Photo: John Wiley User:Jw4nvc - Santa Barbara, California · CC BY 3.0John Barlow took Foothills in 2021 by 37,339 votes, more than the margin in 98% of ridings
Statistics Canada lists Fort Macleod as a town. Mayors and councillors in Alberta aren’t on any open list, so Fort Macleod’s council goes unnamed here. Because the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s boundaries come with non-commercial terms, this page doesn’t say which riding Fort Macleod is in. Federally, Fort Macleod sits in Foothills, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP), held by John Barlow of the Conservative Party of Canada.
What stands out in how Fort Macleod is governed
Low spending per resident
Per resident, Fort Macleod council’s 2024 spending sits under 72% of Alberta’s municipalities. Council money ↓
A safe federal seat
With 58.2 points between the winner and the runner-up (New Democratic Party), Foothills was safer in 2021 than 98% of the 338 ridings. How Fort Macleod has voted ↓
High federal turnout
At the 2021 federal election, Foothills out-voted 97% of the country’s 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
Fort Macleod, 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.
The census places Fort Macleod in Division No. 3, a division that governs nothing; no county council sits above the town’s.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Fort Macleod, from the most recent elections.
- 1Fort Macleod 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 Fort Macleod votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Macleod council | 20 October 2025 | 15 October 2029 |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | 29 May 2023 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta was last elected on 29 May 2023, and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. Voters last chose Fort Macleod council on 20 October 2025 and will again on 15 October 2029. The Local Authorities Election Act fixes that date: the third Monday in October every four years. There are no 2025 counts here: Elections Canada’s terms bar their commercial reuse, so 2021 is the latest open result.
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.
With John Barlow, the Conservative Party of Canada counts 33 of the 37 MPs elected in Alberta.
The MP’s record
John Barlow was first elected in 2014; the current Parliament is John Barlow’s 5th. Had the 2021 ballots been cast in today’s Foothills, the Conservative Party of Canada would have led with 68%; John Barlow held it for them in 2025.
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
John Barlow kept Foothills for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021
Foothills as it stood from 2013: the 2019 and 2021 counts, before the riding was redrawn for 2025.
In 2021, Foothills went to John Barlow (Conservative Party of Canada) on 69%; Michelle Traxel (New Democratic Party) finished 37,339 votes behind. John Barlow was the sitting MP, elected there in 2019 with 82%.
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
Fort Macleod 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.
Fort Macleod council carried $8.1M of long-term debt, $2,064 per resident against a typical $745. Property taxes and payments in lieu brought in 30% of revenue, against 44% across the province’s returns. Water, sewers and waste takes the biggest share, 25%, or $698 per resident. Full-time staff number 31, about 7.9 to every thousand residents. Fort Macleod council spent $2,771 per resident in 2024, against a median of $3,457 among Alberta’s municipalities.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water, sewers and waste | $2.8M | $698 | 25% |
| Roads and transit | $2.2M | $559 | 20% |
| Recreation and culture | $2.2M | $552 | 20% |
| General government | $2.1M | $530 | 19% |
| Planning and development | $666K | $169 | 6% |
| Police, fire and protection | $592K | $150 | 5% |
| Social services and child care | $445K | $113 | 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 Fort Macleod 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. 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.
- Who holds each seat. The members named here are Wikidata’s, kept up by volunteers; a by-election or a floor crossing may take a few days to show.
- Not on this page. Party control (most Canadian councils sit without parties, and the open lists record none) and band councils.
- 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.
Questions about how Fort Macleod is run
Who is the MP for Fort Macleod?
John Barlow of the Conservative Party of Canada is the MP for Foothills, which includes Fort Macleod.
Which party won Fort Macleod 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 Fort Macleod?
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta lists each MLA with the riding they hold; this page can’t place Fort Macleod in one.
Who heads the council in Fort Macleod?
Fort Macleod is a town; its own website or the province’s municipal directory names the head of council.
How much does Fort Macleod council spend?
The 2024 return of Fort Macleod council shows $10.9M of spending for roughly 3,945 residents, $2.8M 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).