Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0At 6%, Black River-Matheson’s 2022 turnout trailed 98% of Ontario municipalities
Doug Bender was elected mayor of Black River-Matheson in October 2022, on a council of 7 seats. The council shown is the one elected in 2022, since Ontario voted again on 26 October 2026 and no open file of the new councils exists yet. Black River-Matheson is in Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP), and the seat belongs to Gaétan Malette of the Conservative Party of Canada. Black River-Matheson 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.
What stands out in how Black River-Matheson is governed
Few residents per seat
Black River-Matheson council has fewer people behind each seat than most of Ontario, where the middle figure is 1,540 residents a seat. Council size ↓
Turnout below the norm
Black River-Matheson council drew fewer of its electors to the polls in 2022 than the typical Ontario municipality (35%). How Black River-Matheson voted ↓
High spending per resident
In 2024, 79% of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities spent less per resident than Black River-Matheson 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
Black River-Matheson, 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.
No county council governs Black River-Matheson, a single-tier township, even if the census files it under Cochrane.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Black River-Matheson, from the most recent elections.
- 1Black River-Matheson councilelected October 2022Doug Bender
- 2Legislative Assembly of Ontario–
- 3House of CommonsKapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk
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 Black River-Matheson council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Doug Bender
- Dave Dyment
- Dan De Marchi
- Kim Druer
- Chantal Rondeau
- Keith Neal
- Louise Gadoury
7 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doug Bender | Mayor | – | acclaimed | No |
| Dave Dyment | Councillor | 133 | 86% | Yes |
| Dan De Marchi | Councillor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Kim Druer | Councillor | – | acclaimed | No |
| Chantal Rondeau | Councillor | – | acclaimed | No |
| Keith Neal | Councillor | – | acclaimed | No |
| Louise Gadoury | Councillor | – | acclaimed | No |
Each ward chooses its own councillors on Black River-Matheson council, while the whole municipality votes for the mayor. Doug Bender was acclaimed mayor, with no one on the ballot against them.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Black River-Matheson voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
Distances here run 33–77 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Black River-Matheson. On 24 October 2022, only 6% of electors voted for Black River-Matheson council, a weaker showing than most of Ontario.
How Black River-Matheson voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Black River-Matheson votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Black River-Matheson 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 Black River-Matheson falls on 28 October 2030, the fourth Monday in October every four years under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. Parliament was last elected on 28 April 2025, and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on 27 February 2025. Counts from April 2025 can’t appear here, since Elections Canada allows only non-commercial reuse of them.
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
Gaétan Malette represents Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk · Conservative Party of Canada
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
From Ontario come 122 MPs: 71 for the Liberal Party of Canada, 50 for the Conservative Party of Canada, Gaétan Malette’s party.
The MP’s record
On today’s boundaries, the 2021 vote in Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk would have gone to the New Democratic Party (36%), so Gaétan Malette’s 2025 win took it from them. The 2025 general election sent Gaétan Malette to the Commons for the first time.
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
Timmins—James Bay returned Charlie Angus (New Democratic Party) in 2021
The 2019 and 2021 counts in Timmins—James Bay, Black River-Matheson’s riding before the map was redrawn; it now votes in Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk.
Turnout in Timmins—James Bay was 55% in 2021, against 63% nationally. 41% had elected Charlie Angus there in 2019. The 2021 count in Timmins—James Bay put Charlie Angus (New Democratic Party) first at 35%, with Morgan Ellerton (Conservative Party of Canada) 2,739 votes back.
All 4 candidates in Timmins—James Bay, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Angus | New Democratic Party | 12,132 | 35.1% |
| Morgan Ellerton | Conservative Party of Canada | 9,393 | 27.2% |
| Steve Black | Liberal Party of Canada | 8,508 | 24.6% |
| Stephen MacLeod | People's Party of Canada | 4,537 | 13.1% |
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
Black River-Matheson 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.
At 58%, property taxes count for more of the revenue than the 37% seen across the province. At $277 per resident, Black River-Matheson council’s $609K of long-term debt is less than the $971 median. 22 full-time positions are funded, 10.0 per thousand residents. Each resident’s share of Black River-Matheson council’s 2024 spending came to $4,839, where the middle of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities sat at $3,796. The largest line is general government: 33% of the total, $1,586 a resident.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| General government | $3.5M | $1,586 | 33% |
| Roads and transit | $2.7M | $1,246 | 26% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $1.2M | $536 | 11% |
| Police, fire and protection | $1.1M | $492 | 10% |
| Recreation and culture | $812K | $369 | 8% |
| Public health and paramedics | $690K | $313 | 6% |
| Social housing | $463K | $210 | 4% |
| Social services and child care | $144K | $65 | 1% |
| Planning and development | $49K | $22 | 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 410 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
Each seat on Black River-Matheson council answers to 410 residents, a lower ratio than 86% of municipalities in Ontario.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Black River-Matheson 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 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 council size includes the head of council; the population is the 2021 Census, the whole city’s for a neighbourhood.
- 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.
- 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. A member who resigned or switched parties last week may still show here: the names are Wikidata’s.
- Not on this page. Party control (most Canadian councils sit without parties, and the open lists record none) and band councils.
Questions about how Black River-Matheson is run
Who is the MP for Black River-Matheson?
For Black River-Matheson, it’s Gaétan Malette (Conservative Party of Canada), who holds Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk.
Which party won Black River-Matheson in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Charlie Angus (New Democratic Party), in Timmins—James Bay; Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk has elected Gaétan Malette since.
Who is the MPP for Black River-Matheson?
This page can’t say which riding Black River-Matheson is in; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario lists every MPP with theirs.
Who heads the council in Black River-Matheson?
Doug Bender was elected mayor in October 2022, for the 2022–26 term of Black River-Matheson council.
How much does Black River-Matheson council spend?
The 2024 return of Black River-Matheson council shows $10.7M of spending for roughly 2,201 residents, $3.5M of it on general government.
How is Black River-Matheson council elected?
Black River-Matheson council: the mayor is chosen by the whole municipality, the councillors ward by ward.
What was the turnout in Black River-Matheson?
In October 2022, turnout for Black River-Matheson council was 6.0%, 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 · 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).