Photo: Tracklan2 · CC0Picture Butte’s MP is Rachael Thomas (Conservative Party of Canada), for Lethbridge
The Conservative Party of Canada has 33 of the 37 MPs elected in Alberta. In the census’s list of municipalities, Picture Butte is a town. Who leads Picture Butte’s council isn’t on an open record: there’s no open list of councils in Alberta. No provincial riding is named for Picture Butte: the only boundary file for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta forbids commercial reuse.
Three governments, and who does what
Picture Butte, 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 Picture Butte’s council; Division No. 2 is only a census division, a unit for statistics.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Picture Butte, from the most recent elections.
- 1Picture Butte councilTown
- 2Legislative Assembly of Alberta–
- 3House of CommonsLethbridge
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 Picture Butte votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Picture Butte council | 20 October 2025 | 15 October 2029 |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | 29 May 2023 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
After the 20 October 2025 election, Picture Butte council next goes to the polls on 15 October 2029. The Local Authorities Election Act sets the day: the third Monday in October every four years. Provincially the last general election was on 29 May 2023, for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta; federally, on 28 April 2025. Elections Canada’s open records end with the 2021 election; its 2025 results are under terms that rule out commercial use.
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
Rachael Thomas represents Lethbridge in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Lethbridge · 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.
The MP’s record
First elected in 2015, Rachael Thomas is serving the 4th term of a Commons career. Had the 2021 ballots been cast in today’s Lethbridge, the Conservative Party of Canada would have led with 56%; Rachael Thomas held it for them 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
In 2021, Lethbridge re-elected Rachael Harder of the Conservative Party of Canada
Results in Lethbridge as drawn in 2013, the boundaries of the 2019 and 2021 elections; the riding was redrawn for 2025.
Rachael Harder (Conservative Party of Canada) took Lethbridge in 2021 with 56% of the vote, 21,431 votes ahead of Elaine Perez (New Democratic Party). In 2019, Rachael Harder had won the same riding with 66%. In 2021, 65% of electors cast a ballot in Lethbridge, more than the national 63%.
All 6 candidates in Lethbridge, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rachael Harder | Conservative Party of Canada | 32,817 | 55.7% |
| Elaine Perez | New Democratic Party | 11,386 | 19.3% |
| Devon Hargreaves | Liberal Party of Canada | 8,928 | 15.1% |
| Kimmie Hovan | People's Party of Canada | 4,097 | 7.0% |
| Kim Siever | Independent | 1,179 | 2.0% |
| Geoffrey Capp | Christian Heritage Party of Canada | 566 | 1.0% |
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
Picture Butte 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.
More goes to police, fire and protection than to anything else: $578 a resident, 23% of all spending. In 2024 the median among Alberta’s municipalities was $3,457 a resident; Picture Butte council spent $2,539. The return counts 17 full-time positions, 7.1 for every thousand residents. Debt Picture Butte council owes over the long term came to $1.4M, $596 a resident, under the median of $745. At 25%, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police, fire and protection | $1.4M | $578 | 23% |
| Recreation and culture | $1.3M | $540 | 21% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $1.3M | $539 | 21% |
| Roads and transit | $898K | $377 | 15% |
| General government | $779K | $327 | 13% |
| Planning and development | $419K | $176 | 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 Picture Butte 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
- Council money. Alberta’s 2024 municipal financial returns, per resident with Statistics Canada’s 2025 population estimate.
- 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.
- 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.
- Which riding. Each place is put in its ridings by where its 2021 Census residents live; a riding holding 5% or more of them is listed.
- Not on this page. Band councils, and which party runs the council: the open lists carry no party, and most councils have none.
Questions about how Picture Butte is run
Who is the MP for Picture Butte?
Rachael Thomas (Conservative Party of Canada) sits for Lethbridge, the riding Picture Butte is in.
Which party won Picture Butte in the 2021 federal election?
The Conservative Party of Canada, with Rachael Harder in Lethbridge; since 2025 Rachael Thomas represents Lethbridge.
Who is the MLA for Picture Butte?
Find the riding for Picture Butte on the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s site, which names the MLA for each.
Who heads the council in Picture Butte?
Picture Butte, a town, lists its council on its own pages; no open list names the head here.
How much does Picture Butte council spend?
Picture Butte council spent $6M in 2024 for about 2,380 residents; its largest service line was police, fire and protection, at $1.4M.
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).