Todd Stone will return to Victoria as the MLA for Kamloops-South Thompson for a third term, according to projections from The Canadian Press
With 97 of 97 ballots reporting, he had 9,574 votes (52.61 per cent) to the NDP’s Anna Thomas who got 5,569 votes (30.60 per cent). Green candidate Dan Hines was in third place with 3,054 votes (16.78 per cent of the vote).
Stone says he’s pleased about his re-election but less-pleased with the BC Liberal results across the province.
“I’m certainly disappointed. The goal of a provincial election campaign is to win. But I also know the voters are never wrong,” he told NL News. “The voters have spoken, and if they have decided they are most comfortable with an NDP government at this point for this next term, then that’s the will that must be respected.”
Stone says he will make sure that promises made during the election campaign are delivered by the Horgan government.
“On top of that list, is we’re going to hold John Horgan accountable for enhanced cancer services in the city. The people in Kamloops and the surrounding area shouldn’t have to drive to Kelowna for radiation treatment three or four times a week,” Stone said. “We made that commitment and the next day, John Horgan matched it. We’re going to darn well make sure he follows through.”
“Peter Milobar and I put out a number of commitments that reflect what we believe are important to a wide swath of the public, in both the Kamloops-Thompson ridings. And we’re going to fight hard and advocate for those projects.”
Stone got 55.78 per cent of the vote in 2017, beating out the NDP’s Nancy Bepple who finished second with 21.9 per cent of the vote. Also running in 2017 was the Green Party’s Donovan Cavers who got 20.86 per cent of the vote, Libertarian Jessica Lea Bradshaw who got 1.07 per cent, and Beat Klossner who got 0.39 per cent of the vote.
First elected in 2013, Stone is a former Transportation Minister. He most recently was the Critic for Municipal Affairs, Housing, and TransLink prior to the election call.
Elections BC says there were 8,137 requests for mail-in ballots from the riding. Mail-in ballots could take as many as three weeks to count, with final election results currently expected to come out on Nov. 16.
