B.C. NDP incumbent Ravi Kahlon has won an unprecedented third term as MLA for Delta North.
With all advance and final voting day ballots counted, Kahlon has a 2,462-vote lead over Raj Veauli of the B.C. Conservatives.
Reached by phone at the party's election night headquarters in Vancouver Saturday (Oct. 19), Kahlon said it was a "great honour" to be once again be elected by the people of North Delta, crediting the win to his long-standing connections in the community.
"I've worked really hard the last seven years as the MLA, and now I've four more years of trying to improve the lives of people in our community," he said.
"I spent seven years knocking on doors in my community — every month I go knock on doors — I engage with the community, I've I think been as responsive as I could to the issues that come up in our community, and I think that's why the people gave me the honour of representing them again.
"Of course I know, and I heard on the doorsteps, improving health care, improving housing opportunities for people, addressing cost of living are the main issues, and my goal over the next four years is to continue working on those issues."
Kahlon finished the night with 10,675 votes (52.53%) to Veauli's 8,223 (40.42%). B.C. Green candidate Nick Dickinson-Wilde finished third with 1,258 votes (6.18%) and Manqoosh Khan of the Freedom Party of B.C. came in fourth with 176 (0.87%).
Out-of-district ballots had yet to be counted, and election night results are only an initial count. Final counting begins next Saturday (Oct. 26).
With Saturday night's win, Kahlon becomes the first person ever elected to a third consecutive term in the riding.
"I didn't know that. That's pretty amazing," Kahlon said when the Reporter shared that context with him. "I’m really humbled. People in the community have been so kind to me and it just every day reminds me that I’m blessed to be able to represent the community. Even when I’m feeling tired, I’m reminded that there’s people that I’ve got to continue to work for. So yeah, I’m grateful for that."
Since it was created in 1991, Delta North has been something of a swing riding, oscillating between the B.C. NDP and B.C. Liberal Party. Of the eight previous elections held since the riding was created, the NDP has won five (1991, 2005, 2009, 2017 and 2020), while the Liberals have won three (1996, 2001 and 2013).
When the Reporter spoke with Kahlon, the result of the election was still very much in the air, with the NDP leading in 46 districts, the Conservatives in 45, and many races in the province too close to call.
READ MORE: B.C. provincial election race too close to call
Kahlon said there was a nervousness in the air at the NDP's election night headquarters — "a little bit of ‘What happens now?’" — but that the party knew going into Saturday's election that it was going to be close, noting the province has historically always seen close battles between parties.
"We’ve been here before, and if British Columbians want us to find ways to co-operate to make the province a better place, we’ll do that. We’ve done that before, and we’ll find a path to do that again.”
Once he's back at work as the MLA for Delta North, Kahlon said replacing the track at North Delta's Seaquam Secondary will be among his immediate focuses, noting it's a big priority locally, as will engaging with his constituents to see what improvements they would like to see in the community.
“The results have just come in, so I’m going to take the evening to spend with my family, just to process all of this, and then get to work tomorrow.”
Kahlon has been Delta North's MLA since 2017, most recently serving as housing minister under Premier David Eby. Kahlon won his first election over one-term B.C. Liberal MLA Scott Hamilton by a little over 2,100 votes. In 2020, he defeated B.C. Liberal challenger Jet Sunner by an even wider margin, with more than 5,000 votes separating them.
A record-breaking number of voters province-wide cast their ballots during advanced voting this election — more than one million people during the six days of advanced voting that ended Oct. 16, compared to 671,231 in the 2020 snap election.
In Delta North, 10,513 of 35,553 voters registered by Oct. 7 (just under 30%) turned out for advance voting at five locations in the community — four of which were only open Oct. 12 and 13.
Last provincial election, just over 19% of voters in the riding took part in advance voting — 7,362 of 38,311 registered as of general voting on Oct. 24, 2020.
With 20,307 total valid votes counted this election, and at least 35,553 voters registered, that means total voter turnout in the riding was likely at least 57%.
Total voter turnout in Delta North last election was 56.55%.
