Independent candidate Kennedy Stewart was elected mayor Saturday, narrowly defeating the NPA’s Ken Sim by 984 votes. Photo Dan Toulgoet
Vancouver's runner-up in the race for mayor says he won't concede until he has a chance to consult advisors, but the City of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»says no recount is required unless there's a tie.
Local entrepreneur Ken Sim says he owes it to supporters to make sure the votes were counted properly after former NDP MP Kennedy Stewart defeated him by a margin of fewer than 1,000 votes — or less than one per cent of total votes cast.
It wasn't the only close race in British Columbia's local elections, which saw razor-thin wins of only one vote in Peachland and two votes on Bowen Island, according to unofficial results.
The Local Elections Act outlines rules for requesting a judicial recount through the B.C. Supreme Court.
It says a candidate or electoral officer can apply for a recount under several circumstances, including if the votes were not correctly accepted, ballots were not correctly rejected, and if the ballot account did not accurately record the number of votes cast.
The request must be made within six days of the declaration of official election results, which is scheduled in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»on Wednesday.
