Recount ordered in Oshawa’s Ward 1 local council race

There will be a recount for the Ward 1 seat at Oshawa Council, a race won by incumbent Rosemary McConkey by just eight votes over former Durham District Catholic School Board chair Theresa Coreless.

John Mascarin of Aird & Berlis LLP was at the inaugural meeting of the new term of council Monday afternoon asking for the recount on behalf of Corless, noting that most other municipalities have automatic recounts whenever the vote difference is ten or less. “The policy here is very restrictive,” he said.

Several councillors spoke in favour of the recount, with Rick Kerr saying there is a “public perception” that a recount is needed to uphold the “integrity of election night.”

Councillor Brian Nicholson, however, noted that the same electronic tabulator system would be used and the same number of rejected ballots would again be rejected by the machines, “The motion before us ain’t going to change that,” he said, adding that a “proper” judicial review with human oversight is the right way to go.

After a drawn-out debate on the merits of a second counting, the recount – using the same method that was used on election night – was approved by an 8-1 vote.