sears (NDP) – 9,342
- Kevin Kraft (Independent) – 1,723
- Andre Rose (Greens) – 1,148
Kelowna Centre
- Kristina Loewen (Conservative) – 11,026
- Loyal Woolridge (NDP) – 10,983
- Michael Humer (Unaffiliated) – 2,612
- Bryce Tippe (Greens) – 1,111
Kelowna-Mission
- Gavin Dew (Conservative) – 14,067
- Harpreet Badohal (NDP) – 8,907
- Ashley Ramsay (Unaffiliated) – 2,993
- Billy Young (Greens) – 1,347
Salmon Arm-Shuswap
- David L. Williams (Conservative) – 16,554
- Sylvia Lindgren (NDP) – 9,670
- Greg McCune (Independent) – 2,920
- Jeb Wiebe (Greens) – 2,245
- Sherry Roy (Independent) – 373
West Kelowna-Peachland
- Macklin McCall (Conservative) – 13,467
- Krystal Smith (NDP) – 7,387
- Stephen Johnson (Unaffiliated) – 5,629

ElectionsBC continues to count absentee ballots Monday and will provide finalized results once counts are complete in all electoral districts. Vernon Matters will provide updates as they become available.

— Update 2:15 p.m. Oct. 28 —

The B.C. NDP remain on track to form the next provincial government.

Elections BC continues to count absentee ballots Monday, Oct. 28, and, as of 2 p.m., the NDP still held leads in 47 ridings. That many seats is the amount needed to form a majority government.

As of 2 p.m. the Conservative Party of B.C. held leads in 44 ridings, including nearly all the local ones, with the exception of Vernon-Lumby, and the B.C. Green Party was ahead in two ridings.

The results as of 2 p.m. Oct. 28 were as follows.

Vernon-Lumby
- Harwinder Sandhu (NDP) – 11,826
- Dennis Giesbrecht (Conservative) – 11,357
- Kevin Acton (Unaffiliated) – 4,265
- Robert Johnson (Libertarian) – 263
Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream
- Tara Armstrong (Conservative) – 14,290
- Anna Warwick Sears (NDP) – 9,341
- Kevin Kraft (Independent) – 1,723
- Andre Rose (Greens) – 1,147
Kelowna Centre
- Kristina Loewen (Conservative) – 11,026
- Loyal Woolridge (NDP) – 10,980
- Michael Humer (Unaffiliated) – 2,612
- Bryce Tippe (Greens) – 1,111
Kelowna-Mission
- Gavin Dew (Conservative) – 14,067
- Harpreet Badohal (NDP) – 8,904
- Ashley Ramsay (Unaffiliated) – 2,991
- Billy Young (Greens) – 1,347
Salmon Arm-Shuswap
- David L. Williams (Conservative) – 16,551
- Sylvia Lindgren (NDP) – 9,667
- Greg McCune (Independent) – 2,920
- Jeb Wiebe (Greens) – 2,245
- Sherry Roy (Independent) – 373
West Kelowna-Peachland
- Macklin McCall (Conservative) – 13,467
- Krystal Smith (NDP) – 7,386
- Stephen Johnson (Unaffiliated) – 5,629

Elections BC continues to count absentee ballots Monday. Vernon Matters will provide updates as the figures become available.

— UPDATE 1:15 p.m. Oct. 28 —

The B.C. NDP are still on track to having a chance to form a majority government.

Elections BC’s update at 1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, showed the NDP leading in 47 ridings, the amount needed to form a majority government.

The Conservative Party of B.C was ahead in 45 ridings, while the B.C. Green Party was leading in two ridings.

There were no changes to the leads held in the local ridings which, as of 1 p.m., were as follows:

Vernon-Lumby
- Harwinder Sandhu (NDP) – 11,790
- Dennis Giesbrecht (Conservative) – 11,303
- Kevin Acton (Unaffiliated) – 4,253
- Robert Johnson (Libertarian) – 263
Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream
- Tara Armstrong (Conservative) – 14,266
- Anna Warwick Sears (NDP) – 9,299
- Kevin Kraft (Independent) – 1,720
- Andrew Rose (Greens) – 1,140
Kelowna Centre
- Kristina Loewen (Conservative) – 10,972
- Loyal Woolridge (NDP) – 10,908
- Michael Humer (Unaffiliated) – 2,599
- Bryce Tippe (Greens) – 1,102
Kelowna-Mission
- Gavin Dew (Conservative) – 14,061
- Harpreet Badohal (NDP) – 8,904
- Ashley Ramsay (Unaffiliated) – 2,990
- Billy Young (Greens) – 1,347
Salmon Arm-Shuswap
- David L. Williams (Conservative) – 16,518
- Sylvia Lindgren (NDP) – 9,642
- Greg McCune (Independent) – 2,913
- Jeb Wiebe (Greens) – 2,237
- Sherry Roy (Independent) – 373
West Kelowna-Peachland
- Macklin McCall (Conservative) – 13,426
- Krystal Smith (NDP) – 7,353
- Stephen Johnson (Unaffiliated) – 5,614

Absentee ballot counting continues Monday afternoon. Vernon Matters will provide updates as the figures become available.

–UPDATE 12:15 p.m. Oct.28 —

The B.C. NDP party have a chance to form a minority government.

Elections BC’s update at noon Monday, Oct. 28, showed the NDP had taken the lead in another riding, setting them up with possibly 47 seats and a majority.

