Photo: Kay Röllig · CC BY 3.0A 37,339-vote win for John Barlow made Foothills safer in 2021 than 98% of ridings
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s riding map carries non-commercial terms, so Foothills County isn’t placed in a riding here. The riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) covering Foothills County is Foothills, and John Barlow (Conservative Party of Canada) represents it in the House of Commons. Statistics Canada lists Foothills County as a municipal district. Mayors and councillors in Alberta aren’t on any open list, so Foothills County’s council goes unnamed here.
What stands out in how Foothills County is governed
Low spending per resident
Spending per resident left Foothills County council below 82% of Alberta’s municipalities in 2024. 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 Foothills County has voted ↓
High federal turnout
Fewer electors stayed home in Foothills than in 97% of Canada’s ridings at the 2021 election. 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
Foothills County, a municipal district 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 Foothills County; Division No. 6 is a census division, not a council.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Foothills County, from the most recent elections.
- 1Foothills County councilMunicipal district
- 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 Foothills County votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Foothills County council | 20 October 2025 | 15 October 2029 |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | 29 May 2023 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
The 2025 results are left out because elections.ca’s terms forbid commercial reproduction; the open catalogue’s latest is 2021. Parliament was last elected on 28 April 2025, and the Legislative Assembly of Alberta on 29 May 2023. After the 20 October 2025 election, Foothills County council next goes to the polls on 15 October 2029. 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
Mapped onto today’s Foothills, the 2021 vote gives the Conservative Party of Canada 68%; in 2025 John Barlow kept the seat in the same hands. John Barlow has sat in the Commons since 2014, now for the 5th Parliament.
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
Results in Foothills as drawn in 2013, the boundaries of the 2019 and 2021 elections; the riding was redrawn for 2025.
Back in 2019, John Barlow took the riding on 82%. John Barlow won the 2021 race in Foothills for the Conservative Party of Canada, polling 69% and beating Michelle Traxel (New Democratic Party) by 37,339 votes.
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
Foothills County 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.
At $2,502 for every resident in 2024, Foothills County council sits below the $3,457 median of Alberta’s municipalities. The return counts 167 full-time positions, 6.5 for every thousand residents. More goes to roads and transit than to anything else: $1,061 a resident, 42% of all spending. Taxes on property make up 64% of what comes in, more than the province-wide 44%. At $383 per resident, Foothills County council’s $9.9M of long-term debt is less than the $745 median.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $27.4M | $1,061 | 42% |
| Police, fire and protection | $10.8M | $417 | 17% |
| General government | $9.6M | $373 | 15% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $6.9M | $269 | 11% |
| Recreation and culture | $4.7M | $183 | 7% |
| Planning and development | $4.1M | $160 | 6% |
| Social services and child care | $1M | $39 | 2% |
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 Foothills County 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
- Who holds each seat. Wikidata, edited by volunteers, is the source for each MP, and it can trail a change of seat by a little.
- Which riding. Ridings are assigned from the 2021 Census: the one with most residents first, then any holding 5% or more.
- Not on this page. Party control (most Canadian councils sit without parties, and the open lists record none) and band councils.
- Council money. Alberta’s 2024 municipal financial returns, per resident with Statistics Canada’s 2025 population estimate.
- Election results. The 2019 and 2021 figures are Elections Canada’s official counts on the ridings drawn in 2013; the “today’s boundaries” figures are its transposition of the 2021 vote onto the 2023 ridings, an estimate built from polling divisions.
Questions about how Foothills County is run
Who is the MP for Foothills County?
Foothills’s MP, John Barlow of the Conservative Party of Canada, represents Foothills County.
Which party won Foothills County in the 2021 federal election?
John Barlow (Conservative Party of Canada) took Foothills in 2021 and is its MP today.
Who is the MLA for Foothills County?
Use the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s own list: every MLA is there by riding, though Foothills County isn’t placed in one here.
Who heads the council in Foothills County?
Foothills County is a municipal district; its own website or the province’s municipal directory names the head of council.
How much does Foothills County council spend?
The 2024 return of Foothills County council shows $64.5M of spending for roughly 25,789 residents, $27.4M of it on roads and transit.
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).