Photo: The Canadian Press

BC Conservative Leader John Rustad, left, and BC NDP Leader David Eby, right, are seen in this two-photo panel during campaign stops in Chilliwack and Vancouver , in British Columbia, October 17, 2024.

UPDATE 6:10 p.m.

The NDP is now leading in Surrey-Guildford by 27 votes, compared to 16 votes an hour ago.

The BC Conservatives are expected to win the seat of Kelowna Centre, where they hold a 38-vote lead, up from 35 votes at the last update.

Estimates suggest that there should be very few votes left to count in either precinct, but the count is still marked as “in progress.”

Both ridings fall within the margin that triggers a recount, but the lieutenant governor has asked Premier David Eby to form government.

UPDATE 5:15 p.m.

The NDP is now leading in Surrey-Guildford by 16 votes, compared to 18 votes an hour ago.

The BC Conservatives are expected to win the seat of Kelowna Centre, where they hold a 35-vote lead, up from 43 votes at the last update.

It is estimated that there are 11 votes left to count in Surrey-Guildford and one in Kelowna Centre, but Elections BC says counting continues.

Both seats could still be subject to a judicial recount, which could be triggered in districts where the margin of victory is less than 1/500th of the total ballots considered.

That mark is 50 votes in Kelowna Center and 38 votes in Surrey-Guildford.

If the results are confirmed as expected, the NDP will win 47 seats, followed by the Conservatives with 44 seats. The Greens have two seats.

“Based on today’s final vote count and pending judicial recounts, British Columbians have asked our BC NDP team to lead our province for a third time,” said the Prime Minister David Eby in a press release.

“It’s an incredible honor and a huge responsibility. We are listening to the message voters sent in this close election and we will get to work immediately to address today’s tough challenges.”

Eby says the lieutenant governor asked him. Janet Austin to form the next government.

He met with Austin on Monday and said he would “work hard every day to earn the trust” British Columbians have in the party.

UPDATE 4:10 p.m.

The BC NDP is on the verge of forming a majority government, pending the recount.

The NDP leads in Surrey-Guildford by 18 votes, up from 17 votes last hour.

The BC Conservatives are expected to win the seat of Kelowna Centre, where they hold a 43-vote lead with just a handful of votes left to count.

Both seats could still be subject to a judicial recount, which could be triggered in districts where the margin of victory is less than 1/500th of the total ballots considered.

That mark is 50 votes in Kelowna Center and 38 votes in Surrey-Guildford.

If the results are confirmed as expected, the NDP will win 47 seats, followed by the Conservatives with 44 seats. The Greens have two seats.

UPDATE 3:10 p.m.

The BC NDP now leads in Surrey-Guildford by 17 votes, up from 18 votes in the previous update.

The BC Conservatives’ lead in Kelowna Center has fallen to 44 votes, down from 46 an hour ago.

It is estimated that there are about 28 votes left to count in Surrey-Guildford, while there are about a dozen left in Kelowna Centre.

Judicial recounts can still be triggered in precincts where the margin of victory is less than 1/500th of the total ballots considered. That mark is 50 votes in Kelowna Center and 38 votes in Surrey-Guildford.

The NDP is poised to form a majority government with 47 seats, followed by the Conservatives with 44 seats. The Greens have two seats.

UPDATE 2:10 p.m.

The BC NDP has now extended its lead in Surrey-Guildford to 18 votes.

That’s an increase from nine votes ahead an hour ago.

The BC Conservatives’ lead in Kelowna Center fell to 46 votes, down from 64 in the final hour.

Chad Skelton, data journalist and Kwantlen University instructor, estimates there are about 43 votes left to count in Surrey-Guildford and about 16 in Kelowna Centre.

Updates are coming hourly as Elections BC conducts final tallies of mail-in and special ballots.

Elections BC also announced it had completed the vote recount in Juan Fuca-Malahat, where the NDP won by 123 votes.

The BC NDP now leads in 47 ridings – a majority government – ​​while the Conservatives have 44 seats. The Greens have two seats.

Judicial recounts can still be triggered in precincts where the margin of victory is less than 1/500th of the total ballots considered.

UPDATE 1:10 p.m.

The BC NDP maintains a smaller lead in Surrey-Guildford.

The NDP now leads Surrey-Guildford by nine votes, compared to 14 an hour ago.

