Voters in the northwestern Saskatchewan constituency of Athabasca are sending Saskatchewan Party candidate Jim Lemaigre to the provincial legislature.

Preliminary results of Tuesday’s byelection show Lemaigre, a former RCMP officer, winning just over 51 per cent of the votes, beating the N-D-P’s Georgina Jolibois.

The Athabasca seat has been vacant since August when N-D-P member Buckley Belanger resigned to run for the Liberals federally.

More than 24 per cent of registered voters cast ballots compared to 33.6 per cent in the 2020 general election.  The seat had been held by the NDP since 1998.

The Second Preliminary Count takes place on February 17. This includes vote by mail ballots received at Elections Saskatchewan’s head office by February 15. A total of 40 vote by mail ballot kits were mailed out.

The Final Count takes place February 28. This includes vote by mail ballots received after February 15.  It may also include any in-person absentee ballots cast at the Athabasca Returning Office, hospital ballots and extraordinary ballots.

Election results:
Clint Arnason Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan (BPSK) 12 votes
Georgina Jolibois New Democratic Party (N.D.P.) 900 votes
Jim Lemaigre Saskatchewan Party 1,146 votes
Darwin Roy Independent 157 votes
Rejected Ballots 13