Bedford (provincial electoral district)

Bedford
Nova Scotia electoral district
Defunct provincial electoral district
LegislatureNova Scotia House of Assembly
District created1978
District abolished2021
Last contested2017
Demographics
Population (2011)27,783
Electors19,154
Area (km²)32.00
Census division(s)Halifax Regional Municipality

Bedford was a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elected one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. Its current Member of the Legislative Assembly is Kelly Regan.

The electoral district was created in 1978 as Bedford-Musquodoboit Valley from the redistribution of Halifax Cobequid. The name was changed to Bedford-Fall River in 1993 and the district lost the Musquodoboit Valley area to Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley.[1]

In 2003, the district was renamed Bedford. It lost the Fall River and Waverley areas and gained one third of Halifax Bedford Basin, as well as an area along the Hammonds Plains Road. It comprises most of Bedford and all of the community southeast of the Bicentennial Highway.[2]

The district is notable for the electoral loss of Liberal leader Francis MacKenzie, in the 2006 election. MacKenzie attempted to win the seat in 2006 for the Nova Scotia Liberal Party. The party polled less than 24% across the province. He lost by more than 800 votes to Len Goucher.

On September 30, 2008 the name of the Bedford district was officially changed to Bedford-Birch Cove. With the 2012 electoral boundary changes, the area of Kearney Lake and Birch Cove moved to Clayton Park West and name of the district officially changed back to Bedford.[3]

In the 2021 Nova Scotia general election, the riding was abolished into Bedford South and Bedford Basin.

Members of the Legislative Assembly

This riding has elected the following members of the Legislative Assembly:

Legislature Years Member Party
63rd 2017–2021 Kelly Regan Liberal
62nd 2013–2017
61st 2009–2013
60th 2006–2009 Len Goucher Progressive Conservative
59th 2003–2006 Peter Christie
58th 1999-2003
57th 1998-1999     Francene Cosman Liberal
56th 1993-1998
55th 1988-1993     Ken Streatch Progressive Conservative
54th 1984-1988
53rd 1981-1984
52nd 1978-1981

Election results

1978

1978 Nova Scotia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Ken Streatch 4,951 58.93% –
Liberal Norman J. MacLean 2,743 32.65% –
New Democratic Gerald B. Hoganson 708 8.43% –
Total 8,402 –
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Bedford" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.
Nova Scotia. Chief Electoral Officer (1978). Returns of the General Election for the House of Assembly, Twenty-Ninth General Election (PDF). Queen's Printer.

1981

1981 Nova Scotia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Ken Streatch 4,929 57.62% -1.30%
Liberal Dwight Isenor 2,246 26.26% -6.39%
New Democratic Bruce Carroll 1,379 16.12% 7.69%
Total 8,554 –
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Bedford" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.
Nova Scotia. Chief Electoral Officer (1981). Returns of the General Election for the House of Assembly, Thirteith General Election (PDF). Queen's Printer.

1984

1984 Nova Scotia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Ken Streatch 4,953 59.98% 2.36%
Liberal John M. Dillon 1,755 21.25% -5.00%
New Democratic Susan Coldwell 1,468 17.78% 1.66%
Labour Alfred Nieforth 82 0.99% –
Total 8,258 –
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Bedford" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.
Nova Scotia. Chief Electoral Officer (1984). Returns of the General Election for the House of Assembly, Thirty-First General Election (PDF). Queen's Printer.

1988

1988 Nova Scotia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Ken Streatch 5,740 51.49% -8.48%
Liberal Gerald Regan 3,803 34.12% 12.86%
New Democratic Susan Coldwell 1,604 14.39% -3.39%
Total 11,147 –
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Bedford" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.
Nova Scotia. Chief Electoral Officer (1988). Returns of the General Election for the House of Assembly, Thirty-Second General Election (PDF). Queen's Printer.

1993

1993 Nova Scotia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Francene Cosman 4,794 44.19% 10.08%
Progressive Conservative Peter J. Kelly 4,401 40.57% -10.92%
New Democratic Ryan Kidney 1,653 15.24% 0.85%
Total 10,848 –
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Bedford" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.
Nova Scotia. Chief Electoral Officer (1993). Returns of the General Election for the House of Assembly, Thirty-Third General Election (PDF). Queen's Printer.

1998

1998 Nova Scotia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Francene Cosman 4,205 37.58% -6.61%
Progressive Conservative Peter G. Christie 3,892 34.79% -5.78%
New Democratic Marvin Silver 3,091 27.63% 12.39%
Total 11,188 –
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Bedford" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

1999

1999 Nova Scotia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Peter G. Christie 6,566 57.28% 22.49%
New Democratic Jane Earle 2,700 23.55% -4.07%
Liberal Gerry St. Armand 2,197 19.17% -18.42%
Total 11,463 –
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Bedford" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

2003

2003 Nova Scotia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Peter G. Christie 4,114 43.87% -13.41%
Liberal Richard Zurawski 3,208 34.21% 15.05%
New Democratic Bob Watson 2,055 21.92% -1.64%
Total 9,377 –
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Bedford" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

2006

2006 Nova Scotia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Len Goucher 4,090 42.22% -1.65%
Liberal Francis MacKenzie 3,286 33.92% -0.29%
New Democratic John Buckland 2,019 20.84% -1.07%
Green Mary McLaughlan 292 3.01% –
Total 9,687 –
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Bedford" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

2009

2009 Nova Scotia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Kelly Regan 4,861 44.48% 10.56%
New Democratic Brian Mosher 3,552 32.50% 11.66%
Progressive Conservative Len Goucher 2,268 20.75% -21.47%
Green Neil Green 248 2.27% -0.75%
Total 10,929 –
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Bedford" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

2013

2013 Nova Scotia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
  Liberal Kelly Regan 6,081 60.66 +16.18
  Progressive Conservative Joan Christie 2,026 20.21 -0.54
  New Democratic Party Mike Poworozynk 1,701 16.97 -15.53
Green Ian Charles 217 2.16 -0.11

2017

2017 Nova Scotia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Kelly Regan 5,831 52.69 -7.97
Progressive Conservative Valerie White 3,388 30.62 +10.41
New Democratic Blake Wright 1,362 12.31 -4.66
Green Michealle Hanshaw 485 4.38 +2.22
Total valid votes 11,066 100
Total rejected ballots 44 0.40
Turnout 11,110 51.85
Eligible voters 21,429
Liberal hold Swing -9.19
Source: Elections Nova Scotia[4][5]

References

  1. ^ Riding History Archived 2017-08-23 at the Wayback Machine NS Legislature
  2. ^ Bedford - Constituency History Archived 2017-08-23 at the Wayback Machine Nova Scotia Legislature
  3. ^ Elections Nova Scotia, Electoral Boundaries Commission Final Report (September 12, 2012) Archived January 23, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on March 11, 2013
  4. ^ "Statement of Votes & Statistics, Volume I" (PDF). Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  5. ^ "May 30th, 2017 - 40th Nova Scotia Provincial General Election". Elections Nova Scotia. Retrieved July 17, 2021.