David Bexte (Conservative Party of Canada) represents Duchess in Ottawa as MP for Bow River
Across Alberta, 33 of the 37 MPs sit with the Conservative Party of Canada. Statistics Canada lists Duchess as a village. Who leads Duchess’ council isn’t on an open record: there’s no open list of councils in Alberta. Duchess’ riding for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta can’t be shown, because the province’s boundary file is licensed for non-commercial use only.
Three governments, and who does what
Duchess, a village 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.
Duchess has no upper-tier council: Division No. 2, its census division, exists for statistics only.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Duchess, from the most recent elections.
- 1Duchess councilVillage
- 2Legislative Assembly of Alberta–
- 3House of CommonsBow River
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 Duchess votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Duchess council | 20 October 2025 | 15 October 2029 |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | 29 May 2023 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Duchess council was elected on 20 October 2025, and the next vote is on 15 October 2029. That date comes from the Local Authorities Election Act, which sets the third Monday in October every four years. Provincially the last general election was on 29 May 2023, for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta; federally, on 28 April 2025. 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
David Bexte represents Bow River in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Bow River · Conservative Party of Canada
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Conservative Party of Canada33
- Liberal Party of Canada3
- New Democratic Party1
As Wikidata records them.
The MP’s record
Elections Canada’s transposition of the 2021 vote onto today’s Bow River puts the Conservative Party of Canada first at 70%; David Bexte held it for the party in 2025. David Bexte is new to Parliament, first elected in the April 2025 vote.
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, Bow River re-elected Martin Shields of the Conservative Party of Canada
Bow River as it stood from 2013: the 2019 and 2021 counts, before the riding was redrawn for 2025.
Just 3 of the 338 ridings in Canada saw a bigger lead. Martin Shields already held it after the 2019 election, won with 84%. Martin Shields won the 2021 race in Bow River for the Conservative Party of Canada, polling 70% and beating Jonathan Bridges (People's Party of Canada) by 30,568 votes.
All 6 candidates in Bow River, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Shields | Conservative Party of Canada | 35,676 | 69.8% |
| Jonathan Bridges | People's Party of Canada | 5,108 | 10.0% |
| Michael MacLean | New Democratic Party | 4,726 | 9.2% |
| Getu Shawile | Liberal Party of Canada | 3,869 | 7.6% |
| Orrin Bliss | Maverick Party | 1,368 | 2.7% |
| Tom Lipp | Christian Heritage Party of Canada | 391 | 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
Duchess 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 30% of revenue, against 44% across the province’s returns. No long-term debt appears on Duchess council’s books. Full-time staff number 6, about 5.7 to every thousand residents. At $2,621 for every resident in 2024, Duchess council sits below the $3,457 median of Alberta’s municipalities. More goes to recreation and culture than to anything else: $627 a resident, 24% of all spending.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recreation and culture | $655K | $627 | 24% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $622K | $595 | 23% |
| Roads and transit | $618K | $591 | 23% |
| General government | $481K | $460 | 18% |
| Police, fire and protection | $291K | $279 | 11% |
| Planning and development | $67K | $64 | 2% |
| Social services and child care | $5K | $5 | 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 Duchess 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. 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.
- Who holds each seat. A member who resigned or switched parties last week may still show here: the names are Wikidata’s.
- 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.
- Not on this page. Party control (most Canadian councils sit without parties, and the open lists record none) and band councils.
Questions about how Duchess is run
Who is the MP for Duchess?
Bow River’s MP, David Bexte of the Conservative Party of Canada, represents Duchess.
Which party won Duchess in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Martin Shields (Conservative Party of Canada), in Bow River; Bow River has elected David Bexte since.
Who is the MLA for Duchess?
Use the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s own list: every MLA is there by riding, though Duchess isn’t placed in one here.
Who heads the council in Duchess?
Duchess is a village; its own website or the province’s municipal directory names the head of council.
How much does Duchess council spend?
The 2024 return of Duchess council shows $2.7M of spending for roughly 1,045 residents, $655K of it on recreation and culture.
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).