Final push for votes underway in Preston byelection

The leaders of Nova Scotia's two opposition parties have been spending more time in the riding of Preston this past month than in their own districts, in the hopes their presence will help garner votes for their respective candidates, New Democrat Colter Simmonds and Liberal Carlo Simmons.

Premier Tim Houston has also gone door to door with the PC candidate in the race, Twila Grosse, but not as frequently as Liberal Leader Zach Churchill and NDP Leader Claudia Chender.

"This is an important election for us," Churchill told CBC News while knocking on doors Wednesday. "We've held the seat for a long time.

"We've worked really hard with this community over 20 years and we really do want to send a message with this."

For Chender, leading the smallest caucus in the House, the hope is to bolster those ranks on election day in Preston, which is Tuesday.

"We're just really excited to be able to add another MLA to our team and in particular to add Colter Simmonds to our team," said Chender, who was also campaigning in Preston on Wednesday. "He did really well in the last election, he's a community champion."

Simmonds garnered 1,433 votes in the 2021 general election, finishing a close third behind the PC candidate and about 800 votes short of Liberal Angela Simmonds, who won the seat but stepped down last April, less than halfway through her mandate.

Although this is a five-way race, with Anthony Edwards representing the Green Party of Nova Scotia and Bobby Taylor running as the first-ever Nova Scotians United Party candidate, all the candidates have faced the same struggle of trying to engage voters more interested in beach outings and family gatherings than a mid-summer campaign.

During a mid-week swing through the riding with a CBC reporter in tow, both the Liberal and NDP campaigns knocked on as many unanswered doors as those with people willing to chat on the doorstep.

Several voters approached by CBC News said they were either uninterested in the race or generally unimpressed with politicians, and had no interest in voting as a result.

As in the previous general election, voters in Preston have been able to cast their ballots in a variety of ways before election day. In 2021, a total of 2,294 people voted ahead of election day. As of July 31, less than half that number had taken advantage of early voting in the byelection.

In the last general election, 46.4 per cent of eligible voters in Preston voted. Provincewide voter turnout was 55 per cent.

Those voters who are engaged in the byelection and spoke with the CBC all had their minds mostly made up.

Watching over his children using a slide and swing near Lake Echo, Mineville voter Doug Miles said his major preoccupation is the rising cost of gasoline.

"I have two young kids here at the playground today and gas isn't cheap anymore," said Miles. "For us to go travel around the province isn't very affordable any more, so that's one thing I'm keeping a close eye on.

"I think I'm going to go with the PC Party for now. Right now, I'm leaning towards PC but I haven't voted yet. I might change my mind."

In the homestretch of the campaign, the PCs are trying to tap into the anger over gasoline prices, specifically the additional 17-cent-a-litre increase on July 1 because of the federal carbon tax. Grosse's campaign signs now carry a bright red banner "Vote against the Liberal carbon tax."

On Friday, Nova Scotia's Chief Electoral Officer Dorothy Rice requested that the party in power "clarify the messaging to Vote against the Federal Liberal Carbon Tax." The PCs have until midnight Saturday to comply.

Earlier in the campaign, Lindsay Rodenkirchen, Elections Nova Scotia's assistant chief electoral officer, ordered the Houston government to end a provincial government anti-carbon tax ad for being "partisan."

The RCMP are now investigating the Liberal campaign for ignoring an order by Elections Nova Scotia to remove "dump the dump" signs which suggest the Houston government supports a new construction debris landfill proposed for the riding.

East Preston resident Chrystal Smith said she is looking for a voice for her community. 

"I've kinda of always been an NDP person," said Smith. "I'm still an NDP person." 

Down the street at a playground in Lake Echo, Nahshon Thomas said he hadn't paid much attention to the race, although he had canvassed and voted for his uncle Carlo Simmonds.

Family ties may be a factor in this race, particularly in the tight-knit, historic Black communities in Preston.

Shantal Williams said she was supporting the NDP in this race.

"We need a change in our community and in all the communities right now," said Williams. "We need a change around here."

Chender hammered home that message to two men who idled in their car next to the NDP canvassing team during a brief stop.

"You guys had someone in government for 20 years and what did that do?" said Chender, referring to former Liberal MLA Keith Colwell, who retired in 2021. "We're not hearing that you saw the changes that you need in your community."

"That's true," replied the passenger. "Yeah, that's true."

The CBC had plans to accompany Premier Tim Houston in the riding on Wednesday but his office cancelled the visit the evening before because of a change in the PC leader's schedule. The CBC and the party were unable to find a time convenient to both in time for publication.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.