Photo: railfan 44 · Public domainSkeena—Bulkley Valley, which takes in Fort St. James, is held by Ellis Ross (Conservative Party of Canada)
From British Columbia come 43 MPs, 20 of them with the Liberal Party of Canada. Statistics Canada lists Fort St. James as a district municipality. This page names no head of council for Fort St. James, as no open list of councils exists in British Columbia. For the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Fort St. James votes in Nechako Lakes; open data doesn’t yet say who its MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly, the provincial or territorial legislature) is.
Three governments, and who does what
Fort St. James, a district municipality in British Columbia, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
Regional parks, waste, rural areas’ services.
Schools, health care, highways, municipal law.
leg.bc.ca ↗Passports, pensions, EI, defence, immigration.
ourcommons.ca ↗Who to ask
Green: municipal. Gold: provincial. Grey: federal.
Bulkley-Nechako Regional District counts Fort St. James among its member municipalities; its board provides regional services and the rural areas’ local government.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Fort St. James, from the most recent elections.
- 1Fort St. James councilDistrict municipality
- 2Legislative Assembly of British ColumbiaNechako Lakes
- 3House of CommonsSkeena—Bulkley Valley
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 Fort St. James votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Fort St. James council | 17 October 2026 | 19 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of British Columbia | 19 October 2024 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
The council elected on 17 October 2026 serves until 19 October 2030, when Fort St. James council is chosen again. The Local Government Act sets the day: the third Saturday in October every four years. The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia was last elected on 19 October 2024, and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. The 2025 results are left out because elections.ca’s terms forbid commercial reproduction; the open catalogue’s latest is 2021.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Fort St. James votes in Nechako Lakes for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
Provinces and territories run schools, health care and municipal law; each riding elects one MLA.
MLA: see the legislature’s list
leg.bc.ca ↗For the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Fort St. James votes in Nechako Lakes, which has one MLA.
BC ridings: Elections BC 2023 electoral districts (Elections BC Open Data Licence)
The 2024 provincial election in Nechako Lakes
John Rustad (Conservative Party of BC) won Nechako Lakes in October 2024 with 67%, 4,684 votes ahead of the runner-up (BC NDP). Turnout there was 63% of registered voters, against 58% across British Columbia. Only 3 of BC’s 93 ridings were won by more.
BC 2024 results: Elections BC, Provincial Voting Results and Registered Voter Counts (Elections BC Open Data Licence)
Ellis Ross represents Skeena—Bulkley Valley in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Skeena—Bulkley Valley · Conservative Party of Canada
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada20
- Conservative Party of Canada19
- New Democratic Party3
- Green Party of Canada1
As Wikidata records them.
The MP’s record
Mapped onto today’s Skeena—Bulkley Valley, the 2021 vote favoured the New Democratic Party with 43%, which makes Ellis Ross’s 2025 win a gain. The 2025 general election sent Ellis Ross to the Commons for the first time.
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, Skeena—Bulkley Valley re-elected Taylor Bachrach of the New Democratic Party
Skeena—Bulkley Valley as it stood from 2013: the 2019 and 2021 counts, before the riding was redrawn for 2025.
55% of electors in Skeena—Bulkley Valley voted in 2021, below the 63% turnout across Canada. Taylor Bachrach already held it after the 2019 election, won with 41%. In 2021, Skeena—Bulkley Valley went to Taylor Bachrach (New Democratic Party) on 43%; Claire Rattee (Conservative Party of Canada) finished 2,408 votes behind.
All 6 candidates in Skeena—Bulkley Valley, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Bachrach | New Democratic Party | 15,921 | 42.6% |
| Claire Rattee | Conservative Party of Canada | 13,513 | 36.1% |
| Jody Craven | People's Party of Canada | 2,888 | 7.7% |
| Lakhwinder Jhaj | Liberal Party of Canada | 2,866 | 7.7% |
| Adeana Young | Green Party of Canada | 1,406 | 3.8% |
| Rod Taylor | Christian Heritage Party of Canada | 797 | 2.1% |
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
Having a say in how Fort St. James is run
Check or update the federal list.
elections.ca ↗Every MP lists an office.
ourcommons.ca ↗Ridings, registration and voting dates.
elections.bc.ca ↗What this data can and can’t tell you
- Election results. Two maps are in play: the 2013 ridings, on which 2019 and 2021 were counted, and the 2023 ridings, onto which Elections Canada transposed the 2021 vote poll by poll.
- Not on this page. Council budgets, band councils, and which party runs the council: the open lists carry no party, and most councils have none.
- Who holds each seat. A member who resigned or switched parties last week may still show here: the names are Wikidata’s.
- Which riding. Each place is put in its ridings by where its 2021 Census residents live; a riding holding 5% or more of them is listed.
Questions about how Fort St. James is run
Who is the MP for Fort St. James?
Fort St. James is in Skeena—Bulkley Valley, represented by Ellis Ross (Conservative Party of Canada).
Which party won Fort St. James in the 2021 federal election?
Taylor Bachrach won Skeena—Bulkley Valley for the New Democratic Party in 2021; the riding is now Skeena—Bulkley Valley, held by Ellis Ross.
Who is the MLA for Fort St. James?
Nechako Lakes elected John Rustad (Conservative Party of BC) in October 2024; the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia’s members page shows who sits for it as MLA now.
Who heads the council in Fort St. James?
Ask the municipality itself: Fort St. James, a district municipality, isn’t on an open list of councils we can use.
Which regional body is Fort St. James part of?
The board of the Bulkley-Nechako Regional District takes directors from member councils such as Fort St. James’s and runs regional services.
Sources: MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · BC ridings: Elections BC 2023 electoral districts (Elections BC Open Data Licence) · 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 · BC 2024 results: Elections BC, Provincial Voting Results and Registered Voter Counts (Elections BC Open Data Licence). 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).