Town of Qualicum councillor Adam Walker is projected to be the new MLA of Parksville-Qualicum after unseating Liberal incumbent Michelle Stilwell. (submitted/BC NDP)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

PARKSVILLE-QUALICUM

Projected winner awaiting mail-in ballots before declaring Parksville-Qualicum flip

Oct 26, 2020 | 10:39 AM

PARKSVILLE — The last BC Liberal riding on Vancouver Island has all but flipped following a surge in NDP support in the region.

Town of Qualicum councillor and NDP candidate Adam Walker was projected victorious Saturday night in the BC Liberal stronghold of Parksville-Qualicum, ahead of two-term MLA Michelle Stilwell.

Walker said in a written statement he will await the count of thousands of mail-in ballots expected from the riding, despite experts declaring the race over.

“I feel very strongly that every vote matters and that every vote must be counted properly. Many people chose the option of the mail-in ballot in this election and I think everyone deserves to have their voice heard.”

As of Monday, Oct. 26 with 116/117 polls reporting, Walker held a 942 vote lead over Stilwell. Rob Lyon from the Green party was third.

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The number of returned mail-in ballots for the riding is not known, however Elections BC said over 10,000 were requested.

Andy Watson, Elections BC spokesperson, said staff count election day and advance ballots on election night before turning to mail-in and absentee votes.

“Usually that takes 13 days and the count of absentee and mail-in ballots takes three days and the final results in a district are declared after that.”

If the result stands following the count of mail-in ballots, the flip from Liberal to NDP would shut the Liberals out of Vancouver Island.

Stilwell, the lone Island MLA in the previous legislature, told NanaimoNewsNOW she is also waiting for final results to be tabulated by Election BC in the coming weeks.

‘We’ll wait until those final ballots come in. At the end of the day this is a democratic process and whatever the people have decided, that’s how it shall be,” Stilwell said.

The riding has been under the BC Liberal banner since the party defeated NDP MLA and now-Nanaimo mayor Leonard Krog in 1996.

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