Only 2 races too close to call on Sask. election night, despite close finish

The Saskatchewan Party secured its fifth straight majority government Monday night with only two constituencies too close to call as night turned to morning.

Saskatoon Willowgrove and Saskatoon Westview have yet to officially been called on Tuesday morning, according to CTV News, with the first on that list seeing long-time Sask. Party member Ken Cheveldayoff with a slight lead over the NDP’s Alana Wakula.

As of 7 a.m. Tuesday, Cheveldayoff led by 255 votes with 12 of 12 polls reporting, the small lead means mail-in ballots will likely need to be factored into the final decision.

Cheveldayoff came into the night as the incumbent and a Sask. Party MLA since 2003. First elected in the constituency of Saskatoon Silver Springs.

After redistribution he was first elected in Saskatoon Willowgrove in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. 

NDP candidate Alana Wakula came into the election as the founder of Wakula Law and a partner of a woman-owned and operated law firm, the NDP says on its website.

If Cheveldayoff is to lose he would be added to a list of notable Sask. Party members defeated on Monday night that include Christine Tell, Gene Makowsky, Laura Ross, Paul Merriman, Bronwyn Eyre and Lisa Lambert.

University of Saskatchewan political studies assistant professor Daniel Westlake says the province may have to chart a new course after losing so many prominent members in one night.

"If the party is serious about dealing with this, they have to reach out and listen to voters in Saskatoon and Regina and perhaps find key figures within government, people that they can bring in," Westlake said.

The two constituencies yet to be called in Saskatoon are part of an urban takeover of the province's largest cities by the NDP.

The party managed to win every seat available in Regina and had a winning candidate in all but two of Saskatoon's 14 constituencies.

"That suggests the need for the party to think carefully about how it approaches the more urban parts of the province," Westlake said.  

Saskatoon Westview 

The only other riding that was not called by CTV News Monday night was Saskatoon Westview that sees Sask. Party incumbent David Buckingham with a miniscule 31 vote lead over the NDP’s April ChiefCalf.

The small lead comes with all 11 polls in the constituency counted, meaning mail in ballots will again determine the result.

Buckingham was first elected to the constituency in 2016. At the time of dissolution, he was serving as government caucus chair and legislative secretary to the minister responsible for SaskTel and Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI).

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ChiefCalf is an educator in the province and was an employee of the Northern Teacher Education Program (NORTEP/NORPAC) before the province shuttered it in 2017, the NDP says.

She currently works in Indigenous teacher programs at the University of Saskatchewan.

While not as close as Saskatoon Westview, Westlake said Ken Cheveldayoff's 255 vote lead over Wakula did not come as a surprise.

"Those two close ridings are exactly where you expect them to be," he said.

"We knew that the suburbs and Saskatoon and Regina were going to be competitive. Every election, you have a couple of seats that are just really close like this, and it's no surprise that they're in the suburbs where we expected those two parties to be competing closely with each other." 

-With files from Keenan Sorokan