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INUVIK - The numbers are in and ballots show that Dennis Bevington narrowly missed out on the majority of votes in Inuvik.

Elections Canada posted the final tally of votes across the territories late last week.

In Inuvik, Conservative candidate Brendan Bell garnered the most votes with 358 people supporting him.

From left, Paulatuk player Georgina Wolki, Inuvik player Jacinta Larocque and official Clara Allen talk before the start of a championship game during this past weekend's volleyball tournament. Allen stays involved in the sport by officiating local games. - Dez Loreen/NNSL photo

Western Arctic seat-winner and incumbent Dennis Bevington was right behind Bell with 353 votes in town.

Liberal Gabrielle Mackenzie-Scott garnered 91 votes, while the Green Party's Sam Gamble took 41 votes. Noeline Villebrun of the newly-formed First People's National Party received four votes.

In total, 855 ballots were cast at the Inuvik polling station in the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex on Oct. 14.

Five of those were considered spoiled and were rejected.

Bell's narrow margin of votes over Bevington in Inuvik surprised some residents who thought he would earn more support.

Local business owner Arlene Hansen said she thought Inuvik voters were ready for a pro-pipeline approach.

"I expected there to be a wider margin in Inuvik," she said.

"I think people see Inuvik as the pipeline capital (of the North)."

Hansen said she's seen a challenge in siding Bevington with the proposed Mackenzie Valley Pipeline project.

"There's been difficulty in the past with the NDP candidate supporting the pipeline, so I thought the people here would be for an industry push," she said.

Hansen said 855 people voting in Inuvik is not enough. She would have liked to see a better turnout on election day.

"I think the voter turnout was pretty low for a federal election," she said.

"When you have such strong things happening in our country and our economy I'm disappointed when we have so few people that think it's important," she said.

She said anyone who didn't bother to vote has no say in the political governing in the North.

"Politics is not an armchair sport to play at home when you complain if you haven't voted," she said.