Photo: Nicholas4343 · CC BY-SA 3.056% of Atikokan voters cast a ballot in 2022, more than in 97% of Ontario municipalities
Atikokan is in the north, where the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s ridings don’t follow the 2013 federal map and have no open boundary file. For federal votes, Atikokan belongs to Thunder Bay—Rainy River, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP); Marcus Powlowski (Liberal Party of Canada) holds it. The October 2022 vote made Rob Ferguson mayor of Atikokan, heading 7 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 Atikokan is governed
Few residents per seat
Atikokan 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; Atikokan council did better. How Atikokan voted ↓
High spending per resident
Only a minority of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities spent more per resident in 2024 than Atikokan council: it is ahead of 76%. Council money ↓
A close federal race
With 5 points between the winner and the runner-up (Conservative Party of Canada), Thunder Bay—Rainy River beat 87% of the 338 ridings for closeness in 2021. How Atikokan has voted ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
Atikokan, a town 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.
The census places Atikokan in Rainy River, but the town is single-tier, with no county or regional council above it.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Atikokan, from the most recent elections.
- 1Atikokan councilelected October 2022Rob Ferguson
- 2Legislative Assembly of Ontario–
- 3House of CommonsThunder Bay—Rainy River
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 Atikokan council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Rob Ferguson
- Jim Johnson
- Elizabeth Shine
- Gord Knowles
- Kristi-Lynn McQuay
- Gordon Martin
- Janelle Zacharias
7 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rob Ferguson | Mayor | 788 | 70% | Yes |
| Jim Johnson | Councillor | 836 | 74% | Yes |
| Elizabeth Shine | Councillor | 866 | 77% | Yes |
| Gord Knowles | Councillor | 882 | 78% | No |
| Kristi-Lynn McQuay | Councillor | 605 | 54% | No |
| Gordon Martin | Councillor | 959 | 85% | No |
| Janelle Zacharias | Councillor | 662 | 59% | No |
Voters across the municipality choose the mayor and every councillor on Atikokan council alike. Rob Ferguson won 70% of the votes cast for mayor.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Atikokan voted more than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
Turnout for Atikokan council on 24 October 2022 was 56% of electors, higher than the Ontario norm. Distances here run 73–160 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Atikokan.
How Atikokan voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Atikokan votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Atikokan council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
The next council election in Atikokan falls on 28 October 2030, the fourth Monday in October every four years under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. Voters last chose the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on 27 February 2025 and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. There are no 2025 counts here: Elections Canada’s terms bar their commercial reuse, so 2021 is the latest open result.
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
Marcus Powlowski represents Thunder Bay—Rainy River in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Thunder Bay—Rainy River · Liberal Party of Canada · first elected 2019
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
In Ontario, 71 of 122 ridings are held by the Liberal Party of Canada, the party Marcus Powlowski sits with.
The MP’s record
Elections Canada’s transposition of the 2021 vote onto today’s Thunder Bay—Rainy River puts the Liberal Party of Canada first at 34%; Marcus Powlowski held it for the party in 2025. The current Parliament is Marcus Powlowski’s 3rd, counting from a first win in 2019.
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
Thunder Bay—Rainy River returned Marcus Powlowski (Liberal Party of Canada) in 2021
Results in Thunder Bay—Rainy River as drawn in 2013, the boundaries of the 2019 and 2021 elections; the riding was redrawn for 2025.
Marcus Powlowski (Liberal Party of Canada) took Thunder Bay—Rainy River in 2021 with 34% of the vote, 1,984 votes ahead of Adelina Pecchia (Conservative Party of Canada). Back in 2019, Marcus Powlowski took the riding on 35%. At 61%, fewer of Thunder Bay—Rainy River voted in 2021 than Canada as a whole (63%).
All 5 candidates in Thunder Bay—Rainy River, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Powlowski | Liberal Party of Canada | 13,655 | 34.3% |
| Adelina Pecchia | Conservative Party of Canada | 11,671 | 29.3% |
| Yuk-Sem Won | New Democratic Party | 11,342 | 28.5% |
| Alan Aubut | People's Party of Canada | 2,621 | 6.6% |
| Tracey MacKinnon | Green Party of Canada | 571 | 1.4% |
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
Atikokan 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.
Water, sewers and waste takes the biggest share, 24%, or $1,149 per resident. In 2024 the median among Ontario’s single-tier municipalities was $3,796 a resident; Atikokan council spent $4,786. The return counts 37 full-time positions, 14.0 for every thousand residents. Debt Atikokan council owes over the long term came to $3.1M, $1,175 a resident, higher than the median of $971. At 45%, property taxes count for more of the revenue than the 37% seen across the province.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water, sewers and waste | $3M | $1,149 | 24% |
| Roads and transit | $2.7M | $1,012 | 21% |
| General government | $2.2M | $832 | 17% |
| Recreation and culture | $2.1M | $783 | 16% |
| Police, fire and protection | $1.3M | $492 | 10% |
| Public health and paramedics | $674K | $255 | 5% |
| Social housing | $375K | $142 | 3% |
| Planning and development | $204K | $77 | 2% |
| Social services and child care | $114K | $43 | 1% |
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 400 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
Atikokan council has one seat for every 400 residents, fewer than in 86% of Ontario municipalities.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Atikokan 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
- Not on this page. No party tally for the council, which the open lists don’t record, and no band councils.
- Who holds each seat. Each MP’s name and party are Wikidata’s statements for the 45th Parliament, read in November 2026.
- Which riding. The 2021 Census homes of a place’s residents fix its ridings, and one is shown once it holds 5% of them.
- 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.
- Council size. The 2021 Census population is shared over all council seats, including the head of council’s, for this ratio.
- Council money. Figures are the 2024 Financial Information Return’s totals after adjustments, per resident on the return’s population. Lower tiers stand beside lower tiers only: their county or region spends on top.
Questions about how Atikokan is run
Who is the MP for Atikokan?
Marcus Powlowski (Liberal Party of Canada) sits for Thunder Bay—Rainy River, the riding Atikokan is in.
Which party won Atikokan in the 2021 federal election?
The Liberal Party of Canada: Marcus Powlowski won Thunder Bay—Rainy River in 2021 and still holds it.
Who is the MPP for Atikokan?
Find the riding for Atikokan on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s site, which names the MPP for each.
Who heads the council in Atikokan?
Rob Ferguson was elected mayor in October 2022, for the 2022–26 term of Atikokan council.
How much does Atikokan council spend?
In 2024, Atikokan council spent $12.6M in all, for some 2,642 residents, of which $3M went on water, sewers and waste, the biggest line.
How is Atikokan council elected?
At large: every voter helps fill all of Atikokan council, the mayor too.
What was the turnout in Atikokan?
Turnout for Atikokan council reached 56.2% 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).