How we voted in the northeast

Final results for Peace River North
(102 polls out of 102 reporting):
Pat Pimm BC Liberal 6,809 or 57.63 per cent.
Arthur Hadland, Independent 3,021 or 25.57 per cent.
Judy Fox-McGuire BC NDP 1,116 or 9.44 per cent.
Wyeth Sigurdson BC Conservative 870 or 7.36 per cent.
The BC Liberals have had a very strong hold on Peace River North for three elections since a 2001 (Richard Neufeld) landslide victory over the BC NDP. But the New Democrats have been slowly gaining ground since, taking about 10 per cent more of the vote back from the BC Liberals in each election. This year they dropped to 9.4 per cent.
The BC NDP candidate Judy Fox-McGuire, a “life-long northerner” with a background in community corrections and labour Relations, was in the race for the first time.
BC Liberal incumbent Pat Pimm  gained a massive 57.63 per cent of the vote. The unofficial tally for Fort Nelson is approx 1,600 votes, up about 40 per cent from the previous election. Municipal politics played a roll in this.
Pat Pimm and Premier Christy Clark were able to resolve a bitter and prolonged standoff between the province’s bureaucrats and local elected officials. In 2009 the voter turnout was 32 per cent, the lowest in the province.
Independent Arthur Hadland, a farmer and regional district director placed second to Pimm in the 2009 election, and had a strong following in the Peace Area.  He is against damming the Peace River, and was able to gain the Green Vote.  He finished second behind Pimm again with 25.57 per cent of the vote.
Representing the BC Conservatives,  Wyeth Sigurdson has worked as a pipeliner and an oil field operator. Not well known in Fort Nelson he stepped into the race after the previous candidate dropped off the roll.
In 2008, the district added a small portions of Peace River South and Prince George North as part of the boundary redistribution. This gave North Peace an increase of 10 per cent.
Peace River North had the distinction of having the lowest voter turnout in the 2009 provincial election of 32 per cent. This time they were able to increase the vote to 47.2 per cent. The Tyee website noted that in 2009 residents were too busy working to vote. It also noted that Peace River North had the highest median after tax income, outside of Vancouver and Victoria, according to figures from 2006.
“In 2011 Peace River North had the fewest number of residents of voting age than any electoral district (except Surrey-Newton, which it tied with). More than one-quarter were under age 18. But it also topped the list for fewest seniors, with just eight per cent of residents over age 65,” The Tyee wrote.
In Peace River South, Former mayor, Mike Bernie, Liberal, won with a vote of 6,904. Kurt Peats Conservative, had 3,904 votes or 26.39 per cent. Darwin Wren NDP had 2,301 votes or 21.16 per cent, and Tyrel Pohl, Independent had 429 votes or 5.10 per cent.
Total votes possible in Peace River North  24,854.
Total votes possible in Peace River South  18,066.
Final standings in the province:
2009     2013
seats     seats
Liberal    40     50
NDP        35     33
Green        0     1
Con.        0     0
Ind         1     1
total seats    85     85

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