The small eastern B.C. community of Canal Flats now knows who its new mayor will be, in a decision that came down to random chance.
The village, located about an hour north of Cranbrook, saw its mayoral race end in a tie on election night.
Candidates Mark Doherty and Doug Mccutcheon each earned 156 votes.
Both candidates agreed that a recount was not necessary in the contest, and met at the provincial courthouse in Invermere on Monday, where a judge picked the winner’s name out of a box.
That draw selected Doherty’s name, making him the community’s new mayor elect.
It’s not the first time in recent memory a B.C. community had to use the random draw technique to settle an election.
In 2018, Peachland’s mayoral race resulted in a tie when Cindy Fortin and Harry Gough each won 804 votes.
In that case, Fortin was elected mayor after her name was drawn from a box.
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