Recount affirms B.C. Liberal narrowly beats Green in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky

Elections B.C. says a judicial recount in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky has affirmed incumbent B.C. Liberal Jordan Sturdy as the winner.

On election night, the riding went to the B.C. Green Party, giving the party its first seat on the mainland, but an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots saw Sturdy win by just 41 votes.

The tight margin triggered an automatic judicial recount that confirmed Sturdy beat Green candidate Jeremy Valeriote by 60 votes.

In a written statement, Valeriote offered Sturdy his congratulations for winning the riding.

"I am very grateful to all those who cast a ballot for me and supported my campaign, which experienced unprecedented momentum," he said. "I am very much looking forward to continuing to build the Green vote in this riding over the next four years."

Green Leader Sonia Furstenau also weighed in to express her ambitions for the riding.

"Jeremy nearly won the seat for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky with less than four weeks of campaigning," she said in the statement. "In the next election, I fully expect to see B.C. Greens elected in this riding and in many others."

Sturdy's re-election confirms the B.C. Liberals have 28 seats after the Oct. 24 election that also gave the New Democrats a majority government with 57 of 87 seats in the legislature, while the Greens have two seats.

Sturdy was first elected to the riding in 2013 and briefly served as environment minister in 2017, when he was re-elected.

There is a two-day appeal period expiring on Thursday before a B.C. Supreme Court judge can issue a certificate of results to the district electoral officer in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky.

A judicial recount happens when the difference between the top two candidates is less than one in 500 of the total ballots.