The Vernon Monashee riding stayed Liberal, but it was closer than many expected. New MLA Eric Foster (inset) won with 37 percent of the vote compared to 31 percent for New Democrat Mark Olsen, a difference of about 13-hundred votes. Foster--- who will be stepping down as Lumby Mayor--- says people had more confidence in the Liberals leading BC out of the recession. "It's just overwhelming. It really is. It's exciting. Looking forward to it. I'm pleased the people in the province elected another Liberal majority government. It will give us an opportunity to put our policies in place and make sure we keep the province going in the right direction the next four years." Foster says he will have one simple priority. "To represent the people of Vernon Monashee. I know that's the old cliche but I'd like to think that I'll be able to do that the same as I've represented the people of Lumby and the North Okanagan Regional District as the chair."
Olsen doesn't think he could have done anything else. "It was exciting and I think all the credit goes to my campaign team. They were just great right from the get go. You do what you can. You only have so much in resources and so much time and I think we did a great job." Olsen says it's the "wrong time" to ask him if he plans to take another run at the riding in 2013. Huguette Allen of the Greens was third with 16 percent, similar to her showing in last year's federal election. Dean Skoreyko was fourth with 8 percent of the vote. Independent Gordon Campbell was fifth with 5 percent and R-J Busch of the BC Refederation Party was sixth at 0.32 percent. Its estimated the voter turnout in the riding was around 50 percent.
There were no surprises around the rest of the valley. In the Shuswap riding, Liberal George Abbott was elected to a fourth term, getting 46 percent of the vote in defeating New Democrat Steve Gunner (30 %) by 35-hundred votes. The Green's Michel Saab was third (11%) and Conservative Beryl Ludwig was fourth (10%). The rest of the Okanagan was carried by Liberals with big wins by Ben Stewart, Steve Thompson and Norm Letnick in the Kelowna area, and Bill Barisoff in Penticton.
As of May 13, 2009 1:09 a.m.
| Electoral District | Candidate's Ballot Name | Affiliation | Total Valid Votes | % of Popular Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon-Monashee | Huguette Marie Allen | Green Party of BC | 3,679 | 16.33% |
| RJ Busch | BC Refed | 72 | 0.32% | |
| Gordon Campbell | 1,306 | 5.80% | ||
| Eric Bailey Foster | BC Liberal Party | 8,495 | 37.71% | |
| Mark Steven Olsen | BC NDP | 7,137 | 31.68% | |
| Dean Skoreyko | Conservatives | 1,841 | 8.17% | |
| 176 of 183 ballot boxes reported | 22,530 | 100% | ||
As of May 13, 2009 1:11 a.m. the preliminary results are:
1. % of valid votes province-wide in favour of BC-STV 38.84%
2. Number of electoral districts with 50% or more of the valid votes cast in favour of BC-STV 7
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