Photo: Shogged · CC BY-SA 4.0Opportunity No. 17 spends more per resident than 99% of Alberta’s municipalities
Opportunity No. 17 sends one MP to Ottawa from Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP): Laila Goodridge (Conservative Party of Canada). Opportunity No. 17’s riding for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta can’t be shown, because the province’s boundary file is licensed for non-commercial use only. Statistics Canada lists Opportunity No. 17 as a municipal district. No open list of councils exists in Alberta, so no mayor of Opportunity No. 17 is named here.
What stands out in how Opportunity No. 17 is governed
Split between ridings
Fort McMurray—Cold Lake takes in 64% of Opportunity No. 17, and Peace River—Westlock the bulk of the remaining 36%. Member of Parliament ↓
High spending per resident
In 2024, 99% of Alberta’s municipalities spent less per resident than Opportunity No. 17 council. Council money ↓
A safe federal seat
The 2021 winner in Fort McMurray—Cold Lake finished 55.1 points ahead of the runner-up (People's Party of Canada), a wider lead than in 97% of Canada’s 338 ridings. How Opportunity No. 17 has voted ↓
Low federal turnout
At the 2021 federal election, 84% of the country’s ridings out-voted Fort McMurray—Cold Lake. 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
Opportunity No. 17, a municipal district 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 Opportunity No. 17 in Division No. 17, 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 Opportunity No. 17, from the most recent elections.
- 1Opportunity No. 17 councilMunicipal district
- 2Legislative Assembly of Alberta–
- 3House of CommonsFort McMurray—Cold Lake · 64%
- 4House of CommonsPeace River—Westlock · 36%
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 Opportunity No. 17 votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Opportunity No. 17 council | 20 October 2025 | 15 October 2029 |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | 29 May 2023 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
No open copy of the 2025 counts exists, and Elections Canada’s own terms rule out commercial reuse, so 2021 is the last vote shown. After the 20 October 2025 election, Opportunity No. 17 council next goes to the polls on 15 October 2029. It is the third Monday in October every four years, as the Local Authorities Election Act provides. Parliament was last elected on 28 April 2025, and the Legislative Assembly of Alberta on 29 May 2023.
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
Opportunity No. 17 has 2 MPs
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 · 64%
en.wikipedia.org ↗Peace River—Westlock · Conservative Party of Canada · 36%
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Conservative Party of Canada33
- Liberal Party of Canada3
- New Democratic Party1
As Wikidata records them.
Laila Goodridge sits with the Conservative Party of Canada, which holds 33 of the 37 seats from Alberta.
The MP’s record
First elected in 2021, Laila Goodridge is serving the 2nd term of a Commons career. Elections Canada’s transposition of the 2021 vote onto today’s Fort McMurray—Cold Lake puts the Conservative Party of Canada first at 68%; Laila Goodridge held it for the party in 2025. 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
The Conservative Party of Canada kept Fort McMurray—Cold Lake in 2021 with Laila Goodridge
Counts for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake within its 2013 boundaries, used in 2019 and 2021; the 2025 election ran on a new map. 67% of Opportunity No. 17 lived in it.
David Yurdiga (Conservative Party of Canada) had taken it in 2019 with 80%. The 2021 count in Fort McMurray—Cold Lake put Laila Goodridge (Conservative Party of Canada) first at 68%, with Shawn McDonald (People's Party of Canada) 23,761 votes back.
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
Opportunity No. 17 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.
Property taxes and payments in lieu brought in 76% of revenue, against 44% across the province’s returns. Opportunity No. 17 council carried $39M of long-term debt, $10,853 per resident against a typical $745. It employs the equivalent of 197 full-time positions, or 54.8 for each thousand people. Each resident’s share of Opportunity No. 17 council’s 2024 spending came to $21,710, where the middle of Alberta’s municipalities sat at $3,457. Roads and transit takes the biggest share, 22%, or $4,835 per resident.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $17.4M | $4,835 | 22% |
| General government | $12.9M | $3,603 | 17% |
| Recreation and culture | $12.1M | $3,361 | 15% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $11.9M | $3,321 | 15% |
| Social housing | $11.9M | $3,320 | 15% |
| Police, fire and protection | $6.6M | $1,834 | 8% |
| Social services and child care | $5.2M | $1,437 | 7% |
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 Opportunity No. 17 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
- 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.
- Not on this page. Band councils, and which party runs the council: the open lists carry no party, and most councils have none.
- 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. 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.
- Council money. Alberta’s 2024 municipal financial returns, per resident with Statistics Canada’s 2025 population estimate.
Questions about how Opportunity No. 17 is run
Who is the MP for Opportunity No. 17?
Mostly Laila Goodridge (Conservative Party of Canada), MP for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake; part of Opportunity No. 17 is in Peace River—Westlock, held by Arnold Viersen.
Which party won Opportunity No. 17 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 Opportunity No. 17?
Find the riding for Opportunity No. 17 on the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s site, which names the MLA for each.
Who heads the council in Opportunity No. 17?
The head of Opportunity No. 17’s council isn’t named here; as a municipal district, it publishes its council itself.
How much does Opportunity No. 17 council spend?
In 2024, Opportunity No. 17 council spent $78M in all, for some 3,592 residents, of which $17.4M 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).