By Canadian Press

Elections BC hasn’t called in RCMP as Conservatives seek police probe of Surrey race

Jan 13, 2025 | 4:37 PM

VICTORIA — Elections BC says it hasn’t asked the RCMP to investigate a complaint from the B.C. Conservatives about alleged “voting irregularities” in the October provincial election, despite a call from the party for police to get involved.

The election agency’s spokesman, Andrew Watson, says it has referred investigations to the RCMP in the past, but hasn’t done so in relation to the Conservatives’ concerns about Surrey-Guildford, where the NDP won by a razor-thin margin of 22 votes.

Watson says Elections BC is conducting a review of that race — which gave the NDP a one-seat majority — but does not have a timeline for when it will be complete.

The Conservatives on Monday issued a news release calling on the RCMP to investigate mail-in votes in Surrey-Guildford that were cast by residents of Argyll Lodge, a mental health and substance abuse facility.

RCMP Staff Sergeant Kris Clark says anyone with a complaint about B.C. elections should report it to Elections BC, and referred questions about Surrey-Guildford to the election agency.

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Steve Kooner, the Conservatives’ critic for the Attorney-General, says police should be looking into “potential offences” under the B.C. Election Act related to 21 mail-in votes from the lodge’s residents.

The party last week said it had identified 45 suspicious votes in the riding, including those from Argyll Lodge, as well as 22 by people it said did not live in the riding, and one case of a voter who reported voting twice.

Conservative Leader John Rustad said the party wanted a commission of inquiry into the voting in Surrey-Guildford.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2025.

The Canadian Press