Photo: Wolfmum · CC BY-SA 4.0A 23,761-vote win for Laila Goodridge made Fort McMurray—Cold Lake safer in 2021 than 97% of ridings
Cold Lake is a city by Statistics Canada’s count of municipalities. This page names no head of council for Cold Lake, as no open list of councils exists in Alberta. The Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s riding map carries non-commercial terms, so Cold Lake isn’t placed in a riding here. Cold Lake sends one MP to Ottawa from Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP): Laila Goodridge (Conservative Party of Canada).
What stands out in how Cold Lake is governed
A safe federal seat
The 2021 winner in Fort McMurray—Cold Lake finished 55.1 points ahead of the runner-up (People's Party of Canada), a wider lead than in 97% of Canada’s 338 ridings. How Cold Lake has voted ↓
Low federal turnout
At the 2021 federal election, 84% of the country’s ridings out-voted Fort McMurray—Cold Lake. 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
Cold Lake, a city 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 Cold Lake’s council; Division No. 12 is only a census division, a unit for statistics.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Cold Lake, from the most recent elections.
- 1Cold Lake councilCity
- 2Legislative Assembly of Alberta–
- 3House of CommonsFort McMurray—Cold Lake
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 Cold Lake votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Lake council | 20 October 2025 | 15 October 2029 |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | 29 May 2023 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
The council elected on 20 October 2025 serves until 15 October 2029, when Cold Lake council is chosen again. It is the third Monday in October every four years, as the Local Authorities Election Act provides. Parliament was last elected on 28 April 2025, and the Legislative Assembly of Alberta on 29 May 2023. The open federal catalogue ends at 2021; the 2025 results sit on elections.ca under terms that bar commercial use.
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
Laila Goodridge represents Fort McMurray—Cold Lake in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Fort McMurray—Cold Lake · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2021
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Conservative Party of Canada33
- Liberal Party of Canada3
- New Democratic Party1
As Wikidata records them.
Laila Goodridge sits with the Conservative Party of Canada, which holds 33 of the 37 seats from Alberta.
The MP’s record
Had the 2021 ballots been cast in today’s Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, the Conservative Party of Canada would have led with 68%; Laila Goodridge held it for them in 2025. First elected in 2021, Laila Goodridge is serving the 2nd term of a Commons career. Before Ottawa, Laila Goodridge was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
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
The Conservative Party of Canada kept Fort McMurray—Cold Lake in 2021 with Laila Goodridge
Counts for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake within its 2013 boundaries, used in 2019 and 2021; the 2025 election ran on a new map.
In 2021, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake went to Laila Goodridge (Conservative Party of Canada) on 68%; Shawn McDonald (People's Party of Canada) finished 23,761 votes behind. Back in 2019 the seat went to David Yurdiga (Conservative Party of Canada), on 80%.
All 7 candidates in Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laila Goodridge | Conservative Party of Canada | 29,242 | 67.8% |
| Shawn McDonald | People's Party of Canada | 5,481 | 12.7% |
| Garnett Robinson | New Democratic Party | 4,377 | 10.1% |
| Abdifatah Abdi | Liberal Party of Canada | 3,060 | 7.1% |
| Jonathan Meyers | Maverick Party | 479 | 1.1% |
| Brian Deheer | Green Party of Canada | 423 | 1.0% |
| Hughie Shane Whitmore | Veterans Coalition Party of Canada | 88 | 0.2% |
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
Cold Lake 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.
Cold Lake council carried $48.2M of long-term debt, $2,708 per resident against a typical $745. At 34%, property taxes count for less of the revenue than the 44% seen across the province. More goes to recreation and culture than to anything else: $963 a resident, 25% of all spending. It employs the equivalent of 157 full-time positions, or 8.8 for each thousand people. In 2024 the median among Alberta’s municipalities was $3,457 a resident; Cold Lake council spent $3,808.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recreation and culture | $17.1M | $963 | 25% |
| Roads and transit | $14.9M | $835 | 22% |
| General government | $12.8M | $719 | 19% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $10.7M | $602 | 16% |
| Police, fire and protection | $8.7M | $488 | 13% |
| Social services and child care | $1.9M | $106 | 3% |
| Planning and development | $1.7M | $94 | 2% |
| Social housing | $13K | $1 | 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 Cold Lake 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. Who holds each seat is read from Wikidata, so a very recent change in the Commons may not appear yet.
- Not on this page. No party tally for the council, which the open lists don’t record, and no band councils.
- Which riding. A riding is listed when 5% or more of the place’s 2021 Census residents live in it; the largest share comes first.
Questions about how Cold Lake is run
Who is the MP for Cold Lake?
Fort McMurray—Cold Lake’s MP, Laila Goodridge of the Conservative Party of Canada, represents Cold Lake.
Which party won Cold Lake in the 2021 federal election?
Laila Goodridge (Conservative Party of Canada) took Fort McMurray—Cold Lake in 2021 and is its MP today.
Who is the MLA for Cold Lake?
Cold Lake’s riding isn’t placed on this page; the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s members page lists every MLA by riding.
Who heads the council in Cold Lake?
Cold Lake, a city, lists its council on its own pages; no open list names the head here.
How much does Cold Lake council spend?
Cold Lake council spent $67.8M in 2024 for about 17,798 residents; its largest service line was recreation and culture, at $17.1M.
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).