2 NDP wins in Regina byelections, Saskatchewan Party keeps Lumsden-Morse

NDP's Noor Burki and Jared Clarke won the byelections in Regina Coronation Park and Regina Walsh Acres respectively, while the Saskatchewan Party's Blaine McLeod took Lumsden-Morse.

NDP's Burki won Regina Coronation Park with 2,039 ballots, or 56.6 per cent of the vote and the NDP's Jared Clarke was elected in Regina Walsh Acres with 2,395, or 54 per cent of the vote. The Saskatchewan Party's McLeod took the seat in Lumsden-Morse with 2648 votes, or 53.7 per cent. Tonight's numbers do not include mail-in ballots, but that will not change the outcome in the capital.

Sask. NDP Leader Carla Beck said it's the first time the party has held the Regina constituencies in more than a decade. 

"We're not here to settle for second place, we're going to go all the way to 2024," she said. "We can accomplish things … we swept the Regina byelections tonight.

"We are not fighting to be a better opposition, we are fighting to kick out a tired and out of touch government.

"Over and over again, we're hearing from people in rural Saskatchewan who are tired of the Sask Party taking them for granted," Beck said.

Voter turnout in Regina Coronation Park was 29 per cent, in Regina Walsh Acres it was 37.64 per cent and in Lumsden-Morse it was 36.84.

After being elected in Regina Coronation Park, Clarke was joined by his wife Kristen, their two daughters and NDP MLAs.

"Voters noticed [Carla Beck's] energy and honesty," said Clarke, an elementary school teacher with Regina Public Schools.

The NDP said it was their largest win in Walsh Acres in 16 years. The Saskatchewan Party's Nevin Markwart, who came second with 1,783 votes or 40.2 per cent told the Regina Leader-Post he was "despondent."

The NDP's Burki, who ran and lost in Coronation Park in 2020, came to Canada from Pakistan in 2003 and owns Wascana Driving School and teaches high school driver's education. ⁠

The NDP said it was its largest win in the constituency in two decades.

"It's time for a government that listens to people," Burki said.

The Saskatchewan Party's Riaz Ahmad, who also immigrated from Pakistan to Regina, was the runner-up in the constituency with 1,131 votes or 31.4 per cent.

"I appreciate all my team, my family, my party's efforts, everyone. They worked hard," Ahmad told the Regina Leader-Post.

Premier Scott Moe tweeted congratulations to Saskatchewan's three newest MLAs.

Watch cbc.ca/sask and the free CBC News app for updates. 

Polls closed Thursday at 8 p.m. CST, the final day of voting. Earlier ballots were cast on Aug. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8.

According to a tally provided by Elections Saskatchewan for the first five days of voting, 3,013 votes were cast in Regina Walsh Acres, 2,475 in Regina Coronation Park and 1,861 in Lumsden-Morse.

In the Coronation Park constituency, the PC Party of Sakskatchewan's Olasehinde Ben Adebayo received 222 or 6.2 per cent, the Saskatchewan Green Party's Kendra Anderson got 122 or 3.4 per cent and the Saskatchewan Progress Party's Reid Hill got 85 or 2.4 per cent.

In Regina Walsh Acres, the PC Party of Saskatchewan's Rose Buscholl got 215 or 4.8 per cent and the Saskatchewan Green Party's Joseph Reynolds attracted 38, or 0.9 per cent.

In Lumsden-Morse, the Saskatchewan United Party's Jon Hromek received 1,121 votes, or 22.7 per cent, the NDP's Kaitlyn Stadnyk took 1,064 or 21.6 per cent, the Buffalo Party's Les Guillemin got 56, or 1.1  per cent, and the Saskatchewan Green Party's Isaiah Hunter received 38, or 0.8 per cent.

Lumsden-Morse shares a partial border with Regina and extends into southwest Saskatchewan. It has been in the stronghold of veteran Saskatchewan Party MLA and former minister of agriculture Lyle Stewart since the constituency was created ahead of the 2016 provincial election. On March 6, Stewart announced his resignation for health reasons. 

Of the trio of byelections, only Lumsden-Morse had candidates from the three parties currently with a seat in the legislature: The Saskatchewan Party, New Democratic Party and Saskatchewan United Party. 

A tight race was expected in Regina Coronation Park, which had been held by Saskatchewan Party MLA Mark Docherty since 2011. However, Docherty resigned in February to pursue other opportunities.

The voters in the constituency of Regina Walsh Acres sent New Democrats to the legislature consistently from 1967 to 2011. However, for the past 12 years, the Saskatchewan Party has held the seat and now it's back to NDP.

Saskatchewan Party MLA Derek Meyers was elected to represent the riding in 2020. Seen as a rising star in the party, Meyers was popular in caucus and a regular at Regina events. On March 28, Meyers died after a battle with cancer.

There hasn't been an August byelection in Saskatchewan since 1938, making Thursday's the first to be held in August in 85 years, according to Elections Saskatchewan.