Photo: R. Sieben · CC BY 3.0Vulcan’s MP is John Barlow (Conservative Party of Canada), for Foothills
From Alberta come 37 MPs, 33 of them with the Conservative Party of Canada. Locally, Vulcan is run as a town. Mayors and councillors in Alberta aren’t on any open list, so Vulcan’s council goes unnamed here. The Legislative Assembly of Alberta’s riding map carries non-commercial terms, so Vulcan isn’t placed in a riding here.
Three governments, and who does what
Vulcan, 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.
There is no county government over Vulcan; Division No. 5 is a census division, not a council.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Vulcan, from the most recent elections.
- 1Vulcan 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 Vulcan votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Vulcan 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. Vulcan council was elected on 20 October 2025, and the next vote is on 15 October 2029. The Local Authorities Election Act fixes that date: the third Monday in October every four years. The Legislative Assembly of Alberta was last elected on 29 May 2023, and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025.
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.
The MP’s record
First elected in 2014, John Barlow is serving the 5th term of a Commons career. 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.
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, Bow River re-elected Martin Shields of the Conservative Party of Canada
The 2019 and 2021 counts in Bow River, Vulcan’s riding before the map was redrawn; it now votes in Foothills.
Martin Shields was the sitting MP, elected there in 2019 with 84%. Bow River elected Martin Shields (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021: 70% of the vote, a lead of 30,568 over Jonathan Bridges (People's Party of Canada). Across Canada’s 338 ridings, only 3 were won more comfortably.
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
Vulcan 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.
Each resident’s share of Vulcan council’s 2024 spending came to $3,249, where the middle of Alberta’s municipalities sat at $3,457. 14 full-time positions are funded, 7.3 per thousand residents. No service costs more than water, sewers and waste, at $973 per resident and 30% of the total. Taxes on property make up 37% of what comes in, less than the province-wide 44%. At $2,100 per resident, Vulcan council’s $4M of long-term debt is more than the $745 median.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water, sewers and waste | $1.9M | $973 | 30% |
| Recreation and culture | $1.4M | $740 | 23% |
| General government | $1.3M | $672 | 21% |
| Roads and transit | $954K | $496 | 15% |
| Social services and child care | $339K | $177 | 5% |
| Police, fire and protection | $293K | $153 | 5% |
| Planning and development | $74K | $39 | 1% |
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 Vulcan 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. Where the page says “today’s boundaries”, it means Elections Canada’s estimate of the 2021 vote on the 2023 ridings; every other count is official and on the 2013 map.
- Who holds each seat. Wikidata, edited by volunteers, is the source for each MP, and it can trail a change of seat by a little.
- Which riding. The 2021 Census homes of a place’s residents fix its ridings, and one is shown once it holds 5% of them.
- Not on this page. Party control (most Canadian councils sit without parties, and the open lists record none) and band councils.
Questions about how Vulcan is run
Who is the MP for Vulcan?
John Barlow (Conservative Party of Canada) sits for Foothills, the riding Vulcan is in.
Which party won Vulcan in the 2021 federal election?
The Conservative Party of Canada, with Martin Shields in Bow River; since 2025 John Barlow represents Foothills.
Who is the MLA for Vulcan?
This page can’t say which riding Vulcan is in; the Legislative Assembly of Alberta lists every MLA with theirs.
Who heads the council in Vulcan?
The head of Vulcan’s council isn’t named here; as a town, it publishes its council itself.
How much does Vulcan council spend?
Vulcan council spent $6.2M in 2024 for about 1,922 residents; its largest service line was water, sewers and waste, at $1.9M.
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).