The BC NDP’s Michelle Babchuk has been elected in North Island, Global News projects.
It is the first time the district has had a new face representing it since 2005.
Claire Trevena, transportation minister in John Horgan’s cabinet, is not running again in the election. She was the last of seven Horgan cabinet ministers to announce she was leaving political life.
The northern part of Vancouver Island has been a safe haven for the NDP. The party has held the seat nine out of the ten elections where it has been contested since it was created in 1979. The only time the Liberals won was in 2001 when the NDP was reduced to two seats province-wide.
Babchuk is a Campbell River city councillor. She was first elected to city council in 2014 and was a school board trustee for nine years before her time on council.
Trevena won the seat by more than 3,200 votes in 2017. Norm Facey is the BC Liberal candidate and a lifelong mill worker.
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The BC Liberals candidate from the last election, Dallas Smith, has decided not to run again.
The Liberals are hoping to take advantage of a long, nasty labour dispute between Western Forest Products and the United Steelworkers Union, which left many families in the riding struggling.
Nominated Candidates
- BC NDP: Michele Babchuk
- BC Liberal: Norm Facey
- BC Conservatives: John Twigg
- BC Greens: Alexandra Morton
Swing Riding Meter
This is a strong NDP territory. The party has won every election here since the riding was formed in 1979 except for 2001.
North Island was the 29th closest race in 2017 based on the winning percentage. Trevena won by 12.39 per cent. North Island was the 14th closest race out of the 41 won by the NDP in 2017.
2017 Election Results
- BC NDP: Claire Trevena, 12,355 votes (47.72%)
- BC Liberals: Dallas Smith, 9,148 votes (35.33%)
- Greens: Sue Moen, 3,846 votes (14.85%)
- BC First: John Twigg, 543 votes (2.10%)
This profile will continually be updated to reflect latest candidate information, candidate 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.
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