Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.095% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spend more per resident than Bridgenorth
Bridgenorth has no council of its own: it belongs to Selwyn, a township. The October 2022 vote made Sherry Senis mayor of Selwyn, heading 5 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. For the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Bridgenorth votes in Peterborough—Kawartha; open data doesn’t yet say who its MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) is. Bridgenorth sends one MP to Ottawa from Peterborough, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP): Emma Harrison (Liberal Party of Canada).
What stands out in how Bridgenorth is governed
Many residents per seat
Across Ontario the median is one seat per 1,540 residents, well under the ratio on Selwyn council. Council size ↓
Turnout below the norm
Across Ontario, median turnout in 2022 was 35%, and Selwyn council came in under it. How Bridgenorth voted ↓
Low spending per resident
In 2024, 95% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spent more per resident than Selwyn 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
Bridgenorth, a township in Ontario, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
Spends most on public health and paramedics, then roads and transit (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.
Peterborough County is the upper tier over Selwyn, a lower-tier municipality.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Bridgenorth, from the most recent elections.
- 1Selwyn councilelected October 2022Sherry Senis
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioPeterborough—Kawartha
- 3House of CommonsPeterborough
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 Selwyn council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Sherry Senis
- Ron Black
- Mary Coulas
- Brian Henry
- John Boyko
5 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherry Senis | Mayor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Ron Black | Deputy Mayor | – | acclaimed | No |
| Mary Coulas | Councillor | 1,121 | 76% | No |
| Brian Henry | Councillor | 1,059 | 68% | No |
| John Boyko | Councillor | 897 | 81% | No |
No candidate stood against Sherry Senis, who became mayor by acclamation. Councillors on Selwyn council are elected by ward, the mayor by the whole municipality.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Bridgenorth voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
Selwyn council was elected on 24 October 2022 with 25% of electors voting, below the provincial middle.
How Bridgenorth voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Bridgenorth votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Selwyn 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. 28 October 2030 is the next council election in Selwyn, fixed by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 for the fourth Monday in October every four years. 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
Bridgenorth votes in Peterborough—Kawartha 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 ↗The riding comes from the 2013 federal map, which southern Ontario’s provincial ridings match under the Representation Act, 2015. Peterborough—Kawartha takes in Bridgenorth and elects its MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Emma Harrison represents Peterborough in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Peterborough · Liberal Party of Canada
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
Emma Harrison sits with the Liberal Party of Canada, which holds 71 of the 122 seats from Ontario.
The MP’s record
The 2025 general election sent Emma Harrison to the Commons for the first time. Elections Canada’s transposition of the 2021 vote onto today’s Peterborough puts the Conservative Party of Canada first at 39%: Emma Harrison won it away from 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
A new party in Peterborough—Kawartha in 2021: Michelle Ferreri (Conservative Party of Canada)
Before the 2023 redistribution, Bridgenorth voted in Peterborough—Kawartha; these are its 2019 and 2021 results, and Peterborough is its riding today.
39% had been enough for Maryam Monsef (Liberal Party of Canada) to win it in 2019. The 2021 count in Peterborough—Kawartha put Michelle Ferreri (Conservative Party of Canada) first at 39%, with Maryam Monsef (Liberal Party of Canada) 2,738 votes back. At 69%, more of Peterborough—Kawartha voted in 2021 than Canada as a whole (63%).
All 6 candidates in Peterborough—Kawartha, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michelle Ferreri | Conservative Party of Canada | 27,402 | 39.0% |
| Maryam Monsef | Liberal Party of Canada | 24,664 | 35.1% |
| Joy Lachica | New Democratic Party | 13,302 | 19.0% |
| Paul Lawton | People's Party of Canada | 3,073 | 4.4% |
| Chanté White | Green Party of Canada | 1,553 | 2.2% |
| Robert M. Bowers | Independent | 218 | 0.3% |
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
Selwyn 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.
The upper tier, Peterborough County, adds $1,322 per resident of its own, mostly for public health and paramedics. Each resident’s share of Selwyn council’s 2024 spending came to $1,132, where the middle of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities sat at $1,901. No service costs more than police, fire and protection, at $357 per resident and 32% of the total. The return counts 64 full-time positions, 3.4 for every thousand residents. Local taxpayers carry a bigger share than elsewhere: 51% of revenue, where the province’s returns show 42%. Selwyn council carried $222K of long-term debt, $12 per resident against a typical $440.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police, fire and protection | $6.7M | $357 | 32% |
| Roads and transit | $5.3M | $282 | 25% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $4.3M | $229 | 20% |
| Recreation and culture | $3.7M | $201 | 18% |
| Planning and development | $616K | $33 | 3% |
| General government | $569K | $30 | 3% |
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 4,130 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
A seat on Selwyn council covers 4,130 residents; 81% of Ontario municipalities have fewer per seat.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Bridgenorth 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. Who holds each seat is read from Wikidata, so a very recent change in the Commons may not appear yet.
- Which riding. Where residents of the 2021 Census live decides the riding; any riding with 5% of them or more is named.
- 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 Bridgenorth is run
Who is the MP for Bridgenorth?
Emma Harrison of the Liberal Party of Canada is the MP for Peterborough, which includes Bridgenorth.
Which party won Bridgenorth in the 2021 federal election?
Peterborough—Kawartha went to Michelle Ferreri (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021. Since 2025, Emma Harrison has been the MP for Peterborough.
Who is the MPP for Bridgenorth?
Bridgenorth votes in Peterborough—Kawartha; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s members page gives its current MPP.
Who heads the council in Bridgenorth?
For the 2022–26 term, Selwyn council was led by Sherry Senis, elected mayor in October 2022.
How much does Selwyn council spend?
The 2024 return of Selwyn council shows $21.1M of spending for roughly 18,653 residents, $6.7M of it on police, fire and protection.
Which regional body is Selwyn part of?
The council of Peterborough County, made up of members from its municipalities, Selwyn among them, is the upper tier.
How is Selwyn council elected?
By ward for councillors and at large for the mayor, on Selwyn council.
What was the turnout in Bridgenorth?
In October 2022, turnout for Selwyn council was 24.6%, 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).