Sask Party easily holds three rural seats

March 3, 2018, 2:04 am

The Saskatchewan Party easily won three rural seats in byelections Thursday

Byelections were held in Kindersley, Melfort and Swift Current following the resignations of Premier Brad Wall, who had represented Swift Current, and Kindersley MLA Bill Boyd, and the unexpected death of Melfort MLA Kevin Phillips.

In Kindersley, Ken Francis won by one of the biggest margins ever for the Sask. Party with 88 per cent of the vote, up from the 68 per cent share Boyd managed in the 2016 general election. Boyd resigned last summer amid a conflict of interest scandal. Travis Hebert took 10 per cent of the vote for the NDP.

In Melfort, Sask. Party candidate Todd Goudy won with 79 per cent of the vote, a small increase from the 77 per cent share Phillips had in the last general election. NDP candidate Lorne Schroeder had 19 per cent support.

In Swift Current, Everett Hindley had the support of 73 per cent of voters, a massive win but a decrease from Wall’s last win in 2016 with 82 per cent. NDP candidate Stefan Rumpel won 24 per cent of the vote in Swift Current.

The Saskatchewan Green Party ran candidates in all three ridings, winning between one and two per cent of the vote. The Saskatchewan Liberal Party only had a candidate in one of the byelections, in the Swift Current riding, where they received one per cent of the vote.