| In a squeaker in Oak Ridges—Markham, Conservative candidate Paul Calandra, an insurance broker from Stouffville, was for the first time pulling ahead of Liberal incumbent Lui Temelkovski with about 90 per cent of votes counted.
With 330 of 364 polls reporting, Mr. Calandra had garnered 28,809 votes compared to Mr. Temelkovski’s 28,481.
The result will determine whether residents will be sending a Conservative MP to join the ruling party, which has won another minority government, or return Mr. Temelkovski to the Opposition benches.
It has been a see-saw battle that saw both camps enjoy a slim lead at different times during the night as results were reported.
As the clock approached midnight, neither candidate had surfaced at the location designated for their victory parties — Mr. Temelkovski at the Macedonian Orthodox Church on Hwy. 48 in Markham or Mr. Calandra at the Boston Pizza in Stouffville.
No matter which candidate wins, the results must still be validated and it is not clear if a recount will take place.
It takes seven days to validate the results in any given riding. Under the Canada Elections Act, a recount must be made with four days of validation.
A judge has four days to grant or not grant a recount, and if granted, the recount might take two or three days.
There is an automatic recount if the first- and second-place finishers are separated by less than 0.1 per cent of the total votes cast in their electoral district.
The sprawling riding takes in Whitchurch-Stouffville as well as parts of Markham, Richmond Hill and King.
The NDP candidate, Andy Arifin, had about 9.4 per cent of the vote. The Green Party’s Richard Taylor garnered about 6.9.
Simone Joseph, Staff Writer
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