Supreme court declared Area C election invalid

UPDATE: Edited to add comments from Brad Sperling and Suzanne Haab.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The BC Supreme Court has declared the Electoral Area C election invalid due to the votes cast by those ineligible to vote.

The Peace River Regional District (PRRD) petition to the BC Supreme Court regarding the validity of the Electoral Area C election was heard on November 22nd, 2022.

The court has declared the Area C Director position to be vacant, according to the PRRD in a statement on Wednesday.

The PRRD said a by-election will be held as soon as possible to fill the position.

The decision follows a recount of the election results declared on October 15th, declaring Haab as the new director of Electoral Area C.

Haab had 234 votes in the recount, three more than the incumbent, Sperling.

The preliminary results on October 15th had Sperling beating Haab by one vote, resulting in the recount.

Sperling said he agrees with the court decision and has no further comments at this time.

Suzanne Haab said that the outcome was not surprising.

“We want a fair process,” Haab said.

Both Sperling and Haab have said that, at this time, they plan to run again.

After a review of election records, the Chief Elections Officer, Tyra Henderson, determined that an application to challenge the validity of the election needed to be submitted due to evidence of persons voting when not entitled to vote in Electoral Area C.