Photo: Hans-Jürgen Hübner · CC BY 3.0Each seat on Assiginack’s council speaks for just 230 residents, fewer than in 96% of Ontario municipalities
In October 2022, Assiginack elected Brenda Reid as mayor, with a council of 5. 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. The Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s northern ridings aren’t the federal ones and aren’t published as open data, so Assiginack isn’t placed. The riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) covering Assiginack is Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt, and Jim Belanger (Conservative Party of Canada) represents it in the House of Commons.
What stands out in how Assiginack is governed
Few residents per seat
Assiginack council has fewer people behind each seat than most of Ontario, where the middle figure is 1,540 residents a seat. Council size ↓
Turnout above the norm
In Ontario’s 2022 municipal elections, the middle municipality saw 35% of electors vote; Assiginack council did better. How Assiginack voted ↓
High spending per resident
Spending per resident put Assiginack council above 86% of Ontario’s single-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
Assiginack, a township in Ontario, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
Schools, health care, highways, municipal law.
ola.org ↗Passports, pensions, EI, defence, immigration.
ourcommons.ca ↗Who to ask
Green: municipal. Gold: provincial. Grey: federal.
Assiginack is a single-tier township: no county or region sits above its council, though Statistics Canada still counts it in the Manitoulin census division.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Assiginack, from the most recent elections.
- 1Assiginack councilelected October 2022Brenda Reid
- 2Legislative Assembly of Ontario–
- 3House of CommonsSudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt
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 Assiginack council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Brenda Reid
- Robert Maguire
- Janice Bowerman
- Dwayne Elliott
- Jennifer Hooper
5 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brenda Reid | Mayor | 428 | 62% | No |
| Robert Maguire | Councillor | 336 | 48% | Yes |
| Janice Bowerman | Councillor | 375 | 53% | No |
| Dwayne Elliott | Councillor | 472 | 67% | No |
| Jennifer Hooper | Councillor | 301 | 43% | No |
There are no wards on Assiginack council: the whole electorate votes for every seat, the mayor too. Brenda Reid became mayor on 62% of the votes cast.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Assiginack voted more than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
The nearest places to Assiginack with figures are 29–56 km away. 43% of those on the list cast a ballot for Assiginack council on 24 October 2022, more than in a typical municipality.
How Assiginack voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Assiginack votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Assiginack council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Counts from April 2025 can’t appear here, since Elections Canada allows only non-commercial reuse of them. The Legislative Assembly of Ontario was last elected on 27 February 2025, and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. 28 October 2030 is the next council election in Assiginack, fixed by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 for the fourth Monday in October every four years.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario: riding not placed
Provinces and territories run schools, health care and municipal law; each riding elects one MPP.
Find your MPP on the legislature’s site
ola.org ↗Legislatures: their own member pages
Jim Belanger represents Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt · Conservative Party of Canada
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
Jim Belanger sits with the Conservative Party of Canada, which has 50 of the 122 seats from Ontario, against 71 for the Liberal Party of Canada.
The MP’s record
Elections Canada’s transposition of the 2021 vote onto today’s Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt puts the Liberal Party of Canada first at 32%: Jim Belanger won it away from them in 2025. April 2025 was Jim Belanger’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
Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing returned Carol Hughes (New Democratic Party) in 2021
Before the 2023 redistribution, Assiginack voted in Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing; these are its 2019 and 2021 results, and Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt is its riding today.
Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing turned out at only 60% in 2021; the country managed 63%. Back in 2019, Carol Hughes took the riding on 42%. In 2021, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing went to Carol Hughes (New Democratic Party) on 40%; John Sagman (Conservative Party of Canada) finished 5,010 votes behind.
All 6 candidates in Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carol Hughes | New Democratic Party | 15,895 | 40.2% |
| John Sagman | Conservative Party of Canada | 10,885 | 27.5% |
| Duke Peltier | Liberal Party of Canada | 8,888 | 22.5% |
| Harry Jaaskelainen | People's Party of Canada | 2,840 | 7.2% |
| Stephen Zimmermann | Green Party of Canada | 726 | 1.8% |
| Clarence Baarda | Christian Heritage Party of Canada | 289 | 0.7% |
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
Assiginack council spends more per resident than most
The 2024 financial return: spending by service and revenue by source, per resident, compared only with Ontario’s single-tier municipalities.
Spending per resident by service, 2024
What pays for it
Shares of revenue, town and province.
Property taxes and payments in lieu brought in 58% of revenue, against 37% across the province’s returns. Debt Assiginack council owes over the long term came to $1.6M, $1,613 a resident, higher than the median of $971. At $5,082 for every resident in 2024, Assiginack council sits above the $3,796 median of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities. The return counts 14 full-time positions, 13.9 for every thousand residents. Roads and transit takes the biggest share, 28%, or $1,413 per resident.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $1.4M | $1,413 | 28% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $1.3M | $1,285 | 25% |
| Recreation and culture | $758K | $752 | 15% |
| Police, fire and protection | $757K | $751 | 15% |
| Public health and paramedics | $383K | $380 | 7% |
| Planning and development | $223K | $221 | 4% |
| Social services and child care | $192K | $190 | 4% |
| General government | $91K | $90 | 2% |
Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
Assiginack 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 Assiginack council stands.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Assiginack 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
- Council size. The council size includes the head of council; the population is the 2021 Census, the whole city’s for a neighbourhood.
- Council money. Per resident means the 2024 Financial Information Return’s totals over the population it reports. Since a county or region spends in its lower tiers too, those are compared only with each other.
- Who holds each seat. A member who resigned or switched parties last week may still show here: the names are Wikidata’s.
- Not on this page. No party tally for the council, which the open lists don’t record, and no band councils.
- 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. The 2021 Census homes of a place’s residents fix its ridings, and one is shown once it holds 5% of them.
Questions about how Assiginack is run
Who is the MP for Assiginack?
For Assiginack, it’s Jim Belanger (Conservative Party of Canada), who holds Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt.
Which party won Assiginack in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Carol Hughes (New Democratic Party), in Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing; Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt has elected Jim Belanger since.
Who is the MPP for Assiginack?
Find the riding for Assiginack on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s site, which names the MPP for each.
Who heads the council in Assiginack?
The open record gives Brenda Reid, elected mayor of Assiginack council in October 2022.
How much does Assiginack council spend?
In 2024, Assiginack council spent $5.1M in all, for some 1,008 residents, of which $1.4M went on roads and transit, the biggest line.
How is Assiginack council elected?
At large: every voter helps fill all of Assiginack council, the mayor too.
What was the turnout in Assiginack?
Turnout for Assiginack council reached 43.3% in October 2022 (Ontario median: 35.5%).
Sources: MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · 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).