Photo: Authentic Alberta · CC BY-SA 4.0In 2021, John Barlow carried Foothills by 37,339 votes, a margin wider than 98% of Canada’s ridings
Nanton sends one MP to Ottawa from Foothills, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP): John Barlow (Conservative Party of Canada). Because the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s boundaries come with non-commercial terms, this page doesn’t say which riding Nanton is in. In the census’s list of municipalities, Nanton is a town. In Alberta, councils aren’t on any open list we can use, so Nanton’s mayor isn’t named.
What stands out in how Nanton is governed
Low spending per resident
Most of Alberta’s municipalities spent more per resident in 2024 than Nanton council: 73% of them. 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 Nanton 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
Nanton, 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 Nanton 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 Nanton, from the most recent elections.
- 1Nanton 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 Nanton votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Nanton council | 20 October 2025 | 15 October 2029 |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | 29 May 2023 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
The council elected on 20 October 2025 serves until 15 October 2029, when Nanton council is chosen again. It is the third Monday in October every four years, as the Local Authorities Election Act provides. The Legislative Assembly of Alberta was last elected on 29 May 2023, and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. Counts from April 2025 can’t appear here, since Elections Canada allows only non-commercial reuse of them.
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 sits with the Conservative Party of Canada, which holds 33 of the 37 seats from Alberta.
The MP’s record
On today’s boundaries, the 2021 vote in Foothills would have gone to the Conservative Party of Canada with 68%, and John Barlow kept it for them in 2025. 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
In 2021, Foothills re-elected John Barlow of the Conservative Party of Canada
These are the 2019 and 2021 results on the 2013 map of Foothills; its boundaries changed for the 2025 election.
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). 82% had elected John Barlow there in 2019.
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
Nanton 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.
Debt Nanton council owes over the long term came to $679K, $269 a resident, under the median of $745. Property taxes and payments in lieu brought in 37% of revenue, against 44% across the province’s returns. At 37% of spending ($1,017 a resident), water, sewers and waste leads the budget. Each resident’s share of Nanton council’s 2024 spending came to $2,747, where the middle of Alberta’s municipalities sat at $3,457. 20 full-time positions are funded, 7.9 per thousand residents.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water, sewers and waste | $2.6M | $1,017 | 37% |
| Roads and transit | $1.3M | $506 | 18% |
| Recreation and culture | $1.3M | $501 | 18% |
| General government | $1.1M | $416 | 15% |
| Police, fire and protection | $357K | $142 | 5% |
| Planning and development | $312K | $124 | 4% |
| Social services and child care | $106K | $42 | 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 Nanton 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. A riding is listed when 5% or more of the place’s 2021 Census residents live in it; the largest share comes first.
- 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.
- Election results. Ridings changed in 2023: the 2019 and 2021 results are on the old map, and the 2021 vote on today’s map is Elections Canada’s own estimate from polling divisions.
- Council money. Alberta’s 2024 municipal financial returns, per resident with Statistics Canada’s 2025 population estimate.
Questions about how Nanton is run
Who is the MP for Nanton?
John Barlow of the Conservative Party of Canada is the MP for Foothills, which includes Nanton.
Which party won Nanton 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 Nanton?
Every MLA of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta is on its members page, which is where to find the one for Nanton.
Who heads the council in Nanton?
Nanton is a town; its own website or the province’s municipal directory names the head of council.
How much does Nanton council spend?
Nanton council spent $6.9M in 2024 for about 2,522 residents; its largest service line was water, sewers and waste, at $2.6M.
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).