Just 36 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot in B.C.’s municipal election last weekend – a figure largely unchanged from prior years.
Bigger cities saw turnouts largely in line with the provincial average, which has hovered around the mid- to low 30s for the past few elections.
Candidate-heavy Vancouver had 39 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot, while an upset Surrey election saw 33 per cent of voters head to the polls.
In Victoria, where incumbent Mayor Lisa Helps held onto power, 45 per cent of voters turn out.
READ MORE: Mayoral results from across B.C.
Further up Vancouver Island, a hotly contested mayoral race saw 46 per cent of Port Alberni voters head to the polls.
In Nanaimo, where outgoing New Democrat MLA Leonard Krog put the government on shaky footing with a successful mayoral run, triggering a byelection, 40 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot.
Up north, Williams Lake saw 39 per cent of voters come out to re-elect Mayor Walt Cobb.
In the small Okanagan community of Peachland, 52 per cent of voters headed to the polls to decide the mayor’s race by just one vote.
Cities like Langley, with 24-per-cent turnout, dragged down the provincial average
In New Westminster, where incumbent Mayor Jonathan Cote was re-elected by a strong majority, only 28 per cent of people turned up to the polls.
Over in the Kootenays, Cranbrook saw just 26 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot.
