Photo: The Town of Ajax · CC BY 3.0Ajax has one council seat for every 20,160 residents, more than 96% of municipalities in Ontario
The federal seat carries the town’s name: Ajax is its own riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP), held by Jennifer McKelvie of the Liberal Party of Canada. For the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Ajax votes in the riding of the same name; open data doesn’t yet say who its MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) is. Shaun Collier was elected mayor of Ajax in October 2022, on a council of 7 seats. Ontario’s councils were renewed on 26 October 2026, but the only open list so far is 2022’s, so that is the term shown.
What stands out in how Ajax is governed
Many residents per seat
Across Ontario the median is one seat per 1,540 residents, well under the ratio on Ajax council. Council size ↓
Turnout below the norm
Across Ontario, median turnout in 2022 was 35%, and Ajax council came in under it. How Ajax voted ↓
Low spending per resident
Spending per resident left Ajax council below 93% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities in 2024. Council money ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
Ajax, a town in Ontario, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
Spends most on social services and child care, then water, sewers and waste (2024 return).
Schools, health care, highways, municipal law.
ola.org ↗Passports, pensions, EI, defence, immigration.
ourcommons.ca ↗Who to ask
Green: municipal. Gold: provincial. Grey: federal.
Two councils serve Ajax: its own, and that of Durham Region, the upper tier.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Ajax, from the most recent elections.
- 1Ajax councilelected October 2022Shaun Collier
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioAjax
- 3House of CommonsAjax
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
Who was elected to Ajax council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Shaun Collier
- Rob Tyler-Morin
- Nancy Henry
- Lisa Bower
- Marilyn Crawford
- Sterling Lee
- Joanne Dies
7 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaun Collier | Mayor | 11,691 | 62% | Yes |
| Rob Tyler-Morin | Councillor | 4,475 | 71% | Yes |
| Nancy Henry | Councillor | 1,667 | 31% | No |
| Lisa Bower | Councillor | 6,117 | 88% | Yes |
| Marilyn Crawford | Local and Regional Councillor | 5,108 | 81% | Yes |
| Sterling Lee | Local and Regional Councillor | 3,066 | 59% | Yes |
| Joanne Dies | Local and Regional Councillor | 5,095 | 74% | Yes |
The contest for mayor went to Shaun Collier, with 62% of the votes. Voters pick a mayor for the whole municipality and the rest of Ajax council ward by ward.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Ajax voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
When Ajax council was chosen on 24 October 2022, just 22% of electors took part, under the provincial median.
How Ajax voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Ajax votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Ajax council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, Ajax’s next municipal vote is on 28 October 2030, the fourth Monday in October every four years. Voters last chose the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on 27 February 2025 and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. The latest vote shown is 2021: the 2025 counts carry Elections Canada’s non-commercial terms.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Ajax votes in the riding of the same name for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Provinces and territories run schools, health care and municipal law; each riding elects one MPP.
MPP: see the legislature’s list
ola.org ↗Southern Ontario’s ridings are the 2013 federal ones by statute, which is how this page places the town. For the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Ajax votes in the riding of the same name, which has one MPP.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Jennifer McKelvie represents Ajax in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Ajax · Liberal Party of Canada
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
Jennifer McKelvie’s party, the Liberal Party of Canada, has 71 of the 122 seats from Ontario.
The MP’s record
April 2025 was Jennifer McKelvie’s first election to the House of Commons. Mapped onto today’s Ajax, the 2021 vote gives the Liberal Party of Canada 57%; in 2025 Jennifer McKelvie 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
Mark Holland kept Ajax for the Liberal Party of Canada in 2021
Ajax as it stood from 2013: the 2019 and 2021 counts, before the riding was redrawn for 2025.
Ajax elected Mark Holland (Liberal Party of Canada) in 2021: 57% of the vote, a lead of 15,042 over Arshad Awan (Conservative Party of Canada). 58% had elected Mark Holland there in 2019. At 54%, fewer of Ajax voted in 2021 than Canada as a whole (63%).
All 4 candidates in Ajax, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Holland | Liberal Party of Canada | 28,279 | 56.8% |
| Arshad Awan | Conservative Party of Canada | 13,237 | 26.6% |
| Monique Hughes | New Democratic Party | 6,988 | 14.0% |
| Leigh Paulseth | Green Party of Canada | 1,254 | 2.5% |
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
Ajax council spends less per resident than most
The 2024 financial return: spending by service and revenue by source, per resident, compared only with Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities.
Spending per resident by service, 2024
What pays for it
Shares of revenue, town and province.
Recreation and culture takes the biggest share, 36%, or $429 per resident. Full-time staff number 479, about 3.8 to every thousand residents. On top of that comes Durham Region: $2,359 a resident across its area, led by social services and child care. Ajax council spent $1,178 per resident in 2024, against a median of $1,901 among Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities. Long-term debt at Ajax council stood at $12M, or $95 a resident, below the $440 median. At 57%, property taxes count for more of the revenue than the 42% seen across the province.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recreation and culture | $54.3M | $429 | 36% |
| Police, fire and protection | $32.2M | $255 | 22% |
| Roads and transit | $28.9M | $228 | 19% |
| General government | $20.9M | $165 | 14% |
| Planning and development | $6.7M | $53 | 5% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $6M | $48 | 4% |
| Social services and child care | $107K | $1 | 0% |
Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
Ajax council beside its neighbours
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
Nearby councils are drawn here for scale; the headline already says where Ajax council stands.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Ajax is run
Check or update the federal list.
elections.ca ↗Every MP lists an office.
ourcommons.ca ↗Ridings, registration and voting dates.
elections.on.ca ↗What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- Which riding. Where residents of the 2021 Census live decides the riding; any riding with 5% of them or more is named.
- Who holds each seat. MPs come from Wikidata’s records of the 45th Parliament, which can lag a resignation or a by-election by some days.
- Not on this page. Party control (most Canadian councils sit without parties, and the open lists record none) and band councils.
- Council money. The 2024 Financial Information Return, totals after adjustments by service, per resident with the return’s own population. A lower tier’s figures leave out its county’s or region’s spending, so lower tiers are compared only with lower tiers.
- Council size. Every seat counts, the head of council’s too, against the population of the 2021 Census.
Questions about how Ajax is run
Who is the MP for Ajax?
Jennifer McKelvie (Liberal Party of Canada) sits for the riding of the same name, the riding Ajax is in.
Which party won Ajax in the 2021 federal election?
Ajax went to Mark Holland (Liberal Party of Canada) in 2021. Since 2025, Jennifer McKelvie has been the MP for Ajax.
Who is the MPP for Ajax?
Look up the riding of the same name on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s site: that riding, which takes in Ajax, has one MPP.
Who heads the council in Ajax?
Shaun Collier was elected mayor in October 2022, for the 2022–26 term of Ajax council.
How much does Ajax council spend?
The 2024 return of Ajax council shows $149.2M of spending for roughly 126,666 residents, $54.3M of it on recreation and culture.
Which regional body is Ajax part of?
Ajax is part of Durham Region, the upper tier, whose regional council runs services such as water and policing.
How is Ajax council elected?
By ward for councillors and at large for the mayor, on Ajax council.
What was the turnout in Ajax?
22.5% of electors voted when Ajax council was elected in October 2022; the Ontario median was 35.5%.
Sources: MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada · Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario) · Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · 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).