Photo: dave_7 from Lethbridge, Canada · CC BY 2.0David Bexte (Conservative Party of Canada) represents Taber in Ottawa as MP for Bow River
The Conservative Party of Canada has 33 of the 37 MPs elected in Alberta. For local government, Taber is a municipal district. No open list of councils exists in Alberta, so no mayor of Taber is named here. Because the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s boundaries come with non-commercial terms, this page doesn’t say which riding Taber is in.
Three governments, and who does what
Taber, 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.
There is no county government over Taber; Division No. 2 is a census division, not a council.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Taber, from the most recent elections.
- 1Taber councilMunicipal district
- 2Legislative Assembly of Alberta–
- 3House of CommonsBow River
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 Taber votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Taber council | 20 October 2025 | 15 October 2029 |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | 29 May 2023 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Why not 2025? Elections Canada publishes those counts under non-commercial terms, and its open data stop at the 2021 election. Voters last chose the Legislative Assembly of Alberta on 29 May 2023 and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. After the 20 October 2025 election, Taber council next goes to the polls on 15 October 2029. The Local Authorities Election Act fixes that date: the third Monday in October every four years.
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
David Bexte represents Bow River in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Bow River · Conservative Party of Canada
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Conservative Party of Canada33
- Liberal Party of Canada3
- New Democratic Party1
As Wikidata records them.
The MP’s record
Mapped onto today’s Bow River, the 2021 vote gives the Conservative Party of Canada 70%; in 2025 David Bexte kept the seat in the same hands. April 2025 was David Bexte’s first election to the House of Commons.
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
Martin Shields kept Bow River for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021
Counts for Bow River within its 2013 boundaries, used in 2019 and 2021; the 2025 election ran on a new map.
Back in 2019, Martin Shields took the riding on 84%. In 2021, Bow River went to Martin Shields (Conservative Party of Canada) on 70%; Jonathan Bridges (People's Party of Canada) finished 30,568 votes behind. That put it among the safest seats in the country: 3 of 338 ridings had wider leads.
All 6 candidates in Bow River, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Shields | Conservative Party of Canada | 35,676 | 69.8% |
| Jonathan Bridges | People's Party of Canada | 5,108 | 10.0% |
| Michael MacLean | New Democratic Party | 4,726 | 9.2% |
| Getu Shawile | Liberal Party of Canada | 3,869 | 7.6% |
| Orrin Bliss | Maverick Party | 1,368 | 2.7% |
| Tom Lipp | Christian Heritage Party of Canada | 391 | 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
Taber 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.
It employs the equivalent of 56 full-time positions, or 7.0 for each thousand people. Each resident’s share of Taber council’s 2024 spending came to $3,156, where the middle of Alberta’s municipalities sat at $3,457. Roads and transit takes the biggest share, 50%, or $1,591 per resident. Property taxes and payments in lieu brought in 59% of revenue, against 44% across the province’s returns. Debt Taber council owes over the long term came to $269K, $34 a resident, under the median of $745.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $12.7M | $1,591 | 50% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $3.6M | $450 | 14% |
| General government | $2.9M | $364 | 12% |
| Planning and development | $2.7M | $334 | 11% |
| Police, fire and protection | $1.6M | $205 | 6% |
| Recreation and culture | $1.2M | $146 | 5% |
| Social housing | $473K | $59 | 2% |
| Social services and child care | $60K | $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 Taber 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. Who holds each seat is read from Wikidata, so a very recent change in the Commons may not appear yet.
- Not on this page. Party control (most Canadian councils sit without parties, and the open lists record none) and band councils.
- Which riding. Ridings are assigned from the 2021 Census: the one with most residents first, then any holding 5% or more.
Questions about how Taber is run
Who is the MP for Taber?
For Taber, it’s David Bexte (Conservative Party of Canada), who holds Bow River.
Which party won Taber in the 2021 federal election?
The Conservative Party of Canada, with Martin Shields in Bow River; since 2025 David Bexte represents Bow River.
Who is the MLA for Taber?
Find the riding for Taber on the Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s site, which names the MLA for each.
Who heads the council in Taber?
The head of Taber’s council isn’t named here; as a municipal district, it publishes its council itself.
How much does Taber council spend?
Taber council spent $25.3M in 2024 for about 8,009 residents; its largest service line was roads and transit, at $12.7M.
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).