One thing that everyone currently agrees on is that the Conservative candidate John Weston is leading the race in this riding. Strategic voting will be key to keeping this seat out of Conservative hands.
The key question is whether Liberal Ian Sutherland or Green Blair Wilson has the backing of a majority of non-Conservative voters. Who should constituents rally behind if they want to vote strategically to defeat John Weston? We don't think that regional polling predictions can be fitted to the unique local factors in this riding to produce a solid a recommendation.
Our original position was to back the incumbent, Blair Wilson, but comments received over the past week have not convinced us that he has maintained the confidence of a sufficient number of his constituents win re-election with the support of strategic voting. We thank everyone who provided their thoughtful input. Ultimately local voters are best situated to weigh all the factors and decide who best to back. Weigh your options carefully, and we hope you elect a candidate prepared to act on climate change on October 14th!
Please keep in mind our recommendations are based on a review of previous outcomes, election prediction sites and the commentary of pundits and constituents. Every riding is unique, and recommendations based on regional polling trends do not necessarily capture that. You are best situated to make the call on who to vote for. The most important thing you can do is talk to your friends and neighbours, assess the local race yourself, and make an informed decision as to who has the best chance of keeping the Conservative out of office. Work together!
Other sources to consider when making your decision:
Please see our suggestions on the "Get Involved" page. For some additional tips on how to encourage voter turn out and support recommended candidates, check out The Department of Culture.
We encourage you to support the recommended candidate, but they have to realise you are doing this because you want action on climate change. Please keep the pressure on over the next two weeks! For information on how host a climate change town hall and for a tips on writing letters to candidates, visit Vote Environment 2008.
This is a tough call, and we don't take encouraging people not to vote Green lightly. Read more here.