EASTERN PASSAGE, N.S. - The NDP comfortably retained a Halifax-area legislature seat in a byelection Tuesday, prompting the losing Conservative candidate to predict that voters won't get government-funded facilities because of it.

Becky Kent took the riding of Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage by a margin of just under 600 votes over Conservative candidate Mike Eddy in the first byelection since the minority Tories won the June 2006 general election.

Kent took 2,459 of the 5,539 votes cast. Eddy finished with 1,863 while third-place Liberal Kelly Rambeau's took 958. The Green candidate, Beverley Woodfield, placed a distant fourth with 259 votes.

It was a smaller NDP win than in the last election, when Kevin Deveaux took the riding with commanding 3,000-vote lead. The riding became vacant in March when Deveaux quit politics to work for the United Nations in Vietnam. He had held the riding since 1998.

Eddy, a former Halifax fire chief, didn't take solace in his party's gains, suggesting the riding will now suffer.

"All I can say is the people have elected the person they want to be their representative, and if the last nine years are any indication, we'll deserve what we get in the years ahead. That's all I can say,'' he said.

"We've got nothing for the community in infrastructure in the last nine years. If that's any indication, then we won't see any progress in the year's ahead.''

Asked if that's what the community deserves, he replied: "The community elects their representative. It's what the community will get because of that.''

NDP Leader Darrell Dexter was clearly buoyed by the result, which suggests the party's political dominance in the Halifax area will be hard to shake.

He took a shot at Eddy's campaign literature, which argued the Tory candidate could deliver a much-needed high school and recreational centre to the riding on the outskirts of the city.

Eddy's brochure had "Becky Can't'' printed on the inside page, claiming the New Democrat wouldn't be effective as an Opposition backbencher.

"The people of Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage knew that Becky was the person. They knew that Becky can,'' Dexter said following the victory.

The New Democrat leader predicted Eddy would likely regret his remarks, noting that NDP ridings have generally received their fair share of government assistance.

"On election nights, when you're disappointed, you may say things which in the cold light of the next day you may regret,'' said Dexter. "If you look at the ridings that have NDP members of the legislature across the province, we've all done well in arguing on behalf of our constituents.''

Eddy was promoted by the Conservative party as a star candidate and potentially influential voice in the community.

Both Eddy and Rambeau expressed concerns about voter apathy in light of the fact that just 44 per cent of registered voters turned, compared to 52 per cent last year.

Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil campaigned throughout the race with Rambeau, acknowledging the race as an early verdict on his four months as leader.

Following the loss, he took solace in a slight increase in the party's share of the popular vote.

"The great news is we now have a (riding) organization here,'' he said. "Many Nova Scotians didn't give us a chance in this byelection. They didn't think we'd get off the ground.''

The Tories are attempting to rebuild their support in the Halifax area, but a series of gaffes and scandals have often dominated the headlines over the past 15 months.

Premier Rodney MacDonald biggest embarrassment came last winter when his human resources minister, Ernie Fage, resigned after news broke that he was under investigation for allegedly leaving the scene of an accident.

Fage pleaded not guilty and his trial is to begin next month.

The premier has also faced criticism for two policy reversals -- implementing gas price regulation and scrapping the province's ban on Sunday shopping.

With Kent's victory in Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage, the governing Tories hold 23 seats, the NDP 20 and the Liberals nine.