Sask. Party takes longtime NDP stronghold in byelection

The Saskatchewan Party has snatched a seat held by the NDP for more than two decades.

The Athabasca electoral district seat was left vacant when long-serving MLA Buckley Belanger stepped down last year to run for the Liberals federally.

A byelection was held Tuesday to determine who would replace him.

With nearly all votes tallied in a preliminary count, Saskatchewan Party candidate Jim Lemaigre was the victor with just over 51 per cent of the vote.

Lemaigre is a Clearwater River Dene Nation (CRDN) member and retired RCMP member who most recently was serving as program manager for First Nations and Indigenous policing under the Ministry of Corrections.

The NDP's Georgina Jolibois, who is mayor of La Loche and is a former MP, came away with 40 per cent.

Jolibois is also a CRDN member.

Independent Darwin Roy picked up seven percent of the vote and the Buffalo Party's Clint Arnason netted half a percent of the 2,228 votes counted.

There could be as many as 31 outstanding mail-in ballots that could be included in the final count — not enough to affect the outcome of the bylection.

The final count will occur on Feb. 28.