Lynne Block has been elected as the new MLA for West Vancouver-Capilano.
As results from electronic ballots came in at lightning pace Saturday evening, Block of the BC Conservatives was declared the clear winner in her riding less than an hour after polls closed at 8 p.m.
With all of the advance voting boxes and 15 of 16 final voting boxes reported, Block secured 11,376 votes for 46.67 per cent of the total count. That’s significantly more than Sara Eftekhar of the BC NDP with 6,587 votes (27.02 per cent).
Incumbent Karin Kirkpatrick – who ran as an independent after the BC Liberals folded in late August – got 5,065 votes (20.78 per cent).
Archie Kaario of the BC Greens received 1,348 votes (5.53 per cent).
As heavy rain continued to pour onto the sopping grass at the West Vancouver Lawn Bowling Club Saturday night, shouts of celebration rang out from inside the clubhouse as the projection of Block’s victory showed on the TV.
At the centre of the jubilation was Block herself, sipping champagne and speaking to her supporters in the room.
Block says she will focus on taxes, cost of living and public safety
“I am thrilled, honoured, delighted, and I feel very blessed to have this riding and these people supporting me, the voters,” she said. “I am very thankful, very thankful.”
In a speech, Block started by acknowledging the devastation being caused by flooding across the North Shore.
“Businesses have been affected, homes have been damaged, cars have been flooded. My heart goes out to everyone affected at this time,” she said.
Block said it was only a few weeks ago when BC Conservative Leader John Rustad asked her to be the MLA candidate for West Vancouver-Capilano.
“John took the oldest party in B.C. from two per cent to a mighty one today,” she said. “This was an election that pivoted on our values, freedoms and democracy.”
Reflecting back on the campaign period, Block said that “divisiveness, bullying, fear tactics and falsehoods” were used to distract the public from the real issues in the province.
As she becomes an MLA, Block will have to give up her position as trustee for West Vancouver Schools.
“I wanted to also express my sincere appreciation for my West Vancouver School District trustees for my six years of experience with them that has given me a fuller perspective of education in our province,” she said.
In her new role, Block said she’ll focus on issues including cost of living, taxes, transportation and public safety.
Outgoing MLA Kirkpatrick said she thought the race would be closer.
“But I'm also not surprised,” she said. “I knew running as an independent there a lot of people who are going to vote based on a brand, not based on a person, and so that's what happened here.”
“Many people were voting against something instead of voting for something,” Kirkpatrick added.
Her loss followed a trend with other independent candidates not gaining much traction in their ridings either.
But Kirkpatrick, who considered retiring from politics earlier this year, said her career is far from over.
“There’s my colleagues who also were not successful, and other MLAs, and people across British Columbia who are contacting me to say, ‘We need to rebuild the centre,’” she said.
“We're going to build something good and something positive, trying to show British Columbians that we can actually look forward to things now instead of just complain about what's wrong,” Kirkpatrick said.
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