Photo: Andrawaag · CC BY-SA 4.0In 2021, Arnold Viersen carried Peace River—Westlock by 23,467 votes, a margin wider than 95% of Canada’s ridings
Statistics Canada lists Big Lakes County as a municipal district. No open list of councils exists in Alberta, so no mayor of Big Lakes County is named here. Big Lakes County’s riding for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta can’t be shown, because the province’s boundary file is licensed for non-commercial use only. Arnold Viersen (Conservative Party of Canada) is the MP for Peace River—Westlock, the riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) that takes in Big Lakes County.
What stands out in how Big Lakes County is governed
High spending per resident
Per resident, Big Lakes County council’s 2024 spending tops 92% of Alberta’s municipalities. Council money ↓
A safe federal seat
In 2021, 50.2 points separated first and second (New Democratic Party) in Peace River—Westlock, more than in 95% of the 338 ridings. How Big Lakes County has voted ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
Big Lakes County, a municipal district in Alberta, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
Schools, health care, highways, municipal law.
assembly.ab.ca ↗Passports, pensions, EI, defence, immigration.
ourcommons.ca ↗Who to ask
Green: municipal. Gold: provincial. Grey: federal.
No county or regional government sits above Big Lakes County’s council; Division No. 17 is only a census division, a unit for statistics.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Big Lakes County, from the most recent elections.
- 1Big Lakes County councilMunicipal district
- 2Legislative Assembly of Alberta–
- 3House of CommonsPeace River—Westlock
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada
When Big Lakes County votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Big Lakes County council | 20 October 2025 | 15 October 2029 |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | 29 May 2023 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
The latest vote shown is 2021: the 2025 counts carry Elections Canada’s non-commercial terms. Voters last chose Big Lakes County council on 20 October 2025 and will again on 15 October 2029. The Local Authorities Election Act sets the day: the third Monday in October every four years. The Legislative Assembly of Alberta was last elected on 29 May 2023, and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta: riding not placed
Provinces and territories run schools, health care and municipal law; each riding elects one MLA.
Find your MLA on the legislature’s site
assembly.ab.ca ↗Legislatures: their own member pages
Arnold Viersen represents Peace River—Westlock in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Peace River—Westlock · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2015
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Conservative Party of Canada33
- Liberal Party of Canada3
- New Democratic Party1
As Wikidata records them.
With Arnold Viersen, the Conservative Party of Canada counts 33 of the 37 MPs elected in Alberta.
The MP’s record
Had the 2021 ballots been cast in today’s Peace River—Westlock, the Conservative Party of Canada would have led with 63%; Arnold Viersen held it for them in 2025. Arnold Viersen has sat in the Commons since 2015, now for the 4th Parliament.
MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · MPs’ records: Wikidata (CC0), positions held and party memberships, read 8 November 2026
In 2021, Peace River—Westlock re-elected Arnold Viersen of the Conservative Party of Canada
Peace River—Westlock as it stood from 2013: the 2019 and 2021 counts, before the riding was redrawn for 2025.
81% had elected Arnold Viersen there in 2019. Arnold Viersen (Conservative Party of Canada) took Peace River—Westlock in 2021 with 63% of the vote, 23,467 votes ahead of Gail Ungstad (New Democratic Party). 62% of electors in Peace River—Westlock voted in 2021, below the 63% turnout across Canada.
All 6 candidates in Peace River—Westlock, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arnold Viersen | Conservative Party of Canada | 29,486 | 63.0% |
| Gail Ungstad | New Democratic Party | 6,019 | 12.9% |
| Darryl Boisson | People's Party of Canada | 5,916 | 12.6% |
| Colin Krieger | Maverick Party | 2,573 | 5.5% |
| Leslie Penny | Liberal Party of Canada | 2,431 | 5.2% |
| Jordan Francis MacDougall | Green Party of Canada | 364 | 0.8% |
Federal results: Elections Canada, 43rd and 44th general elections and the 44th’s transposition to the 2023 ridings, via open.canada.ca. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Big Lakes County council spends more per resident than most
The 2024 financial return: spending by service and revenue by source, per resident, compared only with Alberta’s municipalities.
Spending per resident by service, 2024
What pays for it
Shares of revenue, town and province.
Each resident’s share of Big Lakes County council’s 2024 spending came to $7,185, where the middle of Alberta’s municipalities sat at $3,457. Full-time staff number 69, about 13.5 to every thousand residents. More goes to roads and transit than to anything else: $2,811 a resident, 39% of all spending. Property taxes and payments in lieu brought in 66% of revenue, against 44% across the province’s returns. Big Lakes County council carried $422K of long-term debt, $83 per resident against a typical $745.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $14.4M | $2,811 | 39% |
| General government | $7M | $1,381 | 19% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $6.3M | $1,226 | 17% |
| Other | $2.9M | $563 | 8% |
| Police, fire and protection | $2.3M | $449 | 6% |
| Recreation and culture | $1.7M | $331 | 5% |
| Planning and development | $1.4M | $281 | 4% |
| Social services and child care | $696K | $136 | 2% |
| Social housing | $35K | $7 | 0% |
Money: municipal financial and statistical data 2024, Alberta Municipal Affairs. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Alberta. Residents: Statistics Canada, 2025 estimate.
Having a say in how Big Lakes County is run
Check or update the federal list.
elections.ca ↗Every MP lists an office.
ourcommons.ca ↗Ridings, registration and voting dates.
elections.ab.ca ↗What this data can and can’t tell you
- Council money. Alberta’s 2024 municipal financial returns, per resident with Statistics Canada’s 2025 population estimate.
- Election results. Where the page says “today’s boundaries”, it means Elections Canada’s estimate of the 2021 vote on the 2023 ridings; every other count is official and on the 2013 map.
- Who holds each seat. MPs come from Wikidata’s records of the 45th Parliament, which can lag a resignation or a by-election by some days.
- Which riding. Ridings are assigned from the 2021 Census: the one with most residents first, then any holding 5% or more.
- Not on this page. No party tally for the council, which the open lists don’t record, and no band councils.
Questions about how Big Lakes County is run
Who is the MP for Big Lakes County?
Arnold Viersen of the Conservative Party of Canada is the MP for Peace River—Westlock, which includes Big Lakes County.
Which party won Big Lakes County in the 2021 federal election?
The Conservative Party of Canada: Arnold Viersen won Peace River—Westlock in 2021 and still holds it.
Who is the MLA for Big Lakes County?
Use the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s own list: every MLA is there by riding, though Big Lakes County isn’t placed in one here.
Who heads the council in Big Lakes County?
The head of Big Lakes County’s council isn’t named here; as a municipal district, it publishes its council itself.
How much does Big Lakes County council spend?
The 2024 return of Big Lakes County council shows $36.7M of spending for roughly 5,106 residents, $14.4M of it on roads and transit.
Sources: MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · Money: municipal financial and statistical data 2024, Alberta Municipal Affairs. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Alberta. Residents: Statistics Canada, 2025 estimate. · Next municipal election: the province’s municipal election act · Municipality types: Statistics Canada census subdivisions · Federal results: Elections Canada, 43rd and 44th general elections and the 44th’s transposition to the 2023 ridings, via open.canada.ca. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada · MPs’ records: Wikidata (CC0), positions held and party memberships, read 8 November 2026. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).