What to know about the Thompson riding for Manitoba's 2023 election

• About the riding
• Voting history
• News stories from Thompson
• Meet the candidates
• More CBC Manitobariding profiles

Northeastern Manitoba's Thompson riding has been around since 1969, but it more than doubled in size after a boundary redistribution in 2018.

The riding now includes a large area that was previously in the riding of Kewatinook (now spelled Keewatinook), and a small chunk of what was previously the riding of Flin Flon.

• Full coverage of the 2023 Manitoba election

The Thompson riding's total population is 21,350, according to Elections Manitoba's riding profile, based on 2021 census information.

Its boundaries are the Manitoba-Nunavutborder to the north and Hudson Bay to the east. To the south, the boundary ends just south of Wabowden. The western boundary runs along the edge of Caribou River Provincial Park before pushing further west south of Flin Flon to include Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, an expansion that resulted from input at public hearings.

The riding includes its namesake, the northern hub of Thompson, as well as Churchill, Port Nelson and Wabowden.

Its median age is 29.6, the 2023 riding profilesays, based on information from the 2021 census. The median income is $92,000.

Voting history

The Thompson riding has voted NDP throughout most of its history, including when it elected Steve Ashton in 2011 with more than 2,500 of nearly 3,800 ballots cast, or nearly 70 per cent of the vote.

Ashton was defeated in 2016 by Progressive Conservative candidate Kelly Bindle, who won over 1,700 of nearly 4,000 votes cast, or about 44 per cent of the vote.

NDP candidate Danielle Adams took the seat in 2019, with nearly 2,700 of roughly 5,000 votes cast. After Adams died in a car crash in December 2021, NDP candidate Eric Redhead was elected to replace her with more than 1,400 of about 2,000 votes cast in a byelection.

• 1969, 1973 elections: NDP.
• 1977: Progressive Conservative.
• 1981 to 2007 (nine general elections): NDP.
• 2011: Steve Ashton (NDP).
• 2016: Kelly Bindle (Progressive Conservative).
• 2019: Danielle Adams (NDP).
• 2022 byelection: Eric Redhead (NDP).

Thompson in the news

• Leaders in Churchill shrug off talk of possible competing Hudson Bay port
• EV drivers say lack of charging stations on main route to northern Manitoba leaves them stranded
• Thompson teens digging into gardens, pedalling specialized bikes to help seniors
• Churchill on track for record number of polar bear reports this season, conservation officers say
• 2 new Indigenous-owned restaurants in Thompson serve up home-cooked meals in tough financial climate
• School kookum program adds extra layer of support, love for Thompson, Man., children

Meet the candidates

The nominated candidates for the 2023 election, as of Sept. 2, are:

• Roy Jemison (Liberal).
• Linda Markus (Progressive Conservative).
• Eric Redhead (NDP incumbent).

Candidates become official when they meet criteria set out in the province's Elections Act, including providing a statement of disclosure, after the election has been called. In Thompson, all candidatesare official.

Find more CBC Manitoba riding profiles here.