Photo: Luc Rempel

Newly re-elected MP Mel Arnold with his wife Linda Arnold pictured at his campaign office in Salmon Arm shortly after being declared the election race winner in Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies.

UPDATE: 10:13 p.m.

Newly-elected Conservative MP Mel Arnold thanked his campaign volunteers and voters after learning he would be returning to Ottawa to represent the new Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies riding.

“It’s been an honour to be re-elected, or, at least so far, declared tonight as re-elected. It’s early in the night, poll numbers are still coming in, but it looks really strong,” said Arnold, who addressed reporters from his Salmon Arm campaign office where supporters were gathered to watch the results.

“I want to thank everyone that’s in the riding for their support.”

Arnold was declared the winner in his riding at about 8:45 p.m., with about a quarter of the electoral district polls reporting results.

The incumbent MP won the former North Okanagan-Shuswap electoral district in the past three federal elections, and after the electoral boundaries were re-drawn, ran for re-election in Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies.

“It’s a big new riding, and it’s going to be an honour to represent such a diverse, beautiful and just incredible, talented riding of people and what we have to offer here,” Arnold said.

As of 10 p.m. Monday with 90 per cent of polls reporting, Arnold had secured 27,474 votes — good for about 54 per cent of the vote.

Runner up Ken Robertson, who ran for the Liberals, had received 18,976 votes — about 37 per cent — followed by the NDP’s Phaedra Idzan with 6 per cent of the vote, the Green Party’s Owen Madden, with about 3 per cent of the vote, and Michael Henry of the PPC, with 1 per cent.

Robertson, who was watching the election with fellow candidate Iain Currie and Liberal supporters in downtown Kamloops, said he believes he put his best foot forward.

“I feel I put in great campaign, trying to really make a difference in this community, even though it's a newly-minted riding first of all, even though [Arnold] was the incumbent — and he had obviously a good, solid base,” he said.

“But I think I expanded our base as well, when it came to the new minted riding as well. It just shows that we can truly still have those progressive voters out there.”

UPDATE: 8:58 p.m.

Incumbent Conservative Mel Arnold will represent the new Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies riding in Ottawa.

Arnold has secured about 58 per cent of the vote, with Liberal candidate Ken Robertson in second place with a little more than 31 per cent.

The NDP’s Phaedra Idzan is in third with nearly six per cent, followed by Owen Madden, Green Party candidate, with three per cent and the PPC’s Michael Henry with about one per cent of the vote.

About 25 per cent of the electoral district polls have reported results.

Arnold will hold a media availability at 9 p.m. He planned to spend the evening watching election results roll in with supporters at his Salmon Arm campaign office.

Arnold has won the former North Okanagan-Shuswap electoral district in the past three federal elections.

This year, he ran to represent the Conservative party in the Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies electoral district — a new riding which includes part of Kamloops and extends all the way to the Alberta border.

Check back here for updates on the Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies riding as the election night unfolds. Coverage on the race to represent the Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola riding is available here.

Up-to-the-minute local results can be found here.

Photo: Luc Rempel

Mel Arnold's campaign office and the site of his election results event

UPDATE: 8:39 p.m.

With more polling stations reporting, incumbent Mel Arnold’s early lead in Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies appears to be growing.

Arnold, who running for the Conservative party, is up to about 55 per cent of the vote.

Liberal party candidate Ken Robertson is sitting in second with about 33 per cent of the vote and NDP candidate Phaedra Idzan is holding onto third with approximately seven per cent.

Green Party candidate and local farmer Owen Madden said his plan for election night is to “go to bed around 8:30 p.m., as per usual.” Madden has about three per cent of the vote.

Michael Henry, running for the PPC, has accrued just over 1 per cent of the vote.

About 14 per cent of the polls in the district have been counted as of the time of writing.

UPDATE: 7:59

Incumbent Conservative candidate Mel Arnold is out to an early lead in the Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies electoral, with 53.9 per cent of the vote as of 7:59 p.m.

Liberal party candidate Ken Robertson is currently in second place with about 31 per cent of the vote.

Phaedra Idzan, running for the NDP, is in third with approximately 3 per cent of the vote, followed by PPC candidate Michael Henry with about 4 per cent.

Green party candidate Owen Madden is sitting at about 2 per cent of the vote.

As of the time of writing, only five polls of the 243 in the electoral district are reporting.

When Castanet checked in with the Conservatives at the site of Arnold's election night event, his campaign manager said Arnold was not yet on site.

Idzan arrived at her event at the Crown N’ Anchor Pub just after 7 p.m.

“I’m excited that we’re almost done,” Idzan said, when asked how she was feeling on election night.

UPDATE: 6:08 p.m.

With about an hour left until federal election polls close, candidates in the Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies are planning to watch the results come in with supporters and family.

Incumbent Conservative MP candidate Mel Arnold will be spending time with campaign supporters at his Salmon Arm campaign office, located at 31 1st St. SE.

Ken Robertson is gathered with fellow Liberal Party candidate Iain Currie and supporters at the Delta Hotel in downtown Kamloops. Currie is running in the Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola electoral district.

Michael Henry, candidate for the People's Party of Canada, told Castanet that once voting closes he will be watching in-person as an election officer counts the ballots. Henry said once that is done, he will head home and watch the results with his family.

NDP candidate Phaedra Idzan plans to get together with supporters and watch the election night unfold from the Crown N' Anchor Pub at 995 Lakeshore Dr. W in Salmon Arm.

Polls are open until 7 p.m. Pacific Time.

ORIGINAL: 4:33 p.m.

Election day is here, and candidates from five federal parties are running to see who will be elected to represent residents from the new Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies riding in Ottawa.

Voters are deciding between incumbent MP and Conservative party candidate Mel Arnold, Liberal candidate Ken Robertson, NDP candidate Phaedra Idzan, Green party candidate Owen Madden, and People’s Party of Canada candidate Michael Henry.

The former North Okanagan-Shuswap electoral district — which included Salmon Arm, Vernon, Armstrong, and Enderby — was won by Conservative candidate Mel Arnold in the past three elections, including most recently in 2021.

However this year, he is running in the new Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies electoral district which was created in the 2022 federal electoral distribution and is in effect for the first time this election.

The riding includes part of Kamloops and extends all the way to the Alberta border. It includes the cities of Salmon Arm, Revelstoke and Golden, as well as Enderby and Sicamous.

Candidates have made their views known at several forums, including one that was live streamed on the Castanet website on April 22.

Affordability, housing and public safety and were top of mind for residents.

Attendees at a forum in Salmon Arm earlier this month wanted answers about the future of the carbon tax and helping seniors with the rising cost of living.

Candidates were asked how their parties would tackle crime and address concerns around affordability at an election forum held in Kamloops.

Polls are open until 7 p.m. Pacific Time.

Check back here for updates on the Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies riding as the election night unfolds. Coverage on the race to represent the Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola riding is available here.

Photo: Luc Rempel

Candidates answering questions at a Salmon Arm All-Candidates Forum