Photo: Glenlarson~commonswiki · Public domainBlaine Calkins (Conservative Party of Canada) represents Bowden in Ottawa as MP for Ponoka—Didsbury
Because the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s boundaries come with non-commercial terms, this page doesn’t say which riding Bowden is in. Locally, Bowden is run as a town. No open list of councils exists in Alberta, so no mayor of Bowden is named here. Of the 37 Commons seats from Alberta, the Conservative Party of Canada holds 33.
Three governments, and who does what
Bowden, a town 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 Bowden’s council; Division No. 8 is only a census division, a unit for statistics.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Bowden, from the most recent elections.
- 1Bowden councilTown
- 2Legislative Assembly of Alberta–
- 3House of CommonsPonoka—Didsbury
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 Bowden votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Bowden council | 20 October 2025 | 15 October 2029 |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | 29 May 2023 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
There are no 2025 counts here: Elections Canada’s terms bar their commercial reuse, so 2021 is the latest open result. Elected on 20 October 2025, Bowden council is up again on 15 October 2029. The Local Authorities Election Act fixes that date: 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
Blaine Calkins represents Ponoka—Didsbury in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Ponoka—Didsbury · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2006
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Conservative Party of Canada33
- Liberal Party of Canada3
- New Democratic Party1
As Wikidata records them.
The MP’s record
Had the 2021 ballots been cast in today’s Ponoka—Didsbury, the Conservative Party of Canada would have led with 68%; Blaine Calkins held it for them in 2025. Blaine Calkins was first elected in 2006; the current Parliament is Blaine Calkins’ 7th.
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, Red Deer—Mountain View re-elected Earl Dreeshen of the Conservative Party of Canada
Results in Red Deer—Mountain View, the riding Bowden belonged to on the 2013 map used in 2019 and 2021; since 2025 it votes in Ponoka—Didsbury.
Turnout in Red Deer—Mountain View reached 70% in 2021, against 63% nationally. Only 15 of Canada’s 338 ridings were won by a wider margin. Earl Dreeshen was the sitting MP, elected there in 2019 with 80%. Earl Dreeshen (Conservative Party of Canada) took Red Deer—Mountain View in 2021 with 64% of the vote, 31,854 votes ahead of Marie Grabowski (New Democratic Party).
All 7 candidates in Red Deer—Mountain View, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earl Dreeshen | Conservative Party of Canada | 40,680 | 64.3% |
| Marie Grabowski | New Democratic Party | 8,826 | 13.9% |
| Kelly Lorencz | People's Party of Canada | 7,581 | 12.0% |
| Olumide Adewumi | Liberal Party of Canada | 4,084 | 6.5% |
| Mark Wilcox | Maverick Party | 1,640 | 2.6% |
| Clayten Willington | Independent | 298 | 0.5% |
| Jared Pilon | Libertarian Party of Canada | 211 | 0.3% |
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
Bowden council spends less 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.
Local taxpayers carry a smaller share than elsewhere: 33% of revenue, where the province’s returns show 44%. Long-term debt at Bowden council stood at $317K, or $241 a resident, below the $745 median. Full-time staff number 9, about 6.8 to every thousand residents. Bowden council spent $2,382 per resident in 2024, against a median of $3,457 among Alberta’s municipalities. Water, sewers and waste takes the biggest share, 27%, or $645 per resident.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water, sewers and waste | $848K | $645 | 27% |
| General government | $816K | $621 | 26% |
| Roads and transit | $755K | $574 | 24% |
| Recreation and culture | $479K | $364 | 15% |
| Social services and child care | $115K | $88 | 4% |
| Police, fire and protection | $87K | $66 | 3% |
| Planning and development | $32K | $25 | 1% |
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 Bowden 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
- Which riding. The 2021 Census homes of a place’s residents fix its ridings, and one is shown once it holds 5% of them.
- Not on this page. No party tally for the council, which the open lists don’t record, and no band councils.
- 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.
- Election results. Elections Canada redrew the ridings in 2023 and re-tallied the 2021 ballots onto the new map from polling divisions; that estimate, and the official 2019 and 2021 counts on the old map, are what you see.
- Council money. Alberta’s 2024 municipal financial returns, per resident with Statistics Canada’s 2025 population estimate.
Questions about how Bowden is run
Who is the MP for Bowden?
For Bowden, it’s Blaine Calkins (Conservative Party of Canada), who holds Ponoka—Didsbury.
Which party won Bowden in the 2021 federal election?
Earl Dreeshen won Red Deer—Mountain View for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021; the riding is now Ponoka—Didsbury, held by Blaine Calkins.
Who is the MLA for Bowden?
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta lists each MLA with the riding they hold; this page can’t place Bowden in one.
Who heads the council in Bowden?
Ask the municipality itself: Bowden, a town, isn’t on an open list of councils we can use.
How much does Bowden council spend?
Bowden council spent $3.1M in 2024 for about 1,315 residents; its largest service line was water, sewers and waste, at $848K.
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).