BCNDP gets strong lead

UPDATE 8:30 p.m.

The polls closed at 8 p.m. and the BC NDP has a strong lead with 57.2 per cent of the vote, compared to 32 per cent for the BC Conservative candidate.

ORIGINAL 5 p.m.

Kootenay-Monashee is a provincial electoral district that's long been held by the NDP.

It was established under the name Kootenay West by the Electoral Districts Act, 2008 and first contested in the 2009 general election.

The riding adopted its current name and had minor boundary changes for the 2024 election, which shook out during the 2021 riding redistribution.

The NDP has won the riding 12 out of the last 13 elections. Before the NDP victory in 1972, the riding voted consistently for Social Credit.

There are three candidates running this election Steve Morissette represents the B.C. NDP., Donovan Cavers represents the B.C. Green Party and Glen Byle represents the Conservative Party of B.C

This story will be updated with results as they come in.

Steve Morrissette

Morissette is representing the B.C. NDP this election cycle and is the current mayor of Fruitvale. For the latter role, he was elected 10 years ago, during which he focused on housing and childcare.

Under his tenure as mayor, the village “committed to paying people good wages, and put a plan in place to move to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2050.”

Donovan Cavers

Cavers grew up on a third-generation farm near Chase.

Cavers founded and operated Conscientious Catering for 12 years, earning several business awards before transitioning to his current role as an elementary school teacher.

In addition to his career in education, Cavers was served as a city councillor in Kamloops, where he was involved with the Southern Interior Local Government Association , the Transportation Committee, the Fraser Basin Council and the Social Planning Council.

Glen Byle

Byle is running as a BC Conservative candidate. He works at the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital with a specialization in medical equipment repair.

Beyond his professional endeavours, Byle is a weightlifter and long-distance runner. He volunteers his time to run a weekly fitness program for kids, offering them opportunities to engage in obstacle courses and fun challenges.