Abbotsford – In the end, it wasn’t even a race. Dave Sidhu easily won the by-election, to replace Bruce Banman as city councilor.
The vote was to replace Bruce Banman who left council after he became MLA for Abbotsford South in the 2020 Provincial election.
Hours went by with no results on the City website causing frustration for other candidates as well as media covering the vote.
FVN has reached out to the City to explain the delay.
The irony is the late results is that this entire process will be repeated next October (2022) when the regular Municipal Elections are help for all candidates.
Dave Sidhu posted to Facebook:
Thank you Abbotsford for your overwhelming support in this by-election. I am so humbled and honoured to have received so much support from every corner of Abbotsford. Our team worked incredibly hard and although we were cautiously optimistic, this result was beyond what we imagined and shows what we can accomplish when we all work together.There are so many supporters and volunteers to thank. I am incredibly grateful for each and every one of you for believing in me and putting in such a huge effort. I promise over the coming days and weeks I will reach out to you all personally to thank you properly.I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without the support of my family: my parents Andy and Pritam, and my wonderful (and ever patient!) wife Ranjna and my lucky charm Arinna. They are my inspiration to do all I can to make Abbotsford a great place to live, for this generation and the next.Thank you again everyone – together, we will work to move #Abbotsford forward.
Tom Norton says he will run again:
The #Abbotsford By-election votes are in and although the result wasn’t in my favour I am truly appreciative for all of the generous support that came my way, and for your votes of confidence. Congratulations to all the candidates who chose to put their names on the ballot. It’s not an easy feat to put yourself out there for all to see and to AbbotsfordFIRST Elector’s Society Director Dave Sidhu, congrats on your win. Most importantly, the next General Local Election in B.C. is scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 15, 2022. Look for my name on that ballot folks. Your heard it here first!
Results were finally posted around 11:40PM, hours after the 8PM cut off when polls closed.
By-election Results
Preliminary Election Results
- DENNILL, Dan: 755
- FLAVELLE, Aird: 834
- MCLAUREN, David: 935
- NEUFELD, Korky: 2,448
- NORTON, Tom: 1,126
- PEACHEY, Gerda: 553
- SIDHU, Dave: 7,829
- SOHI, Manjit: 2,302
- TRAN, Dao: 1,346
About Sidhu (from his website):
Born and raised in Abbotsford, Dave Sidhu is the General Manager for The Patrika Media, the only bilingual newspaper in British Columbia. Outside of his duties at the newspaper, Dave holds a wealth of board experience and has served the Fraser Valley Indo-Canadian Business Association for over six years as a director, vice-president, and now president. Through this association, Dave has chaired annual events such as Vaisakhi luncheon, scholarship night for high school students, and various fundraising galas supporting local charities. He also sits on the board of the Fraser Valley Healthcare Foundation Board where he is the chair of the board development committee. Dave is extensively involved in the economic growth of Abbotsford. He is a past director of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce and was recently a part of helping assemble the Abbotsford Business Community Coalition, a business group launched to support local businesses suffering the economic impact of COVID-19.
Among his many other community roles, Dave has been involved in fundraising efforts for the Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre, The Canadian Diabetes Association, Abbotsford Police Foundation, and The Archway Food Bank. In the past year, Dave played a leading role with a team of community volunteers that have been organizing free grocery packs for families struggling during the pandemic and help set up the Seva food bank with Archway Community Services, which provides culturally appropriate food for Abbotsford families. In 2019, Dave was recognized with the Paul Harris Fellowship Recognition, the highest recognition that the Rotary International club can present to a community member that exemplifies “Service Above Self.” A driving force in forging strong community links, Dave’s love for his community motivates him to constantly strive for improvement and progress.
