Dyas leads Cannan in Kelowna, recount a possibility

Tom Dyas won Kelowna’s mayoral race over challenger Ron Cannan by 969 votes in preliminary results from Saturday’s municipal election, and Cannan said a recount request is a strong possibility.

The City of Kelowna’s website showed Dyas with 19,451 votes, or 50.54 per cent, Cannan with 18,482 votes, or 48.02 per cent, and Andrew Uitvlugt with 556 votes, or 1.4 per cent, the Similkameen Spotlight, a Black Press publication, reported. The figures are preliminary and not official.

Cannan congratulated Dyas on election night and said he respects the voters’ decision. “That’s democracy, and I respect their decision,” he said, according to the Spotlight.

He also said “some questions have to be answered at city hall” after the count took more than three hours following the close of polls at all 22 voting stations. Cannan’s campaign manager, Shari Matvieshen, said seven of 13 scrutineers were denied vote-count information they had been told they could request, the Spotlight reported.

The Spotlight reported that under B.C.’s Elections Act, a recount can be requested up to three days after final voting day. Cannan told Black Press a recount request was a “really strong possibility.” Kelowna has not announced whether one has been filed.

The city’s chief election officer must still declare the official results.

The Kelowna race was one of several across the province decided Saturday. We reported that Pete Fry defeated Ken Sim in Vancouver, that Doug McCallum was elected Surrey mayor and that Rob Howard was elected in Richmond. Our roundup of Burnaby, Coquitlam and other Metro Vancouver races has more.

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