Will Cole-Hamilton projected to win Courtenay-Comox riding as BC NDP gains seat
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Will Cole-Hamilton of the B.C. NDP is projected to win the Courtenay-Comox riding with 45% of the vote, while the Conservative Party secures a majority government in British Columbia.
Will Cole-Hamilton of the B.C. NDP is projected to become the MLA for the Courtenay-Comox riding after leading with 45% of the vote at 11:30 p.m. on election night. The preliminary results show the incumbent Conservative candidate Brennan Day at 43%, Green Party candidate Jay Van Oostdam at 9.7%, and CentreBC candidate Jason Cook at 2.5%.
Cole-Hamilton told supporters that the community “rose together to support a candidate and to support me and to support a set of values that care about the community, that care about the environment, and that care about each and every one of us.” He also acknowledged the effort of his opponents, noting that “each one of them put aside their families, put aside a good deal of sleep … It’s a difficult thing, but everyone did it because we have a vision of what a better Valley, what a better community and what a better electoral area looks like.”
Outgoing MLA Brennan Day expressed mixed feelings, saying, “Those results speak for themselves, and I am extremely proud of that result, but I’m also very disappointed in the results here.” He thanked his constituency and staff, adding that while his campaign was “clean,” he could not make the same claim about the NDP.
The provincial election also produced a projected Conservative majority, with the party expected to form government under leader Lorne Doerkson. The Conservatives, who received less than two percent of the vote in the 2020 election, secured 44 seats in 2024, ending nine years of NDP governance. MLA-elects are slated to be sworn in in November.