YARMOUTH (52)

Candidates:

Liberal: Phil DeMille NDP: Gillian Rowley PC: Richard Hurlburt

Current MLA: Richard Hurlburt (PC)

Riding Profile: Yarmouth includes much of Yarmouth County, the Mi'kmaq community of the Yarmouth reserve and the town of Yarmouth. Fishing and fish processing continue to drive the economy of this riding although tourism, small manufacturing and a call centre employ more people.

Yarmouth is the trade and services center for the southwest region of the province. It's home to two ferries bringing visitors from the United States and an expanded hospital that employs 900 people. A new regional jail is under construction.

The population is 18,820 and is predominantly English-speaking with Acadian areas accounting for about 20 per cent. Unemployment hovers around 11 per cent and the average income is $22,260. Educational levels are below the provincial average with 44 per cent not having completed high school.

Issues: Slow tourism season, job creation.

Political History: Yarmouth became a single-member riding in 1981. It has tended to be a swing or bellweather riding in recent years, alternating between the PCs and LIBs, with one notable upset in 1998 when it elected its first NDP member.

1999: PC Richard Hurlburt defeated incumbent NDP John Deveau by only 62 votes. It was a three-way fight with the PCs receiving 3,141, the NDP 3,079 and the LIBs 2,605. 1998: NDP John Deveau defeated PC ALex McIntosh by 1,302 votes. LIB Richie Hubbard was third. 1993: LIB Richie Hubbard defeated PC Leroy Legere by 2,059 votes. 1988: PC Leroy Legere defeated LIB Fraser Mooney by only 341 votes. 1984: PC ALex McIntosh defeated LIB Fraser Mooney by 645 votes.

Voter Turnout: 74 per cent in 1999.