As North Shore MLAs head back to the legislature this Friday for the first time since the NDP and Green parties joined forces to defeat the Liberals, results from Elections B.C.’s poll-by-poll results have cast light on where politicians drew their support – or didn’t.
The poll-by-poll breakdown indicates some of the North Shore ridings are much more homogenous in their voting patterns than others.
In North Vancouver-Lonsdale, where the NDP’s Bowinn Ma toppled Liberal cabinet minister Naomi Yamamoto, results showed Ma’s support concentrated in more densely populated polling divisions close to the Lonsdale corridor. Polls on the Squamish Nation also went overwhelmingly to Ma. Yamamoto won more support in areas outside the urban core, including neighbourhoods in the Grand Boulevard and Mahon Park area.
Support for Liberal MLA Jane Thornthwaite in North Vancouver-Seymour was more homogenous throughout the riding, with one notable exception: all of the polls on Tsleil-Waututh Nation went to the NDP.
Thornthwaite said that is likely related to the nation’s strong opposition to the Kinder Morgan pipeline, which was supported by the Liberals.
“Maybe those people were hoping the provincial government could do something” about the federal decision to approve the project,” she said.
In West Vancouver-Capilano, Liberal MLA Ralph Sultan enjoyed strong support, particularly in the neighbourhoods of Edgemont, Delbrook and Upper Capilano, where he won support of close to 60 per cent of voters.
Pockets on Fullerton Avenue and neighbourhoods near Marine Drive and Capilano Road went to the NDP.
The large West Vancouver-Sea to Sky riding won by Liberal MLA Jordan Sturdy had the most diverse voting patterns. Poll-by-poll results showed Sturdy was overwhelmingly favoured by West Vancouver voters, with support of up to 78 per cent of voters in Caulfeild and 75 per cent in Altamont. Bowen Island voters, on the other hand, overwhelming went Green, while the NDP, Green and Liberal parties battled for top billing in Squamish. In Whistler, polls were split between Green and Liberal voters.
Web developer J.P. Kirby has plotted the poll-by-poll results for the B.C. election, including those for the North Shore ridings, on a map at election-atlas.ca.
