SASKATOON -- In a riding where a narrow margin of 82 votes determined the winner in the last federal election, Conservative candidate Gary Vidal won by over 3,000 Monday night.
In the process, he defeated Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River NDP incumbent Georgina Jolibois and Liberal contender Tammy Cook-Searson.
Vidal spent the last eight years as mayor of Meadow Lake, a role he credits with helping him raise his profile in the expansive riding.
"I think I was able to build some relationships with people through that role, in the community surrounding Meadow lake,” Vidal said in a phone interview after his win.
Jolibois faced a strong challenger in Cook-Searson, who serves as Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief.
With 171 of 173 polling stations reporting Monday night, how tight the race was between the two candidates became clear. Jolibois earned 28.9 per cent of the vote and Cook-Searson was close behind with 26.6 per cent of votes in the riding.
Geographically, Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River is the largest riding in Saskatchewan covering the northern half of the province and bordering the Northwest Territories.
However, it is also one of the most sparsely populated ridings with just over 70,0000 people live there, 70 per cent of whom identify as indigenous.
