The provincial election ballots in Mushkegowuk-James Bay are being recounted today.
Because there was only an eight-vote count difference between the top two candidates in the Northern Ontario riding, a judge granted a recount, with March 17 being the day for it.
The official Elections Ontario results for the Feb. 27 Ontario election have NDP Guy Bourgouin with 3,610 votes and PC Dave Plourde with 3,602.
“All ballots will be carefully reviewed and counted again in the presence of scrutineers and representatives from the involved parties,” said Dave Pearce, Elections Ontario media relations co-ordinator, in an email earlier this month.
Once the ballots are counted, the judge will certify the results with the returning officer. The candidates have two days to file a notice of appeal after the recount's finished.
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Under Ontario’s election rules, the recount process is automatically triggered if the difference between the top two candidates is fewer than 25 votes.
Although vote-counting equipment is used on election day, recounts are conducted manually.
The February election results led to two recounts.
The other one was in Mississauga-Erin Mills. While the recount didn't change who won the election, each of the candidates found extra votes, with the PC winner's margin increasing.
Recounts in Ontario provincial elections are rare. Since 1975, there have been 19 recounts (including those in 2025) across eight elections, with only two occurring in Northern Ontario — in Cochrane North in 1981 and Thunder Bay-Atikokan in 2007.
On March 19, Premier Doug Ford and the executive council are being sworn in. The provincial legislature returns on Monday, April 14.