Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0John Barlow took Foothills in 2021 by 37,339 votes, more than the margin in 98% of ridings
Because the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s boundaries come with non-commercial terms, this page doesn’t say which riding Pincher Creek is in. For federal votes, Pincher Creek belongs to Foothills, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP); John Barlow (Conservative Party of Canada) holds it. In the census’s list of municipalities, Pincher Creek is a town. This page names no head of council for Pincher Creek, as no open list of councils exists in Alberta.
What stands out in how Pincher Creek is governed
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 Pincher Creek 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
Pincher Creek, 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.
Pincher Creek has no upper-tier council: Division No. 3, its census division, exists for statistics only.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Pincher Creek, from the most recent elections.
- 1Pincher Creek 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 Pincher Creek votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Pincher Creek council | 20 October 2025 | 15 October 2029 |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | 29 May 2023 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Pincher Creek council was elected on 20 October 2025, and the next vote is on 15 October 2029. It is the third Monday in October every four years, as the Local Authorities Election Act provides. Provincially the last general election was on 29 May 2023, for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta; federally, on 28 April 2025. There are no 2025 counts here: Elections Canada’s terms bar their commercial reuse, so 2021 is the latest open result.
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
Mapped onto today’s Foothills, the 2021 vote gives the Conservative Party of Canada 68%; in 2025 John Barlow kept the seat in the same hands. The current Parliament is John Barlow’s 5th, counting from a first win in 2014.
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
John Barlow kept Foothills for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021
Counts for Foothills within its 2013 boundaries, used in 2019 and 2021; the 2025 election ran on a new map.
The 2019 result had favoured John Barlow as well, at 82%. Foothills elected John Barlow (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021: 69% of the vote, a lead of 37,339 over Michelle Traxel (New Democratic Party).
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
Pincher Creek 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.
It employs the equivalent of 36 full-time positions, or 9.3 for each thousand people. In 2024 the median among Alberta’s municipalities was $3,457 a resident; Pincher Creek council spent $3,699. At 37% of spending ($1,354 a resident), recreation and culture leads the budget. Taxes on property make up 36% of what comes in, less than the province-wide 44%. Long-term debt at Pincher Creek council stood at $3.1M, or $793 a resident, above the $745 median.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recreation and culture | $5.3M | $1,354 | 37% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $2.7M | $694 | 19% |
| Police, fire and protection | $2.4M | $614 | 17% |
| General government | $1.7M | $428 | 12% |
| Roads and transit | $1.3M | $342 | 9% |
| Planning and development | $577K | $148 | 4% |
| Social services and child care | $385K | $99 | 3% |
| Other | $72K | $18 | 0% |
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 Pincher Creek 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. Who holds each seat is read from Wikidata, so a very recent change in the Commons may not appear yet.
- 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 place belongs to the riding where most of its 2021 Census residents live, plus any other with 5% or more.
- Council money. Alberta’s 2024 municipal financial returns, per resident with Statistics Canada’s 2025 population estimate.
- Election results. Elections Canada redrew the ridings in 2023 and re-tallied the 2021 ballots onto the new map from polling divisions; that estimate, and the official 2019 and 2021 counts on the old map, are what you see.
Questions about how Pincher Creek is run
Who is the MP for Pincher Creek?
Pincher Creek is in Foothills, represented by John Barlow (Conservative Party of Canada).
Which party won Pincher Creek in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was John Barlow (Conservative Party of Canada), who represents Foothills still.
Who is the MLA for Pincher Creek?
Find the riding for Pincher Creek on the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s site, which names the MLA for each.
Who heads the council in Pincher Creek?
The head of Pincher Creek’s council isn’t named here; as a town, it publishes its council itself.
How much does Pincher Creek council spend?
The 2024 return of Pincher Creek council shows $14.4M of spending for roughly 3,890 residents, $5.3M of it on recreation and culture.
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).