Photo: SempreVolando · CC BY 3.0In 2021, Laila Goodridge carried Fort McMurray—Cold Lake by 23,761 votes, a margin wider than 97% of Canada’s ridings
Lac la Biche County is a specialized municipality by Statistics Canada’s count of municipalities. This page names no head of council for Lac la Biche County, as no open list of councils exists in Alberta. Laila Goodridge (Conservative Party of Canada) is the MP for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, the riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) that takes in Lac la Biche County. Because the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s boundaries come with non-commercial terms, this page doesn’t say which riding Lac la Biche County is in.
What stands out in how Lac la Biche County is governed
High spending per resident
Spending per resident put Lac la Biche County council above 96% of Alberta’s municipalities in 2024. Council money ↓
A safe federal seat
In 2021, 55.1 points separated first and second (People's Party of Canada) in Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, more than in 97% of the 338 ridings. How Lac la Biche County has voted ↓
Low federal turnout
More electors stayed home in Fort McMurray—Cold Lake than in 84% 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
Lac la Biche County, 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.
No county or regional government sits above Lac la Biche County’s council; Division No. 12 is only a census division, a unit for statistics.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Lac la Biche County, from the most recent elections.
- 1Lac la Biche County 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 Lac la Biche County votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Lac la Biche County council | 20 October 2025 | 15 October 2029 |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | 29 May 2023 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
The last general elections came on 29 May 2023 for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and on 28 April 2025 for Parliament. Lac la Biche County council was elected on 20 October 2025, and the next vote is on 15 October 2029. The Local Authorities Election Act sets the day: the third Monday in October every four years. The latest vote shown is 2021: the 2025 counts carry Elections Canada’s non-commercial terms.
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.
Laila Goodridge’s party, the Conservative Party of Canada, has 33 of the 37 seats from Alberta.
The MP’s record
The current Parliament is Laila Goodridge’s 2nd, counting from a first win in 2021. 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. Earlier, Laila Goodridge held a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
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 Laila Goodridge won Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, as the Conservative Party of Canada had in 2019
These are the 2019 and 2021 results on the 2013 map of Fort McMurray—Cold Lake; its boundaries changed for the 2025 election.
Laila Goodridge won the 2021 race in Fort McMurray—Cold Lake for the Conservative Party of Canada, polling 68% and beating Shawn McDonald (People's Party of Canada) by 23,761 votes. David Yurdiga (Conservative Party of Canada) had taken it in 2019 with 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
Lac la Biche County 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.
More goes to roads and transit than to anything else: $3,226 a resident, 35% of all spending. 208 full-time positions are funded, 24.2 per thousand residents. Spending by Lac la Biche County council reached $9,226 a resident in 2024, well over the $3,457 median of Alberta’s municipalities. Long-term debt at Lac la Biche County council stood at $30.1M, or $3,512 a resident, above the $745 median. Property taxes and payments in lieu brought in 73% of revenue, against 44% across the province’s returns.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $27.7M | $3,226 | 35% |
| Recreation and culture | $17M | $1,986 | 22% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $11.3M | $1,311 | 14% |
| General government | $11.2M | $1,301 | 14% |
| Police, fire and protection | $5.9M | $687 | 7% |
| Planning and development | $2.5M | $296 | 3% |
| Social services and child care | $1.9M | $221 | 2% |
| Electricity and gas | $1.7M | $198 | 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 Lac la Biche 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
- 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.
- Council money. Alberta’s 2024 municipal financial returns, per resident with Statistics Canada’s 2025 population estimate.
- Not on this page. No party tally for the council, which the open lists don’t record, and no band councils.
- Which riding. The 2021 Census homes of a place’s residents fix its ridings, and one is shown once it holds 5% of them.
- Who holds each seat. MPs come from Wikidata’s records of the 45th Parliament, which can lag a resignation or a by-election by some days.
Questions about how Lac la Biche County is run
Who is the MP for Lac la Biche County?
Fort McMurray—Cold Lake’s MP, Laila Goodridge of the Conservative Party of Canada, represents Lac la Biche County.
Which party won Lac la Biche County in the 2021 federal election?
The Conservative Party of Canada: Laila Goodridge won Fort McMurray—Cold Lake in 2021 and still holds it.
Who is the MLA for Lac la Biche County?
Find the riding for Lac la Biche County on the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s site, which names the MLA for each.
Who heads the council in Lac la Biche County?
The head of Lac la Biche County’s council isn’t named here; as a specialized municipality, it publishes its council itself.
How much does Lac la Biche County council spend?
In 2024, Lac la Biche County council spent $79.2M in all, for some 8,580 residents, of which $27.7M went on roads and transit, 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).