Photo: Thank you for visiting my page from Canada · CC BY 2.0Cochrane’s MP is Blake Richards (Conservative Party of Canada), for Airdrie—Cochrane
Across Alberta, 33 of the 37 MPs sit with the Conservative Party of Canada. The Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s riding map carries non-commercial terms, so Cochrane isn’t placed in a riding here. Cochrane is a town by Statistics Canada’s count of municipalities. In Alberta, councils aren’t on any open list we can use, so Cochrane’s mayor isn’t named.
Three governments, and who does what
Cochrane, 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.
There is no county government over Cochrane; Division No. 6 is a census division, not a council.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Cochrane, from the most recent elections.
- 1Cochrane councilTown
- 2Legislative Assembly of Alberta–
- 3House of CommonsAirdrie—Cochrane
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 Cochrane votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Cochrane council | 20 October 2025 | 15 October 2029 |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | 29 May 2023 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Elected on 20 October 2025, Cochrane council is up again on 15 October 2029. The Local Authorities Election Act fixes that date: the third Monday in October every four years. Parliament was last elected on 28 April 2025, and the Legislative Assembly of Alberta on 29 May 2023. The latest vote shown is 2021: the 2025 counts carry Elections Canada’s non-commercial terms.
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
Blake Richards represents Airdrie—Cochrane in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Airdrie—Cochrane · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2008
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Conservative Party of Canada33
- Liberal Party of Canada3
- New Democratic Party1
As Wikidata records them.
The MP’s record
Blake Richards was first elected in 2008; the current Parliament is Blake Richards’ 6th. Mapped onto today’s Airdrie—Cochrane, the 2021 vote gives the Conservative Party of Canada 60%; in 2025 Blake Richards kept the seat in the same hands.
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
Blake Richards kept Banff—Airdrie for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021
Before the 2023 redistribution, Cochrane voted in Banff—Airdrie; these are its 2019 and 2021 results, and Airdrie—Cochrane is its riding today.
Blake Richards (Conservative Party of Canada) took Banff—Airdrie in 2021 with 57% of the vote, 31,195 votes ahead of Sarah Zagoda (New Democratic Party). In 2019, Blake Richards had won the same riding with 71%. At 69%, more of Banff—Airdrie voted in 2021 than Canada as a whole (63%).
All 9 candidates in Banff—Airdrie, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blake Richards | Conservative Party of Canada | 43,677 | 56.7% |
| Sarah Zagoda | New Democratic Party | 12,482 | 16.2% |
| David Gamble | Liberal Party of Canada | 9,572 | 12.4% |
| Nadine Wellwood | People's Party of Canada | 5,808 | 7.5% |
| Derek Sloan | Independent | 2,020 | 2.6% |
| Tariq Elnaga | Maverick Party | 1,475 | 1.9% |
| Aidan Blum | Green Party of Canada | 1,405 | 1.8% |
| Caroline O'Driscoll | Independent | 489 | 0.6% |
| Ron Voss | Independent | 60 | 0.1% |
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
Cochrane 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.
Water, sewers and waste takes the biggest share, 23%, or $488 per resident. The return counts 259 full-time positions, 6.6 for every thousand residents. In 2024 the median among Alberta’s municipalities was $3,457 a resident; Cochrane council spent $2,134. Cochrane council carried $48.2M of long-term debt, $1,223 per resident against a typical $745. Local taxpayers carry a smaller share than elsewhere: 40% of revenue, where the province’s returns show 44%.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water, sewers and waste | $19.2M | $488 | 23% |
| Recreation and culture | $18.2M | $461 | 22% |
| Police, fire and protection | $15.4M | $390 | 18% |
| Roads and transit | $13.3M | $338 | 16% |
| General government | $12.2M | $309 | 14% |
| Planning and development | $5.3M | $133 | 6% |
| Social services and child care | $577K | $15 | 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 Cochrane 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. Two maps are in play: the 2013 ridings, on which 2019 and 2021 were counted, and the 2023 ridings, onto which Elections Canada transposed the 2021 vote poll by poll.
- Council money. Alberta’s 2024 municipal financial returns, per resident with Statistics Canada’s 2025 population estimate.
- Not on this page. Party control (most Canadian councils sit without parties, and the open lists record none) and band councils.
- Which riding. The 2021 Census homes of a place’s residents fix its ridings, and one is shown once it holds 5% of them.
- Who holds each seat. Each MP’s name and party are Wikidata’s statements for the 45th Parliament, read in November 2026.
Questions about how Cochrane is run
Who is the MP for Cochrane?
For Cochrane, it’s Blake Richards (Conservative Party of Canada), who holds Airdrie—Cochrane.
Which party won Cochrane in the 2021 federal election?
Blake Richards (Conservative Party of Canada) took Banff—Airdrie in 2021, and still holds the seat, now Airdrie—Cochrane.
Who is the MLA for Cochrane?
Every MLA of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta is on its members page, which is where to find the one for Cochrane.
Who heads the council in Cochrane?
Ask the municipality itself: Cochrane, a town, isn’t on an open list of councils we can use.
How much does Cochrane council spend?
In 2024, Cochrane council spent $84.1M in all, for some 39,397 residents, of which $19.2M went on water, sewers and waste, the biggest line.
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).