Lisa Helps elected new Victoria mayor

WATCH ABOVE: Lisa Helps learns she’s become the new mayor of Victoria.

The capital city will have a new mayor.

Based on unofficial results, councillor Lisa Helps defeated current mayor Dean Fortin and six other candidates, and will become the 52nd mayor of Victoria.

READ MORE: Full results from Victoria

Helps, who was first elected to council last election, defeated Fortin by 89 votes, 9200 to 9111, in a race considered tight the entire election.

Former Liberal MLA Ida Chong finished third, while local broadcast journalist Stephen Andrew finished fourth.

Helps, who campaigned heavily on the issues of homelessness and affordable housing, was helped by voter frustration over delays to the Johnson Street bridge and approving a new sewage system.

People also voted in the affirmative to the question “Are you in favour of reducing the number of municipalities in Greater Victoria through amalgamation?”, with close to 80% voting yes and 20% voting no.

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While the question was only a non-binding plebiscite, variations of it were asked in the majority of Greater Victoria’s 13 municipalities, and it could lead to a binding referendum on the question next municipal election in 2018.

READ MORE: Full municipal election results from across B.C.

Victoria council candidates