Photo: Dicklyon · CC BY-SA 4.0Blaine Calkins (Conservative Party of Canada) represents Ponoka County in Ottawa as MP for Ponoka—Didsbury
Ponoka County’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. Locally, Ponoka County is run as a municipal district. Mayors and councillors in Alberta aren’t on any open list, so Ponoka County’s council goes unnamed here. 33 of the 37 MPs from Alberta belong to the Conservative Party of Canada.
Three governments, and who does what
Ponoka County, 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.
No county or regional government sits above Ponoka County’s council; Division No. 8 is only a census division, a unit for statistics.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Ponoka County, from the most recent elections.
- 1Ponoka County councilMunicipal district
- 2Legislative Assembly of Alberta–
- 3House of CommonsPonoka—Didsbury
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 Ponoka County votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Ponoka County 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 Ponoka County council is chosen again. It is the third Monday in October every four years, as the Local Authorities Election Act provides. Voters last chose the Legislative Assembly of Alberta on 29 May 2023 and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. The latest vote shown is 2021: the 2025 counts carry Elections Canada’s 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
Blaine Calkins represents Ponoka—Didsbury in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Ponoka—Didsbury · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2006
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Conservative Party of Canada33
- Liberal Party of Canada3
- New Democratic Party1
As Wikidata records them.
The MP’s record
Elections Canada’s transposition of the 2021 vote onto today’s Ponoka—Didsbury puts the Conservative Party of Canada first at 68%; Blaine Calkins held it for the party in 2025. The current Parliament is Blaine Calkins’ 7th, counting from a first win in 2006.
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
Red Deer—Lacombe returned Blaine Calkins (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021
The 2019 and 2021 counts in Red Deer—Lacombe, Ponoka County’s riding before the map was redrawn; it now votes in Ponoka—Didsbury.
At 65%, more of Red Deer—Lacombe voted in 2021 than Canada as a whole (63%). Blaine Calkins was the sitting MP, elected there in 2019 with 80%. Red Deer—Lacombe elected Blaine Calkins (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021: 64% of the vote, a lead of 30,999 over Tanya Heyden-Kaye (New Democratic Party).
All 7 candidates in Red Deer—Lacombe, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blaine Calkins | Conservative Party of Canada | 39,805 | 64.2% |
| Tanya Heyden-Kaye | New Democratic Party | 8,806 | 14.2% |
| Megan Lim | People's Party of Canada | 7,893 | 12.7% |
| David Ondieki | Liberal Party of Canada | 3,704 | 6.0% |
| Harry Joujan | Maverick Party | 986 | 1.6% |
| Joan Barnes | Independent | 573 | 0.9% |
| Matthew Watson | Libertarian Party of Canada | 212 | 0.3% |
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
Ponoka County 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.
Local taxpayers carry a bigger share than elsewhere: 76% of revenue, where the province’s returns show 44%. Ponoka County council reported no long-term debt. 37 full-time positions are funded, 3.5 per thousand residents. At $2,181 for every resident in 2024, Ponoka County council sits below the $3,457 median of Alberta’s municipalities. Roads and transit takes the biggest share, 57%, or $1,237 per resident.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $13.2M | $1,237 | 57% |
| General government | $3.8M | $352 | 16% |
| Police, fire and protection | $2.1M | $193 | 9% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $1.8M | $164 | 8% |
| Recreation and culture | $1.6M | $149 | 7% |
| Planning and development | $849K | $80 | 4% |
| Social services and child care | $73K | $7 | 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 Ponoka County 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. Each MP’s name and party are Wikidata’s statements for the 45th Parliament, read in November 2026.
- 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.
- Council money. Alberta’s 2024 municipal financial returns, per resident with Statistics Canada’s 2025 population estimate.
Questions about how Ponoka County is run
Who is the MP for Ponoka County?
Blaine Calkins of the Conservative Party of Canada is the MP for Ponoka—Didsbury, which includes Ponoka County.
Which party won Ponoka County in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Blaine Calkins (Conservative Party of Canada), in Red Deer—Lacombe; Blaine Calkins represents Ponoka—Didsbury today.
Who is the MLA for Ponoka County?
Find the riding for Ponoka County on the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s site, which names the MLA for each.
Who heads the council in Ponoka County?
Ponoka County, a municipal district, lists its council on its own pages; no open list names the head here.
How much does Ponoka County council spend?
Ponoka County council spent $23.3M in 2024 for about 10,670 residents; its largest service line was roads and transit, at $13.2M.
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).