Photo: Duckdave · CC BY-SA 4.0Council seats in Barrie are spread thin, 15,860 residents each, more than in 94% of Ontario municipalities
The October 2022 vote made Alex Nuttall mayor of Barrie, heading 11 seats. Ontario held new municipal elections on 26 October 2026; until the province publishes them, the open record stops at the council elected in 2022. Parts of Barrie vote in 2 different ridings for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario: Barrie—Innisfil and Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte. No open list we can reuse gives Barrie’s sitting MPP; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario keeps the list. Federally, Barrie sits in Barrie South—Innisfil, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP), held by John Brassard of the Conservative Party of Canada.
What stands out in how Barrie is governed
Many residents per seat
The middle municipality in Ontario has a seat for every 1,540 residents; Barrie council has far more people behind each. Council size ↓
Turnout below the norm
The 2022 vote for Barrie council drew fewer electors than Ontario’s median of 35%. How Barrie voted ↓
Split between ridings
Barrie South—Innisfil takes in 52% of Barrie, and Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte the bulk of the remaining 48%. Member of Parliament ↓
Low spending per resident
Barrie council spent less per resident in 2024 than 81% of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities. 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
Barrie, a city 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.
Barrie is a single-tier city: no county or region sits above its council, though Statistics Canada still counts it in the Simcoe census division.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Barrie, from the most recent elections.
- 1Barrie councilelected October 2022Alex Nuttall
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioBarrie—Innisfil · Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte
- 3House of CommonsBarrie South—Innisfil · 52%
- 4House of CommonsBarrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte · 48%
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 Barrie council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Alex Nuttall
- Clare Riepma
- Craig Nixon
- Ann-Marie Kungl
- Amy Courser
- Robert Thomson
- Nigussie Nigussie
- Gary Harvey
- Jim Harris
- Sergio Morales
- Bryn Hamilton
11 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Nuttall | Mayor | 13,401 | 43% | No |
| Clare Riepma | Councillor | 1,752 | 50% | Yes |
| Craig Nixon | Councillor | 1,418 | 37% | No |
| Ann-Marie Kungl | Councillor | 2,001 | 73% | Yes |
| Amy Courser | Councillor | 1,134 | 37% | No |
| Robert Thomson | Councillor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Nigussie Nigussie | Councillor | 1,036 | 30% | No |
| Gary Harvey | Councillor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Jim Harris | Councillor | 2,877 | 79% | Yes |
| Sergio Morales | Councillor | 1,427 | 68% | Yes |
| Bryn Hamilton | Councillor | 1,896 | 52% | No |
The contest for mayor went to Alex Nuttall, with 43% of the votes. Seats on Barrie council are tied to wards, apart from the mayor, whom every voter helps choose.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Barrie 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 Barrie council was chosen on 24 October 2022, just 30% of electors took part, under the provincial median.
How Barrie voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Barrie votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Barrie council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
No open copy of the 2025 counts exists, and Elections Canada’s own terms rule out commercial reuse, so 2021 is the last vote shown. The Legislative Assembly of Ontario was last elected on 27 February 2025, and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. Under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, Barrie’s next municipal vote is on 28 October 2030, the fourth Monday in October every four years.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Barrie spans 2 ridings 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 ↗MPP: see the legislature’s list
ola.org ↗Ontario’s southern ridings copy the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), and the town is placed by them. So more than one MPP in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario speaks for parts of Barrie.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Barrie has 2 MPs
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Barrie South—Innisfil · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2015 · 52%
en.wikipedia.org ↗Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte · Conservative Party of Canada · 48%
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
John Brassard is one of 50 Conservative Party of Canada MPs from Ontario, where the Liberal Party of Canada has the most seats: 71 of 122.
The MP’s record
First elected in 2015, John Brassard is serving the 4th term of a Commons career. Had the 2021 ballots been cast in today’s Barrie South—Innisfil, the Conservative Party of Canada would have led with 48%; John Brassard held it for them 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
John Brassard kept Barrie—Innisfil for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021
The 2019 and 2021 counts in Barrie—Innisfil, Barrie’s riding before the map was redrawn; it now votes in Barrie South—Innisfil. It held 52% of Barrie’s residents.
The 2021 count in Barrie—Innisfil put John Brassard (Conservative Party of Canada) first at 48%, with Lisa-Marie Wilson (Liberal Party of Canada) 9,942 votes back. 44% had elected John Brassard there in 2019. In 2021, 59% of electors cast a ballot in Barrie—Innisfil, under the national 63%.
All 4 candidates in Barrie—Innisfil, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Brassard | Conservative Party of Canada | 25,234 | 47.7% |
| Lisa-Marie Wilson | Liberal Party of Canada | 15,292 | 28.9% |
| Aleesha Gostkowski | New Democratic Party | 8,349 | 15.8% |
| Corrado Brancato | People's Party of Canada | 4,060 | 7.7% |
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
Barrie 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 single-tier municipalities.
Spending per resident by service, 2024
What pays for it
Shares of revenue, town and province.
No service costs more than police, fire and protection, at $923 per resident and 32% of the total. 1,010 full-time positions are funded, 6.2 per thousand residents. At $2,929 for every resident in 2024, Barrie council sits below the $3,796 median of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities. Barrie council carried $274.7M of long-term debt, $1,673 per resident against a typical $971. At 51%, property taxes count for more of the revenue than the 37% seen across the province.
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police, fire and protection | $151.5M | $923 | 32% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $109.2M | $665 | 23% |
| Roads and transit | $83M | $505 | 17% |
| Recreation and culture | $55.8M | $340 | 12% |
| General government | $33.5M | $204 | 7% |
| Public health and paramedics | $14.3M | $87 | 3% |
| Social housing | $12.1M | $73 | 3% |
| Social services and child care | $11.3M | $69 | 2% |
| Planning and development | $10.3M | $63 | 2% |
Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
Barrie 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 Barrie council stands.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Barrie 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. Seats count the head of council and the councillors, and residents are the 2021 Census count; a neighbourhood shows its city’s.
- 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.
- Not on this page. Band councils, and which party runs the council: the open lists carry no party, and most councils have none.
- Who holds each seat. The members named here are Wikidata’s, kept up by volunteers; a by-election or a floor crossing may take a few days to show.
- Which riding. Ridings are assigned from the 2021 Census: the one with most residents first, then any holding 5% or more.
- Election results. Ridings changed in 2023: the 2019 and 2021 results are on the old map, and the 2021 vote on today’s map is Elections Canada’s own estimate from polling divisions.
Questions about how Barrie is run
Who is the MP for Barrie?
Most residents of Barrie have John Brassard (Conservative Party of Canada) as MP for Barrie South—Innisfil; the rest mainly have Doug Shipley, for Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte.
Which party won Barrie in the 2021 federal election?
The Conservative Party of Canada: John Brassard won Barrie—Innisfil in 2021 and is the MP for today’s Barrie South—Innisfil.
Who is the MPP for Barrie?
Each of Barrie—Innisfil and Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte elects its own MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and Barrie lies across them.
Who heads the council in Barrie?
Alex Nuttall was elected mayor in October 2022, for the 2022–26 term of Barrie council.
How much does Barrie council spend?
In 2024, Barrie council spent $480.9M in all, for some 164,202 residents, of which $151.5M went on police, fire and protection, the biggest line.
How is Barrie council elected?
By ward for councillors and at large for the mayor, on Barrie council.
What was the turnout in Barrie?
In October 2022, turnout for Barrie council was 30.5%, against 35.5% for the typical Ontario municipality.
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).