British Columbia Minute: Letter Grades, Recount Requests, and Election Results Forthcoming

British Columbia Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of British Columbia politics.

This Week In British Columbia:

• The outcome of the provincial election is set to be (mostly) determined today as absentee ballots are counted, following a mail-in vote tally that left several races unresolved. The BC NDP has strengthened its position by narrowing the gap in close contests, particularly in Surrey - Guildford, where their deficit against the BC Conservatives has been reduced to just 12 votes. With approximately 226 absentee votes still pending, a shift in that riding could secure a narrow majority for the NDP. The final composition of the Legislature remains uncertain, as judicial recounts could still occur if margins remain extremely close.
  
  
• Sonia Furstenau, leader of the BC Green Party, says she will remain in her position despite losing her seat in the election. The Greens’ newly elected MLAs, Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell, say they support her leadership, recognizing her guidance as essential. Furstenau has postponed discussions on supporting a minority government until final results are announced, though she briefly spoke with NDP Leader David Eby and declined a call from Conservative Leader John Rustad.
  
  
• Negotiations between the BC Maritime Employers Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 will resume on October 29th, aided by a mediator. This comes after the union's previous agreement expired in March 2023 and a 96% vote in favour of a strike by its members in September. While no job action has occurred yet, the Canada Industrial Relations Board recently ruled on accusations of bad faith bargaining from both sides, partially siding with the employers' complaints. The backdrop to these negotiations includes prior disruptions at Vancouver's ports, including a brief strike by grain terminal workers and earlier work stoppages that significantly impacted operations.

Last Week In British Columbia:

• Elections BC denied a recount request in Maple Ridge East after NDP candidate Bob D'Eith lost by 327 votes to BC Conservative Lawrence Mok. D'Eith made the request due to election day power outages from severe storms affecting two polling stations, but Elections BC concluded the margin was not close enough to justify a recount. Recount requests are only granted when specific irregularities are found in ballot processing, which apparently did not apply in this case. Elections BC also has denied the BC Green Party's request for a recount in the Oak Bay - Gordon Head riding, where Green candidate Lisa Gunderson lost to NDP's Diana Gibson by over 7,500 votes. The Greens cited discrepancies in the vote counts, specifically a drop of about 2,000 votes reported the day after the election, prompting Gunderson to seek clarification.
  
  
• A recent survey by the Fraser Institute revealed that parents would prefer a return to traditional letter grades instead of the new descriptive grading system implemented by the BC NDP for public school students from Kindergarten to Grade 9. Many indicated that letter grades are significantly easier to understand. Since the government replaced letter grades with terms like "emerging," "developing," "proficient," and "extending," parents reported struggling to grasp these new definitions.
  
  
• A recent report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business reveals that over half of small businesses in BC have experienced a significant increase in crime over the past year, with a 27% rise in criminal activity reported in the province. Business owners describe their areas as "war zones," citing daily thefts and vandalism, and expressing frustration with inadequate police response. Many feel unsafe and believe that their tax contributions do not effectively address crime.