The update came as the independent, non-partisan agency continued to count absentee ballots and certify results.

The change left the Conservative Party fo B.C. leading in 44 ridings, and the B.C. Green Party on track to win two seats.

As of noon, there were no real changes to the local ridings. The NDP Candidate still lead in Vernon-Lumby, while the Conservatives had leads in all the other areas.

The vote counts as of noon were as follows:

Vernon-Lumby
- Harwinder Sandhu (NDP) – 11,790
- Dennis Giesbrecht (Conservative) – 11,387
- Kevin Acton (Unaffiliated) – 4,252
- Robert Johnson (Libertarian) – 263
Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream
- Tara Armstrong (Conservative) – 14,265
- Anna Warwick Sears (NDP) – 9,298
- Kevin Kraft (Independent) – 1,720
- Andrew Rose (Greens) – 1,140
Kelowna Centre
- Kristina Loewen (Conservative) – 10,967
- Loyal Woolridge (NDP) – 10,905
- Michael Humer (Unaffiliated) – 2,598
- Bryce Tippe (Greens) – 1,102
Kelowna-Mission
- Gavin Dew (Conservative) – 14,059
- Harpreet Badohal (NDP) – 8,902
- Ashley Ramsay (Unaffiliated) – 2,990
- Billy Young (Greens) – 1,347
Salmon Arm-Shuswap
- David L. Williams (Conservative) – 16,518
- Sylvia Lindgren (NDP) – 9,642
- Greg McCune (Independent) – 2,912
- Jeb Wiebe (Greens) – 2,237
- Sherry Roy (Independent) – 373
West Kelowna-Peachland
- Macklin McCall (Conservative) – 13,387
- Krystal Smith (NDP) – 7,310
- Stephen Johnson (Unaffiliated) – 5,601

Elections BC will continue to count absentee ballots and certify the results Monday. Vernon Matters will provide updates when they become available.

— Update 11:20 a.m. Oct. 28 —

The absentee ballot and election certification process continues Monday, Oct. 28.

ElectionsBC data showed NDP candidate Harwinder Sandhu winning in Vernon-Lumby as of 11 a.m. Monday, as she had a lead of roughly 480 votes at the time.

In Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream, Conservative Tara Armstrong was also projected to win as she had a lead of approximately 5,000 votes.

The Conservative candidates were leading in the other nearby ridings, though the Kelowna Centre riding was a close race with the NDP candidate trailing by only 60 votes.

The local vote counts, as of 11 a.m. Monday, were as follows:

Vernon-Lumby
- Harwinder Sandhu (NDP) – 11,784
- Dennis Giesbrecht (Conservative) – 11,302
- Kevin Acton (Unaffiliated) – 4,250
- Robert Johnson (Libertarian) – 262
Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream
- Tara Armstrong (Conservative) – 14,243
- Anna Warwick Sears (NDP) – 9,279
- Kevin Kraft (Independent) – 1,717
- Andrew Rose (Greens) – 1,136
Kelowna Centre
- Kristina Loewen (Conservative) – 10,961
- Loyal Woolridge (NDP) – 10,901
- Michael Humer (Unaffiliated) – 2,598
- Bryce Tippe (Greens) – 1,100
Kelowna-Mission
- Gavin Dew (Conservative) – 14,054
- Harpreet Badohal (NDP) – 8,895
- Ashley Ramsay (Unaffiliated) – 2,991
- Billy Young (Greens) – 1,347
Salmon Arm-Shuswap
- David L. Williams (Conservative) – 16,500
- Sylvia Lindgren (NDP) – 9,628
- Greg McCune (Independent) – 2,911
- Jeb Wiebe (Greens) – 2,235
- Sherry Roy (Independent) – 372
West Kelowna-Peachland
- Macklin McCall (Conservative) – 13,381
- Krystal Smith (NDP) – 7,310
- Stephen Johnson (Unaffiliated) – 4,250

As of 11 a.m. Monday, ElectionsBC had the NDP leading in 46 races. The Conservatives held leads in 45 ridings, and the Greens were winning two seats.

Absentee vote counting and the certification of the provincial election continues Monday. Vernon Matters will provide updates as available.

— Original Story 9:30 a.m. Oct.28 —

A partial recount in the Kelowna Centre riding for the provincial election was conducted, with the Conservative candidate still leading in the riding.

A partial recount was granted by Elections BC after a one vote discrepancy was discovered between a ballot count and a tabulator result.

Elections BC undertook the partial recount over the weekend, along with counting the mail-in ballots, and the counts showed Kristina Loewen, the Conservative Party of B.C. candidate, beating the NDP’s Loyal Woolridge by just under 70 votes.

The results as of 9 a.m. Monday were as follows.

Kristina Loewen (Conservative) – 10,948 votes
Loyal Woolridge (NDP) – 10,880 votes
Michael Humer (Unaffiliated) – 2,595 votes
Bryce Tippe (Greens) – 1,098 votes

As of Monday morning, the B.C. NDP still lead the race to form the next government.

The incumbent party was projected to win 46 ridings with 44.8 per cent of the vote. The Conservative Party was trailing just slightly with 45 seats and 43.34 per cent of the vote. The B.C. Green Party was also projected to win two seats with 8.23 per cent support.

ElectionsBC will continue counting absentee ballots Monday and will release a finalized count later in the day. Vernon Matters will provide updates on the count as the figures are become available.

by Liam Verster

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