Photo: jasonwoodhead23 · CC BY 2.0Ponoka—Didsbury, which takes in Ponoka, is held by Blaine Calkins (Conservative Party of Canada)
Of the 37 Commons seats from Alberta, the Conservative Party of Canada holds 33. Statistics Canada lists Ponoka as a town. Mayors and councillors in Alberta aren’t on any open list, so Ponoka’s council goes unnamed here. Because the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s boundaries come with non-commercial terms, this page doesn’t say which riding Ponoka is in.
Three governments, and who does what
Ponoka, 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 Ponoka’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, from the most recent elections.
- 1Ponoka councilTown
- 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 votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Ponoka council | 20 October 2025 | 15 October 2029 |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | 29 May 2023 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
There are no 2025 counts here: Elections Canada’s terms bar their commercial reuse, so 2021 is the latest open result. The Legislative Assembly of Alberta was last elected on 29 May 2023, and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. Voters last chose Ponoka council on 20 October 2025 and will again on 15 October 2029. It is the third Monday in October every four years, as the Local Authorities Election Act provides.
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
Blaine Calkins has sat in the Commons since 2006, now for the 7th Parliament. On today’s boundaries, the 2021 vote in Ponoka—Didsbury would have gone to the Conservative Party of Canada with 68%, and Blaine Calkins kept 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
Red Deer—Lacombe returned Blaine Calkins (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021
The 2019 and 2021 counts in Red Deer—Lacombe, Ponoka’s riding before the map was redrawn; it now votes in Ponoka—Didsbury.
65% of electors in Red Deer—Lacombe voted in 2021, above the 63% turnout across Canada. Blaine Calkins was the sitting MP, elected there in 2019 with 80%. In 2021, Red Deer—Lacombe went to Blaine Calkins (Conservative Party of Canada) on 64%; Tanya Heyden-Kaye (New Democratic Party) finished 30,999 votes behind.
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 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.
Local taxpayers carry a smaller share than elsewhere: 34% of revenue, where the province’s returns show 44%. At $3,093 per resident, Ponoka council’s $25.4M of long-term debt is more than the $745 median. Each resident’s share of Ponoka council’s 2024 spending came to $3,465, where the middle of Alberta’s municipalities sat at $3,457. An electricity or gas utility is part of the books, 11% of all spending. 67 full-time positions are funded, 8.2 per thousand residents. More goes to water, sewers and waste than to anything else: $1,025 a resident, 30% of all spending.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water, sewers and waste | $8.4M | $1,025 | 30% |
| General government | $5.2M | $636 | 18% |
| Roads and transit | $4.1M | $495 | 14% |
| Recreation and culture | $3.3M | $405 | 12% |
| Electricity and gas | $3.1M | $381 | 11% |
| Police, fire and protection | $3M | $369 | 11% |
| Social services and child care | $652K | $79 | 2% |
| Planning and development | $615K | $75 | 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 Ponoka 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. 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.
- Who holds each seat. A member who resigned or switched parties last week may still show here: the names are Wikidata’s.
- 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.
Questions about how Ponoka is run
Who is the MP for Ponoka?
For Ponoka, it’s Blaine Calkins (Conservative Party of Canada), who holds Ponoka—Didsbury.
Which party won Ponoka 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?
Ponoka’s riding isn’t placed on this page; the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s members page lists every MLA by riding.
Who heads the council in Ponoka?
Ask the municipality itself: Ponoka, a town, isn’t on an open list of councils we can use.
How much does Ponoka council spend?
The 2024 return of Ponoka council shows $28.5M of spending for roughly 8,212 residents, $8.4M of it on water, sewers and waste.
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).