Photo: Tiado · CC BY-SA 3.0Foothills gave John Barlow a 37,339-vote lead in 2021, bigger than in 98% of ridings
In the census’s list of municipalities, Claresholm is a town. Mayors and councillors in Alberta aren’t on any open list, so Claresholm’s council goes unnamed here. John Barlow (Conservative Party of Canada) is the MP for Foothills, the riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) that takes in Claresholm. The Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s riding map carries non-commercial terms, so Claresholm isn’t placed in a riding here.
What stands out in how Claresholm is governed
Low spending per resident
Per resident, Claresholm council’s 2024 spending sits under 91% of Alberta’s municipalities. Council money ↓
A safe federal seat
In 2021, 58.2 points separated first and second (New Democratic Party) in Foothills, more than in 98% of the 338 ridings. How Claresholm has voted ↓
High federal turnout
In 2021, Foothills voted in greater numbers than 97% of the ridings. The 2021 turnout ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
Claresholm, 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 Claresholm’s council; Division No. 3 is only a census division, a unit for statistics.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Claresholm, from the most recent elections.
- 1Claresholm councilTown
- 2Legislative Assembly of Alberta–
- 3House of CommonsFoothills
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 Claresholm votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Claresholm council | 20 October 2025 | 15 October 2029 |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | 29 May 2023 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Elections Canada’s open records end with the 2021 election; its 2025 results are under terms that rule out commercial use. The Legislative Assembly of Alberta was last elected on 29 May 2023, and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. The council elected on 20 October 2025 serves until 15 October 2029, when Claresholm council is chosen again. The Local Authorities Election Act sets the day: the third Monday in October every four years.
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
John Barlow represents Foothills in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Foothills · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2014
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Conservative Party of Canada33
- Liberal Party of Canada3
- New Democratic Party1
As Wikidata records them.
Of the 37 MPs from Alberta, 33 are with the Conservative Party of Canada, John Barlow among them.
The MP’s record
On today’s boundaries, the 2021 vote in Foothills would have gone to the Conservative Party of Canada with 68%, and John Barlow kept it for them in 2025. The current Parliament is John Barlow’s 5th, counting from a first win in 2014.
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
Foothills returned John Barlow (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021
These are the 2019 and 2021 results on the 2013 map of Foothills; its boundaries changed for the 2025 election.
John Barlow already held it after the 2019 election, won with 82%. The 2021 count in Foothills put John Barlow (Conservative Party of Canada) first at 69%, with Michelle Traxel (New Democratic Party) 37,339 votes back.
All 6 candidates in Foothills, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Barlow | Conservative Party of Canada | 44,456 | 69.2% |
| Michelle Traxel | New Democratic Party | 7,117 | 11.1% |
| Daniel Hunter | People's Party of Canada | 5,111 | 8.0% |
| Paula Shimp | Liberal Party of Canada | 4,441 | 6.9% |
| Josh Wylie | Maverick Party | 2,289 | 3.6% |
| Brett Rogers | Green Party of Canada | 802 | 1.3% |
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
Claresholm 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.
Property taxes and payments in lieu brought in 35% of revenue, against 44% across the province’s returns. Long-term debt at Claresholm council stood at $4.7M, or $1,116 a resident, above the $745 median. 28 full-time positions are funded, 6.6 per thousand residents. Spending by Claresholm council came to $2,291 a resident in 2024, under the $3,457 median of Alberta’s municipalities. Water, sewers and waste takes the biggest share, 28%, or $633 per resident.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water, sewers and waste | $2.7M | $633 | 28% |
| Roads and transit | $2M | $474 | 21% |
| Recreation and culture | $1.8M | $432 | 19% |
| General government | $1.7M | $402 | 18% |
| Police, fire and protection | $657K | $155 | 7% |
| Planning and development | $471K | $111 | 5% |
| Social services and child care | $360K | $85 | 4% |
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 Claresholm 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
- Election results. Official counts for 2019 and 2021 are by the 2013 ridings; Elections Canada also re-counted the 2021 ballots onto the 2023 ridings by polling division, and that estimate is what “today’s boundaries” means here.
- Council money. Alberta’s 2024 municipal financial returns, per resident with Statistics Canada’s 2025 population estimate.
- Which riding. Each place is put in its ridings by where its 2021 Census residents live; a riding holding 5% or more of them is listed.
- 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. Who holds each seat is read from Wikidata, so a very recent change in the Commons may not appear yet.
Questions about how Claresholm is run
Who is the MP for Claresholm?
Claresholm is in Foothills, represented by John Barlow (Conservative Party of Canada).
Which party won Claresholm in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was John Barlow (Conservative Party of Canada), who represents Foothills still.
Who is the MLA for Claresholm?
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s website names each MLA by riding; the riding of Claresholm has to be looked up there.
Who heads the council in Claresholm?
Claresholm is a town; its own website or the province’s municipal directory names the head of council.
How much does Claresholm council spend?
The 2024 return of Claresholm council shows $9.7M of spending for roughly 4,242 residents, $2.7M of it on water, sewers and waste.
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).