B.C. election 2020: Chilliwack-Kent results

The NDP have flipped the BC Liberal stronghold of Chilliwack-Kent.

New Democrat Kelli Paddon defeated former BC Liberal turned independent Laurie Throness by 1,304 votes, after officials counted outstanding absentee and mail-in ballots on Saturday.

Throness was forced to resign in the midst of the campaign after he said the BC NDP’s plan on free birth control was trying to prevent poor people from getting pregnant.

Throness appeared on the ballot as the Liberal candidate.

The riding has long been a strong hold for the BC Liberals.

Chilliwack city councillor Jason Lum ran as an independent and is finished third, with 5,370 votes.

Located in the Fraser Valley, with agriculture as the region’s key industry, versions of this district have reliably elected right wing MLAs for decades.

The NDP made a brief breakthrough in a 2012 byelection — when riding included Hope — and Gwen O’Mahoney took advantage of a vote split between the BC Liberals and BC Conservatives to claim the seat.

2:28 How do you vote in the upcoming B.C. provincial election?

In 2015, Hope was removed from the riding.

Before resigning, Throness faced criticism after he continued to advertise in a Christian magazine that also carried anti-LGBTQ2 content, despite Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson’s pledge to stop spending money with the publication.

Candidates

• BC Liberals (resigned from the BC Liberal Party): Laurie Throness
• BC Greens: Jeff Hammersmark
• BC NDP: Kelli Paddon
• Libertarian: Eli Gagne
• Independent: Jason Lum

Swing riding meter

Throness won this riding by a comfortable 20.71 per cent in 2017.

It was the 47th closest of 87 races in that election, and the 24th closest of the 43 seats the BC Liberals won.

2017 election results

• BC Liberals: Laurie Throness — 11,841 votes (52.75%)
• BC NDP: Patti MacAhonic — 7,273 votes (32.40%)
• BC Greens: Josie Bleuer — 3,335 votes (14.85%)

This profile will continually be updated to reflect latest information, interviews and events in the campaign.

Find full B.C. 2020 provincial election coverage here.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots were requested across B.C. this election. As mail-in ballots cannot be counted until after election night, these results are not final.