Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0Per resident, Angus spends less than 99% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities
Angus sends one MP to Ottawa from Simcoe—Grey, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP): Terry Dowdall (Conservative Party of Canada). In the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Angus belongs to Simcoe—Grey; who holds it as MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) isn’t on an open record, so no one is named. Angus is part of Essa, a township by Statistics Canada’s count. Sandie MacDonald was elected mayor of Essa in October 2022, on a council of 5 seats. Ontario voted again on 26 October 2026, and the province hasn’t published that election’s open file yet, so these are the 2022–26 council’s names.
What stands out in how Angus is governed
Many residents per seat
The middle municipality in Ontario has a seat for every 1,540 residents; Essa council has far more people behind each. Council size ↓
Turnout below the norm
The 2022 vote for Essa council drew fewer electors than Ontario’s median of 35%. How Angus voted ↓
Low spending per resident
In 2024, 99% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spent more per resident than Essa council. 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
Angus, a township 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.
Above Essa’s council sits Simcoe County, the upper tier, which runs services across all its municipalities.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Angus, from the most recent elections.
- 1Essa councilelected October 2022Sandie MacDonald
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioSimcoe—Grey
- 3House of CommonsSimcoe—Grey
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 Essa council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Sandie MacDonald
- Michael Smith
- Pieter Kiezebrink
- Henry Sander
- Liana Maltby
5 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandie MacDonald | Mayor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Michael Smith | Deputy Mayor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Pieter Kiezebrink | Councillor | 518 | 63% | Yes |
| Henry Sander | Councillor | 505 | 55% | Yes |
| Liana Maltby | Councillor | 337 | 56% | No |
Voters pick a mayor for the whole municipality and the rest of Essa council ward by ward. No candidate stood against Sandie MacDonald, who became mayor by acclamation.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Angus voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
15% of those on the list cast a ballot for Essa council on 24 October 2022, fewer than in a typical municipality.
How Angus voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Angus votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Essa council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
The latest vote shown is 2021: the 2025 counts carry Elections Canada’s non-commercial terms. The next council election in Essa falls on 28 October 2030, the fourth Monday in October every four years under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. The last general elections came on 27 February 2025 for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and on 28 April 2025 for Parliament.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Angus votes in Simcoe—Grey 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 ↗Angus is in Simcoe—Grey, one of the ridings that each elect a MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Southern Ontario’s ridings are the 2013 federal ones by statute, which is how this page places the town.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Terry Dowdall represents Simcoe—Grey in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Simcoe—Grey · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2019
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
Of the 122 seats from Ontario, the Liberal Party of Canada holds 71, and Terry Dowdall’s Conservative Party of Canada has 50.
The MP’s record
Terry Dowdall was first elected in 2019; the current Parliament is Terry Dowdall’s 3rd. Elections Canada’s transposition of the 2021 vote onto today’s Simcoe—Grey puts the Conservative Party of Canada first at 47%; Terry Dowdall held it for the party in 2025.
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
Terry Dowdall kept Simcoe—Grey for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021
Simcoe—Grey as it stood from 2013: the 2019 and 2021 counts, before the riding was redrawn for 2025.
Simcoe—Grey elected Terry Dowdall (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021: 47% of the vote, a lead of 14,929 over Bren Munro (Liberal Party of Canada). Terry Dowdall was the sitting MP, elected there in 2019 with 43%. 64% of electors in Simcoe—Grey voted in 2021, above the 63% turnout across Canada.
All 6 candidates in Simcoe—Grey, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terry Dowdall | Conservative Party of Canada | 36,249 | 47.3% |
| Bren Munro | Liberal Party of Canada | 21,320 | 27.8% |
| Lucas Gillies | New Democratic Party | 10,140 | 13.2% |
| Adam Minatel | People's Party of Canada | 5,550 | 7.2% |
| Nicholas Clayton | Green Party of Canada | 2,969 | 3.9% |
| Ken Stouffer | Christian Heritage Party of Canada | 382 | 0.5% |
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
Essa 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.
Full-time staff number 60, about 2.6 to every thousand residents. Roads and transit takes the biggest share, 26%, or $269 per resident. Each resident’s share of Essa council’s 2024 spending came to $1,050, where the middle of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities sat at $1,901. On top of that comes Simcoe County: $1,228 a resident across its area, led by social services and child care. Essa council’s borrowing is light: $1.9M long term, $84 a resident where the median is $440. At 48%, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $6.2M | $269 | 26% |
| Police, fire and protection | $6.1M | $266 | 25% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $4.9M | $212 | 20% |
| Recreation and culture | $4.2M | $182 | 17% |
| General government | $2.3M | $99 | 9% |
| Planning and development | $431K | $19 | 2% |
| Public health and paramedics | $97K | $4 | 0% |
Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
One seat for every 5,210 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
Each seat on Essa council answers to 5,210 residents, a higher ratio than 84% of municipalities in Ontario.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Angus 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. Official counts for 2019 and 2021 are by the 2013 ridings; Elections Canada also re-counted the 2021 ballots onto the 2023 ridings by polling division, and that estimate is what “today’s boundaries” means here.
- 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.
- Who holds each seat. Who holds each seat is read from Wikidata, so a very recent change in the Commons may not appear yet.
- Not on this page. Band councils, and which party runs the council: the open lists carry no party, and most councils have none.
- 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. The 2021 Census population is shared over all council seats, including the head of council’s, for this ratio.
Questions about how Angus is run
Who is the MP for Angus?
For Angus, it’s Terry Dowdall (Conservative Party of Canada), who holds Simcoe—Grey.
Which party won Angus in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Terry Dowdall (Conservative Party of Canada), who represents Simcoe—Grey still.
Who is the MPP for Angus?
Look up Simcoe—Grey on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s site: that riding, which takes in Angus, has one MPP.
Who heads the council in Angus?
Sandie MacDonald was elected mayor in October 2022, for the 2022–26 term of Essa council.
How much does Essa council spend?
In 2024, Essa council spent $24.1M in all, for some 22,970 residents, of which $6.2M went on roads and transit, the biggest line.
Which regional body is Essa part of?
The council of Simcoe County, made up of members from its municipalities, Essa among them, is the upper tier.
How is Essa council elected?
By ward for councillors and at large for the mayor, on Essa council.
What was the turnout in Angus?
Turnout for Essa council reached 15.3% in October 2022 (Ontario median: 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).