Photo: Mhalifu · CC BY-SA 3.0A 23,467-vote win for Arnold Viersen made Peace River—Westlock safer in 2021 than 95% of ridings
No provincial riding is named for Peace River: the only boundary file for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta forbids commercial reuse. Peace River sends one MP to Ottawa from Peace River—Westlock, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP): Arnold Viersen (Conservative Party of Canada). For local government, Peace River is a town. This page names no head of council for Peace River, as no open list of councils exists in Alberta.
What stands out in how Peace River is governed
High spending per resident
Spending per resident put Peace River council above 69% of Alberta’s municipalities in 2024. Council money ↓
A safe federal seat
In 2021, 50.2 points separated first and second (New Democratic Party) in Peace River—Westlock, more than in 95% of the 338 ridings. How Peace River has voted ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
Peace 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.
There is no county government over Peace River; Division No. 19 is a census division, not a council.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Peace River, from the most recent elections.
- 1Peace River councilTown
- 2Legislative Assembly of Alberta–
- 3House of CommonsPeace River—Westlock
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 Peace River votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Peace River 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 Peace River council is chosen again. The Local Authorities Election Act sets the day: the third Monday in October every four years. The Legislative Assembly of Alberta was last elected on 29 May 2023, and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. This page stops at the 2021 vote: elections.ca keeps the 2025 counts under 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
Arnold Viersen represents Peace River—Westlock in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Peace River—Westlock · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2015
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, Arnold Viersen among them.
The MP’s record
Arnold Viersen has sat in the Commons since 2015, now for the 4th Parliament. Mapped onto today’s Peace River—Westlock, the 2021 vote gives the Conservative Party of Canada 63%; in 2025 Arnold Viersen kept the seat in the same hands.
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
Peace River—Westlock returned Arnold Viersen (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021
Results in Peace River—Westlock as drawn in 2013, the boundaries of the 2019 and 2021 elections; the riding was redrawn for 2025.
At 62%, fewer of Peace River—Westlock voted in 2021 than Canada as a whole (63%). 23,467 votes separated Arnold Viersen (Conservative Party of Canada) from Gail Ungstad (New Democratic Party) in Peace River—Westlock in 2021, when the winner took 63%. The 2019 result had favoured Arnold Viersen as well, at 81%.
All 6 candidates in Peace River—Westlock, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arnold Viersen | Conservative Party of Canada | 29,486 | 63.0% |
| Gail Ungstad | New Democratic Party | 6,019 | 12.9% |
| Darryl Boisson | People's Party of Canada | 5,916 | 12.6% |
| Colin Krieger | Maverick Party | 2,573 | 5.5% |
| Leslie Penny | Liberal Party of Canada | 2,431 | 5.2% |
| Jordan Francis MacDougall | Green Party of Canada | 364 | 0.8% |
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
Peace River 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.
Peace River council carried $20.7M of long-term debt, $2,862 per resident against a typical $745. Taxes on property make up 33% of what comes in, less than the province-wide 44%. More goes to water, sewers and waste than to anything else: $1,232 a resident, 28% of all spending. At $4,328 for every resident in 2024, Peace River council sits above the $3,457 median of Alberta’s municipalities. The return counts 64 full-time positions, 8.9 for every thousand residents.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water, sewers and waste | $8.9M | $1,232 | 28% |
| Recreation and culture | $6.3M | $873 | 20% |
| Roads and transit | $6.2M | $866 | 20% |
| Police, fire and protection | $4.2M | $585 | 14% |
| General government | $4M | $549 | 13% |
| Social services and child care | $1M | $145 | 3% |
| Planning and development | $555K | $77 | 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 Peace 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. MPs come from Wikidata’s records of the 45th Parliament, which can lag a resignation or a by-election by some days.
- 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.
- Council money. Alberta’s 2024 municipal financial returns, per resident with Statistics Canada’s 2025 population estimate.
- Election results. The 2019 and 2021 figures are Elections Canada’s official counts on the ridings drawn in 2013; the “today’s boundaries” figures are its transposition of the 2021 vote onto the 2023 ridings, an estimate built from polling divisions.
Questions about how Peace River is run
Who is the MP for Peace River?
Arnold Viersen (Conservative Party of Canada) sits for Peace River—Westlock, the riding Peace River is in.
Which party won Peace River in the 2021 federal election?
Arnold Viersen (Conservative Party of Canada) took Peace River—Westlock in 2021 and is its MP today.
Who is the MLA for Peace River?
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta lists each MLA with the riding they hold; this page can’t place Peace River in one.
Who heads the council in Peace River?
The head of Peace River’s council isn’t named here; as a town, it publishes its council itself.
How much does Peace River council spend?
Peace River council spent $31.2M in 2024 for about 7,220 residents; its largest service line was water, sewers and waste, at $8.9M.
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).