Corrigan, Hurley locked in dead heat in race for Burnaby mayor’s office: poll

A new poll suggests that the race for the Burnaby mayor’s office is shaping up to be the tightest in years.

Incumbent Mayor Derek Corrigan has held the title for five terms and won the last election with a healthy 75 per cent of the vote.

This year, he’s facing a stiff challenge from Mike Hurley, a retired firefighter and former head of the Burnaby firefighters’ union.

The new poll, commissioned by the International Association of Firefighters and conducted by zinc tank, Justason Market Intelligence and Dufferin Research, has found the two men virtually neck and neck.

The poll found Corrigan to be the preferred option for 43 per cent of committed and decided voters. Among the same group, Hurley pulled 42 per cent support.

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The survey also found that just over half (51 per cent) of voters had yet to make up their minds — leaving plenty of room for the race to shift in either direction.

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READ MORE: B.C. municipal election 2018: Burnaby

The poll found an advantage for Corrigan in terms of name recognition, with 71 per cent of voters having an impression of him versus just 44 per cent having one of Hurley.

However, it found the sitting mayor may be facing headwinds in other areas.

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According to the survey, 59 per cent of respondents agreed that it was time for a change in the mayor’s office versus 29 per cent who disagreed.

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And among voters who had an impression of the candidates, Hurley came out on top.

The poll found 74 per cent of those voters had a favourable view of Hurley compared to 26 per cent who saw him in an unfavourable light.

For Corrigan, 52 per cent saw him in a favourable light compared to 48 per cent who had an unvafourable opinion.

The poll was conducted between Sept. 28 and Oct. 3 among 645 adult voters from a mix of cell phones, landlines and an online panel.

The poll did not report a margin of error but said “a pure, unweighted probability sample of 645 reports margin of error at ±3.85 percentage points” 19 times out of 20.