Lineups 'out the door' on 1st day of advance voting in Winnipeg

On the first day of advance polling for the federal election, long lines of voters spilled out of some Winnipeg polling stations as soon as the doors opened Friday morning.

There were reported waits of up to two hours at some stations in the city on an unusually cold April morning, with temperatures in Winnipeg sitting just below freezing when polls opened at 9 a.m.

Despite that, some voters outside the Norberry-Glenlee Community Centre said casting their ballots was worth the wait in what they described as a crucial election. 

"This is a vital election for Canada, and I'm just thrilled to see the turnout this early in the morning," said voter Barbara Maguire, who told CBC News the line was "already out the door" when she got to the southeast Winnipeg community centre at about 9:15 a.m.

Advance polls will be open from Friday until Monday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day, at 186 locations across the province, Elections Canada says. Advance polling locations, and other voting information, can be found on the agency's website.

Elections Canada says it expects a strong turnout over the weekend, as more voters are choosing to cast their ballots before the April 28 election day.

"We never really quite know what to expect in terms of the number of people who are going to turn up, but what we know is that over the past few elections, more and more people are voting early," said Pierre Guérin, a polls operations manager for Elections Canada at the Norberry-Glenlee station, adding he was surprised at how many people showed up on the first day.

Cheryl Lemoine said people at the voting location were "very patient" while queuing to vote in an election she calls "a turning point for the country."

"It feels good to vote. Now I'll sit back and let the rest of the country do it. And we'll see what the results are," Lemoine said. 

But one thing is certain — early voters should be prepared to wait. 

"You can expect lineups — in some cases, long lineups," Guérin said. "We're processing people as quickly as we can."

Christina Delamothe says she waited outside a polling station at an Osborne Village medical centre for about two hours before casting her ballot. 

"We didn't anticipate waiting two hours," said Delamothe, who voted alongside her mother and her daughter on Friday at the central Winnipeg polling station. 

The long wait times reflect how important this year's election is, she said.

Volker Ross-Arnold, who was at the same station on Osborne Street, said he also waited about two hours, but it "wasn't a big deal," since there were enough chairs to sit while he waited, and he engaged in conversations with fellow voters to pass the time. 

"I think there's more interest in voting, especially with this election," Ross-Arnold said.  

"It's just a very, very important thing to do."