Photo: Quinn Desilets · CC BY-SA 4.0Rob Morrison (Conservative Party of Canada) represents Nelson in Ottawa as MP for Columbia—Kootenay—Southern Rockies
Across British Columbia, 20 of the 43 MPs sit with the Liberal Party of Canada. For local government, Nelson is a city. In British Columbia, councils aren’t on any open list we can use, so Nelson’s mayor isn’t named. Kootenay Central is the riding Nelson votes in for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, and its MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly, the provincial or territorial legislature) isn’t named here because no open list records the members.
Three governments, and who does what
Nelson, a city 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.
Central Kootenay Regional District counts Nelson 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 Nelson, from the most recent elections.
- 1Nelson councilCity
- 2Legislative Assembly of British ColumbiaKootenay Central
- 3House of CommonsColumbia—Kootenay—Southern Rockies
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 Nelson votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Nelson council | 17 October 2026 | 19 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of British Columbia | 19 October 2024 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Counts from April 2025 can’t appear here, since Elections Canada allows only non-commercial reuse of them. Provincially the last general election was on 19 October 2024, for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia; federally, on 28 April 2025. After the 17 October 2026 election, Nelson council next goes to the polls on 19 October 2030. That date comes from the Local Government Act, which sets the third Saturday in October every four years.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Nelson votes in Kootenay Central 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, Nelson votes in Kootenay Central, which has one MLA.
BC ridings: Elections BC 2023 electoral districts (Elections BC Open Data Licence)
The 2024 provincial election in Kootenay Central
1,749 votes separated Brittny Anderson (BC NDP) from the runner-up (Conservative Party of BC) in Kootenay Central in October 2024; the winner polled 40%. At 64%, turnout beat the province’s 58%.
BC 2024 results: Elections BC, Provincial Voting Results and Registered Voter Counts (Elections BC Open Data Licence)
Rob Morrison represents Columbia—Kootenay—Southern Rockies in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Columbia—Kootenay—Southern Rockies · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2019
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
The current Parliament is Rob Morrison’s 3rd, counting from a first win in 2019. Mapped onto today’s Columbia—Kootenay—Southern Rockies, the 2021 vote gives the Conservative Party of Canada 44%; in 2025 Rob Morrison 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
Kootenay—Columbia returned Rob Morrison (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021
Results in Kootenay—Columbia, the riding Nelson belonged to on the 2013 map used in 2019 and 2021; since 2025 it votes in Columbia—Kootenay—Southern Rockies.
45% had elected Rob Morrison there in 2019. Rob Morrison (Conservative Party of Canada) took Kootenay—Columbia in 2021 with 43% of the vote, 4,070 votes ahead of Wayne Stetski (New Democratic Party). In 2021, 68% of electors cast a ballot in Kootenay—Columbia, more than the national 63%.
All 5 candidates in Kootenay—Columbia, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rob Morrison | Conservative Party of Canada | 28,056 | 43.2% |
| Wayne Stetski | New Democratic Party | 23,986 | 36.9% |
| Robin Goldsbury | Liberal Party of Canada | 5,879 | 9.1% |
| Sarah Bennett | People's Party of Canada | 4,467 | 6.9% |
| Rana Nelson | Green Party of Canada | 2,577 | 4.0% |
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 Nelson 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. Elections Canada redrew the ridings in 2023 and re-tallied the 2021 ballots onto the new map from polling divisions; that estimate, and the official 2019 and 2021 counts on the old map, are what you see.
- Not on this page. Party control (Canadian councils are mostly elected without parties, and the open lists record none), council budgets, and band councils.
- 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. Where residents of the 2021 Census live decides the riding; any riding with 5% of them or more is named.
Questions about how Nelson is run
Who is the MP for Nelson?
Columbia—Kootenay—Southern Rockies’s MP, Rob Morrison of the Conservative Party of Canada, represents Nelson.
Which party won Nelson in the 2021 federal election?
Rob Morrison (Conservative Party of Canada) took Kootenay—Columbia in 2021, and still holds the seat, now Columbia—Kootenay—Southern Rockies.
Who is the MLA for Nelson?
Kootenay Central elected Brittny Anderson (BC NDP) 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 Nelson?
Ask the municipality itself: Nelson, a city, isn’t on an open list of councils we can use.
Which regional body is Nelson part of?
Nelson is a member of the Central Kootenay Regional District, whose board includes directors from Nelson’s council.
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).