Liberal Terry Beech scored a victory in the new riding of Burnaby North-Seymour Monday, winning one of the closest-watched battles in the Lower Mainland.

The new riding was predicted to be one of the most interesting races to watch in B.C.

If the riding had existed in 2011, it would have gone Conservative. Voters were drawn from both the Tory-leaning eastern edge of North Vancouver and the traditional NDP stronghold of Burnaby.

That made for a mix of residents ranging from the middle class, older voters north of Burrard Inlet to the left-leaning university population of Simon Fraser University.

Add to that mix, the fight over the proposed expansion of Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline through Burnaby Mountain turning the riding into a political hot spot — and launching an election battle for the ages.

Prior to the election race, the issue saw mass protests, arrests and court challenges by pipeline opponents who fear the possibility of an oil spill in nearby Burrard Inlet.

Beech is a newcomer to politics who was declared one of B.C.'s "Top 40 under 40" by Business in Vancouver in 2013. He has a background as a small business owner and community advocate.

During the campaign, he said Canada has to balance energy needs with environmental protection.

Green candidate Lynne Quarmby hoped opposition to the pipeline might carry her to victory, but she lost votes to an alliance of environmentalists who urged strategic voting for the NDP instead.

That left Beech and NDP candidate Carol Baird Ellen vying for the left with Conservative Mike Little trying to ride a split in the vote to victory.

Little, a veteran North Vancouver councillor, had the most political experience.