Photo: Connorbrown22 · CC BY-SA 4.0John Barlow won Foothills by 37,339 votes in 2021, a wider lead than in 98% of Canada’s ridings
Because the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s boundaries come with non-commercial terms, this page doesn’t say which riding High River is in. The riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) covering High River is Foothills, and John Barlow (Conservative Party of Canada) represents it in the House of Commons. Statistics Canada lists High River as a town. No open list of councils exists in Alberta, so no mayor of High River is named here.
What stands out in how High River is governed
Low spending per resident
In 2024, 80% of Alberta’s municipalities spent more per resident than High River council. Council money ↓
A safe federal seat
The 2021 winner in Foothills finished 58.2 points ahead of the runner-up (New Democratic Party), a wider lead than in 98% of Canada’s 338 ridings. How High River 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
High River, 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.
No county or regional government sits above High River’s council; Division No. 6 is only a census division, a unit for statistics.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for High River, from the most recent elections.
- 1High River 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 High River votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| High River 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. High River council was elected on 20 October 2025, and the next vote is on 15 October 2029. It is the third Monday in October every four years, as the Local Authorities Election Act provides. Voters last chose the Legislative Assembly of Alberta on 29 May 2023 and the House of Commons 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
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.
John Barlow is one of 33 Conservative Party of Canada MPs among the 37 from Alberta.
The MP’s record
First elected in 2014, John Barlow is serving the 5th term of a Commons career. Elections Canada’s transposition of the 2021 vote onto today’s Foothills puts the Conservative Party of Canada first at 68%; John Barlow held it for the party 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
Results in Foothills as drawn in 2013, the boundaries of the 2019 and 2021 elections; the riding was redrawn for 2025.
John Barlow (Conservative Party of Canada) took Foothills in 2021 with 69% of the vote, 37,339 votes ahead of Michelle Traxel (New Democratic Party). In 2019, John Barlow had won the same riding 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
High River 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 25% of spending ($637 a resident), roads and transit leads the budget. The return counts 155 full-time positions, 10.0 for every thousand residents. Each resident’s share of High River council’s 2024 spending came to $2,576, where the middle of Alberta’s municipalities sat at $3,457. High River council carried $3.5M of long-term debt, $226 per resident against a typical $745. At 31%, property taxes count for less of the revenue than the 44% seen across the province.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $9.9M | $637 | 25% |
| General government | $7.9M | $509 | 20% |
| Police, fire and protection | $7.8M | $503 | 20% |
| Recreation and culture | $6.7M | $429 | 17% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $5.1M | $329 | 13% |
| Social services and child care | $1.6M | $101 | 4% |
| Planning and development | $767K | $49 | 2% |
| Social housing | $273K | $18 | 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 High River 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. A place belongs to the riding where most of its 2021 Census residents live, plus any other with 5% or more.
- Not on this page. Band councils, and which party runs the council: the open lists carry no party, and most councils have none.
- 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.
Questions about how High River is run
Who is the MP for High River?
John Barlow (Conservative Party of Canada) sits for Foothills, the riding High River is in.
Which party won High River 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 High River?
Use the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s own list: every MLA is there by riding, though High River isn’t placed in one here.
Who heads the council in High River?
High River, a town, lists its council on its own pages; no open list names the head here.
How much does High River council spend?
High River council spent $39.9M in 2024 for about 15,508 residents; its largest service line was roads and transit, at $9.9M.
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).