The Conservatives once again extended their lead in Kelowna Center to 64 votes, up from 62 votes at the last update.

The ridings of Kelowna Center and Surrey-Guildford are the only two ridings still in play as Elections BC completes its final tally of mail-in and special ballots. Updates come every hour.

The BC NDP now leads in 47 ridings – a majority government – ​​while the Conservatives have 44 seats. The Greens have two seats.

UPDATE 12:10 p.m.

The BC NDP took the lead in Surrey-Guildford, increasing the likelihood of a majority government.

The NDP now leads Surrey-Guildford by 14 votes. An hour ago, they were behind the BC Conservatives by four votes.

The Conservatives, however, slightly increased their lead in Kelowna Centre, to 62 votes, compared to 60 votes at the last update.

The ridings of Kelowna Center and Surrey-Guildford are the only two ridings still in play as Elections BC completes its final tally of mail-in and special ballots. Updates on the count are provided hourly.

The BC NDP now leads in 47 ridings – a majority government – ​​while the Conservatives have 44 seats. The Greens have two seats.

Judicial recounts can still be triggered in precincts where the margin of victory is less than 1/500th of the total ballots considered.

UPDATE 11:10 a.m.

The BC NDP is on the verge of forming a majority government and has cut the Conservative lead in Surrey-Guildford to just four votes.

That’s down from nine votes an hour ago.

The NDP also cut the Conservative lead in Kelowna Center to 60 votes, down from 63 votes an hour ago.

Elections BC is conducting its final tally Monday and is providing hourly updates as it works on mail-in and special ballots.

The NDP is now leading in Fuca-Malahat by 109 votes, compared to 111 an hour ago.

The NDP is ahead by 180 votes in downtown Surrey, winning that riding when there were only 175 absentee and special ballots to be counted in the riding as of early Monday.

As of early Monday, there were 228 mail-in ballots left to count in Kelowna Center and 226 in Surrey-Guildford.

UPDATE 10:10 a.m.

The first wave of mail-in votes reduced the Conservative lead in Kelowna Center to 63 votes.

Elections BC is conducting its final tally Monday and is providing hourly updates.

Kelowna Center Conservative candidate Kristina Loewen began the day with a 68-vote lead over NDP candidate Loyal Wooldridge before the counting of mail-in ballots, which numbered 228 in Kelowna Center, began. .

In the riding of Surrey-Guildford, the NDP reduced the Conservative lead from 12 votes to just nine. As of Monday, 226 absentee ballots were counted in this precinct.

In Juan de Fuca-Malahat, the NDP extended its lead to 111 votes. They started the day with a 106-vote lead.

Currently, the BC NDP is leading in 46 ridings, while the BC Conservatives are close behind with 45, and the Green Party has picked up two seats.

If the NDP flips a riding, it will get a majority government.

ORIGINAL 4 a.m.

After counting a number of telephone-assisted and mail-in ballots on Sunday, British Columbia’s provincial election could come down to a handful of mail-in ballots.

The overall standings remain largely unchanged after Elections BC released its latest election results on Sunday, with voting in a few ridings too close to be safe.

Kelowna Center Conservative candidate Kristina Loewen maintained a 68-vote lead over NDP candidate Loyal Wooldridge after a partial recount in the riding was conducted Sunday due to a transcription error involving a tabulator used in the constituency.

In Surrey-Guilford, British Columbia, Conservative candidate Honveer Singh Randhawa holds 12 votes against NDP candidate Gary Begg.

There are 228 mail-in ballots left to count in Kelowna Center and 226 in Surrey-Guildford.

A recount in downtown Surrey concluded Sunday evening, where the NDP leads by 175 votes – and with only 175 absentee ballots to be counted Monday in the riding – the NDP will almost certainly win the seat.

Elections BC said a recount in the Juan de Fuca-Malahat riding is expected to conclude on Monday. Currently, the NDP is leading in the riding by 106 votes. There are 185 absentee ballots left to count.

The recounts were triggered when margins from last week’s initial count fell below 100.

Currently, the BC NDP is leading in 46 ridings, while the BC Conservatives are close behind with 45, and the Green Party has picked up two seats.

The counting of mail-in ballots is expected to begin Monday morning at 9 a.m., with results updated hourly as the counting progresses.