BANFF-KANANASKIS – The Banff-Kananaskis provincial riding remains too close to call as both the NDP and UCP candidates have given victory speeches Monday night.
Both Sarah Elmeligi of the NDP and UCP incumbent Miranda Rosin delivered victory speeches within minutes of one another.
The polls show Rosin has a slight advantage over Elmeligi, with some advanced polling stations, special ballot’s and mobile voting stations still to report.
Elmeligi gave her speech at about 11:45 p.m. at the Canmore Miners’ Union Hall at roughly the same time Rosin wrapped up her victory speech in Bragg Creek at The Powderhorn Saloon
The riding is often seen as a split between left and right ideals, with Banff and Canmore largely voting NDP and Bragg Creek and Springbank leaning towards UCP.
Throughout the campaigning period, housing and affordability concerns dominated the riding, but so to did ambulance coverage, healthcare, education, Indigenous relations and tourism are of equal priority for residents.
From the outstart of the election, Banff-Kananaskis has been seen as one of the key ridings that could either way.
There are 30,852 registered voters for the riding, comprising a small portion of the 2,840,813 registered voters in Alberta.
The largest number of advanced voters hit the polls this year, with 758,550 people taking advantage of early polls. The number makes up about 27 per cent of registered voters.
Regan Boychuk for the Green Party of Alberta and Kyle Jubb of the Solidarity Movement of Alberta also ran in the riding.
The Outlook will update this story as more information becomes available.
