When it comes to close calls at the voting booth, Burnaby rarely disappoints - and last night's election results were no exception.
In a virtual replay of the 2009 provincial election, the city's four ridings were among the last in B.C. to be called, with the NDP and Liberal candidates in Burnaby-Lougheed and Burnaby-North swapping the lead positions by just fractions of a percentage point throughout the vote tally.
At press deadlines, Burnaby-Lougheed was still too close to call, with newcomers Jane Shin (NDP) ahead of opponent Ken Kramer (Liberal) by just 36 votes. With 108 of 129 polls reported, Shin had a slim lead with 42.34 per cent of the vote to Kramer's 42.07.
In neighbouring Burnaby-North, incumbent Richard Lee squeaked in with a larger lead and a likely win, maintaining the spot he's held since the Liberal landslide in 2001 - with about 600 votes over NDP opponent Janet Routledge at press time.
"This riding is always close," Lee told supporters at his headquarters midway through the night.
In 2009, Lee took the seat with 825 votes over longtime Burnaby school board chair and NDP candidate Mondee Redman, and in 2005, Lee beat out current city councillor Pietro Calendino with just 65 votes.
Incumbents Raj Chouhan and Kathy Corrigan reclaimed Burnaby-Edmonds and Burnaby-Deer Lake, respectively, for the NDP, with confirmed wins by 10 p.m.
Chouhan enjoyed a decisive lead early in the polls and maintained a lead of 1,000 votes by press deadline. Corrigan's race against Liberal opponent Shian Gu was closer, with about 600 votes between them after 88 polls of 131 were reported.
The gain for the NDP in Burnaby wasn't enough to help with the predicted NDP win provincewide with the Liberals taking 41 seats and leading in 12, at press time, and the NDP elected in 26 ridings and leading in another six. The Green party won a single seat in Oak Bay/ Gordon Head and a single independent win in Delta South.
Pre-election polls had the NDP with a strong win after three successive Liberal terms.
Chouhan said the night's results were a "big disappointment."
"We were looking to form government," he told the NOW.
For more details on individual riding results, see stories on page 3, and look for more coverage online at www.burn abynow.com.
