On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of British Columbians will go to polls in municipalities across the province.
Global BC will be broadcasting a live election special with Shaw TV from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, and you can check out results as they happen on our live results page here.
We’ll be giving coverage to over 20 cities and towns across B.C. – but here are six to keep a close eye on.
Vancouver
Incumbent mayor Gregor Robertson is seeking reelection, as are all seven of his Vision Vancouver councillors. But the Non-Partisan Association are considered to be in a stronger position this election thanin 2011, and mayoral candidate Kirk LaPointe has been within 5 percentage points of Robertson in recent polls.
The left-wing COPE party is also running a mayoral candidate (Meena Wong) for the first time since 2002, though she lags behind Robertson and LaPointe in the polls.
Surrey
It’s anyone’s guess who will replace Diane Watts as mayor in British Columbia’s second largest city. Former mayor Doug McCallum has returned from private life to battle three-term city councillor Linda Hepner – who has stayed with Watts’ old Surrey First party – and fellow councillor Barinder Rasode, who left the party earlier this year. All three candidates are also running with a slate of council candidates and with polls showing a virtual three-way tie, City Hall’s makeup could have any number of combinations after the election.
Kelowna
Mayor Walter Grey has served as mayor since 2011 – along with a nine-year stint between 1996 and 2005 – but he isn’t running again, and who replaces him is an open question. Colin Basran, a one-term councillor, is facing off against Sharon Shepherd, who served as mayor from 2005 to 2011. Shepherd has experience on her side, while Basran has support in the business community.
Victoria
Mayor Dean Fortin has a fight on his hands in his quest to win a third straight term, as delays to the Johnson Street Bridge and a sewage treatment plant have caused some irritability with voters. Most believe councillor Lisa Helps is running neck-and-neck with Fortin, but former MLA Ida Chong and TV journalist Stephen Andrew are also considered strong candidates. There is also a non-binding question on amalgamation in Victoria and most of the other municipalities in the Capital Region. If successful, a vote with a specific plan could be given to voters in 2018.
Prince George
There will be a new mayor in Prince George as Shari Green attempts to enter federal politics for the Conservative party, but the question is, who? Current councillor Lyn Hall is facing former councillor Don Zurowski, and while both have promised a more inclusive style of governing going forward, neither has made any large promises with the exception of Zurowski’s pledging to increase Prince George’s population to 100,000.
New Westminster
It’s a generational battle in the Royal City, as 71-year-old mayor Wayne Wright attempts to win a fifth term in office. He faces his biggest fight yet against 35-year-old Jonathan X. Cote, a three-term councillor who has gotten the support of a powerful labour group in the city.
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