Voting Day

2009-06-09 06:19:43

It's Election day in Nova Scotia. Polls open across the province at 8:00 this morning as a general election gets underway. New Democrats are hoping to form government for the first time having led in opinion surveys for most of the 35-day campaign. At dissolution, there were 21 Tory seats in the 52-seat legislature, 20 NDP, nine Liberals, one Independent and one vacancy.  Polls are closing at seven tonight. And then join CKBW for team coverage of the results from the five South Shore ridings brought to you by the Home Center, North Street, Bridgewater.

Chester-St. Margarets: Ryan Cameron, Green; Jo-Ann Grant, Liberal; Denise Peterson-Rafuse, NDP; Judy Streatch (i), PC.

Lunenburg: Pam Birdsall, NDP; Milton Countway, Independent; Jason Remai, Green; Rick Welsford, Liberal; Peter Zwicker, PC

Lunenburg West: Carolyn Bolivar-Getson (i), PC; Mark Furey, Liberal; Gary Ramey, NDP; Emily Richardson, Green

Queens: Vicki Conrad (i), NDP; Wayne Henley, Liberal; Kerry Morash, PC; Stuart Simpson, Green

Shelburne: Sterling Belliveau (i), NDP; Darian Huskilson, Liberal; Eddie Nickerson, PC; Robin Smith, Green

(i)=incumbant

Campaign Update

2009-06-05 06:22:03

Just to highlight how important the five ridings are in this campaign, both the NDP and the Conservatives are criss-crossing the south shore today.  Rodney MacDonald will be in Lunenburg with Peter Zwicker this morning before heading out with Carolyn Bolivar-Getson in Bridgewater this afternoon and then it's off to Liverpool with Kerry Morash this evening.  Darrell Dexter will be in Lunenburg this morning for a campaign statement at the Fisheries Museum at ten, before heading to Mahone Bay with Pam Birdsall. He then will be off to Wolfville this afternoon.  Stephen McNeil will be in and around Halifax this morning before heading to Stewiacke, Guysborough and Antigonish.

Two political scientists say the chances of the New Democrats forming a government may be decided in close races in rural Nova Scotia on Tuesday.    David Johnson of Cape Breton University says there's strong evidence the N-D-P has consolidated its lead in most Halifax ridings.    He says a breakthrough victory would be the result of a ``two-decade haul'' of ground work.    Jennifer Smith at Dalhousie University also says she believes the party's hold is strong in Halifax.    However, both long-time observers of party politics say it's much harder to call what will happen in smaller ridings.    That includes ridings like Queens, where just a few hundred votes in the south shore district may decide the outcome in three-way races.    Smith notes when the N-D-P won in Queens in the last election, there was no Liberal candidate, and this race is ``too close to call.'' (The Canadian Press)

Queens Ballot

2009-05-12 06:15:20

It's now official - the ballot is set with all three candidates in place.   Kerry Morash is the Conservative party candidate in Queen's.  Morash - a lifelong Queens resident - was first elected in 1999 and re-elected in 2003.  He was acclaimed as candidate at a nomination meeting Monday night.    He has served as caucus chair and held two portfolios in cabinet and most recently was Rural Outreach Coordinator.  Morash was defeated by the NDP's Vicki Conrad in 2006 - the first time the Tories lost in Queens in fifty years.  Many said it was the lack of a Liberal candidate in the riding that allowed the NDP to take the seat by 55 ballots last time. The Grits have Wayne Henley on the ballot this time.  Conrad is fighting to hold onto the seat for the New Democrats heading into a very competitive campaign.

Lunenburg Conservatives

2009-04-09 06:29:13

We are a bit closer to finding out who will be running for the Conservatives in the riding vacated by former Cabinet Minister Michael Baker.  Riding Association President Dale Lohnes says they are hoping to set a date for a nomination meeting before good Friday.  He tells CKBW they haven't set a date yet but there seems to be a lot of interest but no one has been confirmed to this point.  Lohnes says there is a search committee in place and they have been given a number of names and they are considering a number of people.  But he says there's no one on the ballot yet. 
A few names have been floated as possible candidates.  Elmer Garber, the former Deputy Warden in Lunenburg County has confirmed to CKBW News he is not interested.  And former P-C leadership candidate, Halifax businessman Bill Black has also been suggested as another possibility but he doesn't appear to be interested according to his wife who spoke with CKBW News Wednesday.