Photo: R. Sieben · CC BY 3.0David Bexte (Conservative Party of Canada) represents Wheatland County in Ottawa as MP for Bow River
Locally, Wheatland County is run as a municipal district. In Alberta, councils aren’t on any open list we can use, so Wheatland County’s mayor isn’t named. No provincial riding is named for Wheatland County: the only boundary file for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta forbids commercial reuse. 33 of the 37 MPs from Alberta belong to the Conservative Party of Canada.
Three governments, and who does what
Wheatland 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 Wheatland County’s council; Division No. 5 is only a census division, a unit for statistics.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Wheatland County, from the most recent elections.
- 1Wheatland County 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 Wheatland County votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Wheatland County council | 20 October 2025 | 15 October 2029 |
| Legislative Assembly of Alberta | 29 May 2023 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Counts from April 2025 can’t appear here, since Elections Canada allows only non-commercial reuse of them. Voters last chose the Legislative Assembly of Alberta on 29 May 2023 and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. Wheatland County council was elected on 20 October 2025, and the next vote is on 15 October 2029. That date comes from the Local Authorities Election Act, which sets 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
In 2021, Bow River re-elected Martin Shields of the Conservative Party of Canada
Results in Bow River as drawn in 2013, the boundaries of the 2019 and 2021 elections; the riding was redrawn for 2025.
Only 3 of Canada’s 338 ridings were won by a wider margin. In 2019, Martin Shields had won the same riding 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).
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
Wheatland County 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 bigger share than elsewhere: 69% of revenue, where the province’s returns show 44%. Wheatland County council’s borrowing is light: $2.2M long term, $218 a resident where the median is $745. In 2024 the median among Alberta’s municipalities was $3,457 a resident; Wheatland County council spent $5,155. The return counts 122 full-time positions, 12.0 for every thousand residents. No service costs more than roads and transit, at $2,897 per resident and 56% of the total.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $29.4M | $2,897 | 56% |
| General government | $8.5M | $837 | 16% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $5.1M | $499 | 10% |
| Police, fire and protection | $4M | $391 | 8% |
| Planning and development | $3.7M | $366 | 7% |
| Recreation and culture | $1.5M | $143 | 3% |
| Social services and child care | $205K | $20 | 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 Wheatland 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
- Who holds each seat. Who holds each seat is read from Wikidata, so a very recent change in the Commons may not appear yet.
- 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. Party control (most Canadian councils sit without parties, and the open lists record none) and band councils.
- Council money. Alberta’s 2024 municipal financial returns, per resident with Statistics Canada’s 2025 population estimate.
- Election results. Ridings changed in 2023: the 2019 and 2021 results are on the old map, and the 2021 vote on today’s map is Elections Canada’s own estimate from polling divisions.
Questions about how Wheatland County is run
Who is the MP for Wheatland County?
For Wheatland County, it’s David Bexte (Conservative Party of Canada), who holds Bow River.
Which party won Wheatland County 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 Wheatland County?
Every MLA of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta is on its members page, which is where to find the one for Wheatland County.
Who heads the council in Wheatland County?
Wheatland County, a municipal district, lists its council on its own pages; no open list names the head here.
How much does Wheatland County council spend?
The 2024 return of Wheatland County council shows $52.3M of spending for roughly 10,150 residents, $29.4M of it on roads and transit.
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).