Photo: jasonwoodhead23 · CC BY 2.0A 23,761-vote win for Laila Goodridge made Fort McMurray—Cold Lake safer in 2021 than 97% of ridings
The riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) covering Fort McMurray is Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, and Laila Goodridge (Conservative Party of Canada) represents it in the House of Commons. Because the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s boundaries come with non-commercial terms, this page doesn’t say which riding Fort McMurray is in. Locally, Fort McMurray is governed as part of Wood Buffalo, a specialized municipality. In Alberta, councils aren’t on any open list we can use, so Fort McMurray’s mayor isn’t named.
What stands out in how Fort McMurray is governed
High spending per resident
Spending per resident put Wood Buffalo council above 94% of Alberta’s municipalities in 2024. Council money ↓
A safe federal seat
With 55.1 points between the winner and the runner-up (People's Party of Canada), Fort McMurray—Cold Lake was safer in 2021 than 97% of the 338 ridings. How Fort McMurray has voted ↓
Low federal turnout
Federal turnout in Fort McMurray—Cold Lake trailed 84% of Canada’s ridings in 2021. 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 McMurray, a specialized municipality 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 Wood Buffalo; Division No. 16 is a census division, not a council.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Fort McMurray, from the most recent elections.
- 1Wood Buffalo councilSpecialized municipality
- 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 Fort McMurray votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Wood Buffalo council | 20 October 2025 | 15 October 2029 |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | 29 May 2023 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
There are no 2025 counts here: Elections Canada’s terms bar their commercial reuse, so 2021 is the latest open result. The council elected on 20 October 2025 serves until 15 October 2029, when Wood Buffalo council is chosen again. The Local Authorities Election Act fixes that date: 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.
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.
Of the 37 MPs from Alberta, 33 are with the Conservative Party of Canada, Laila Goodridge among them.
The MP’s record
Laila Goodridge came to the Commons from the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Mapped onto today’s Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, the 2021 vote gives the Conservative Party of Canada 68%; in 2025 Laila Goodridge kept the seat in the same hands. The current Parliament is Laila Goodridge’s 2nd, counting from a first win in 2021.
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
These are the 2019 and 2021 results on the 2013 map of Fort McMurray—Cold Lake; its boundaries changed for the 2025 election.
23,761 votes separated Laila Goodridge (Conservative Party of Canada) from Shawn McDonald (People's Party of Canada) in Fort McMurray—Cold Lake in 2021, when the winner took 68%. 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
Wood Buffalo 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.
No service costs more than general government, at $1,702 per resident and 20% of the total. 1,348 full-time positions are funded, 16.5 per thousand residents. Spending by Wood Buffalo council reached $8,396 a resident in 2024, well over the $3,457 median of Alberta’s municipalities. Wood Buffalo council carried $28.7M of long-term debt, $351 per resident against a typical $745. Property taxes and payments in lieu brought in 66% of revenue, against 44% across the province’s returns.
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| General government | $138.9M | $1,702 | 20% |
| Roads and transit | $136.5M | $1,673 | 20% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $133.5M | $1,635 | 19% |
| Police, fire and protection | $123.7M | $1,516 | 18% |
| Recreation and culture | $90.6M | $1,110 | 13% |
| Social housing | $40.9M | $501 | 6% |
| Social services and child care | $11.7M | $144 | 2% |
| Planning and development | $9.4M | $115 | 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 Fort McMurray 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
- Not on this page. Band councils, and which party runs the council: the open lists carry no party, and most councils have none.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Council money. Alberta’s 2024 municipal financial returns, per resident with Statistics Canada’s 2025 population estimate.
Questions about how Fort McMurray is run
Who is the MP for Fort McMurray?
Laila Goodridge (Conservative Party of Canada) sits for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, the riding Fort McMurray is in.
Which party won Fort McMurray in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Laila Goodridge (Conservative Party of Canada), who represents Fort McMurray—Cold Lake still.
Who is the MLA for Fort McMurray?
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta lists each MLA with the riding they hold; this page can’t place Fort McMurray in one.
Who heads the council in Fort McMurray?
The head of Fort McMurray’s council isn’t named here; as a specialized municipality, it publishes its council itself.
How much does Wood Buffalo council spend?
In 2024, Wood Buffalo council spent $685.2M in all, for some 81,611 residents, of which $138.9M went on general government, 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).