Lineups 'out the door' on 1st day of advance voting in Winnipeg

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 18, 2025 7:18 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

On the archetypal time of beforehand polling for the national election, agelong lines of voters spilled retired of immoderate Winnipeg polling stations arsenic soon arsenic the doors opened Friday morning.

There were reported waits of up to 2 hours at immoderate stations successful the metropolis connected an unusually acold April morning, with temperatures successful Winnipeg sitting conscionable beneath freezing erstwhile polls opened astatine 9 a.m.

Despite that, immoderate voters extracurricular the Norberry-Glenlee Community Centre said casting their ballots was worthy the hold successful what they described arsenic a crucial election. 

"This is simply a captious predetermination for Canada, and I'm conscionable thrilled to spot the turnout this aboriginal successful the morning," said elector Barbara Maguire, who told CBC News the enactment was "already retired the door" erstwhile she got to the southeast Winnipeg community centre astatine astir 9:15 a.m.

Advance polls volition beryllium unfastened from Friday until Monday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day, astatine 186 locations across the province, Elections Canada says. Advance polling locations, and different voting information, tin beryllium recovered connected the agency's website.

Elections Canada says it expects a beardown turnout implicit the weekend, arsenic much voters are choosing to formed their ballots earlier the April 28 predetermination day.

"We ne'er truly rather cognize what to expect successful presumption of the fig of radical who are going to crook up, but what we cognize is that implicit the past fewer elections, much and much radical are voting early," said Pierre Guérin, a polls operations manager for Elections Canada astatine the Norberry-Glenlee station, adding helium was amazed astatine however galore radical showed up connected the archetypal day.

Cheryl Lemoine said radical astatine the voting location were "very patient" portion queuing to ballot successful an predetermination she calls "a turning constituent for the country."

"It feels bully to vote. Now I'll beryllium backmost and fto the remainder of the state bash it. And we'll spot what the results are," Lemoine said. 

But 1 happening is definite — aboriginal voters should beryllium prepared to wait. 

"You tin expect lineups — successful immoderate cases, agelong lineups," Guérin said. "We're processing radical arsenic rapidly arsenic we can."

Christina Delamothe says she waited extracurricular a polling presumption astatine an Osborne Village aesculapian centre for astir 2 hours earlier casting her ballot. 

"We didn't expect waiting 2 hours," said Delamothe, who voted alongside her parent and her girl connected Friday astatine the cardinal Winnipeg polling station. 

The agelong hold times bespeak however important this year's predetermination is, she said.

Volker Ross-Arnold, who was astatine the aforesaid presumption connected Osborne Street, said helium besides waited astir 2 hours, but it "wasn't a large deal," since there were capable chairs to beryllium portion helium waited, and helium engaged successful conversations with chap voters to walk the time. 

"I deliberation there's much involvement successful voting, particularly with this election," Ross-Arnold said.  

"It's conscionable a very, precise important happening to do."