Photo: Rub-a-dub Hedgehog · CC BY 4.0Council seats in Chatham are spread thin, 6,260 residents each, more than in 87% of Ontario municipalities
For local government, Chatham falls under Chatham-Kent, a municipality. Voters in Chatham-Kent chose Darrin Canniff as mayor in October 2022, for a 18-seat council. 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. The 2 ridings of Chatham-Kent—Leamington and Lambton—Kent—Middlesex each take in part of Chatham for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. No open list we can reuse gives Chatham’s sitting MPP; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario keeps the list. Dave Epp (Conservative Party of Canada) is the MP for Chatham-Kent—Leamington, the riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) that takes in Chatham.
What stands out in how Chatham is governed
Many residents per seat
Across Ontario the median is one seat per 1,540 residents, well under the ratio on Chatham-Kent council. Council size ↓
Turnout below the norm
Across Ontario, median turnout in 2022 was 35%, and Chatham-Kent council came in under it. How Chatham voted ↓
A close federal race
In 2021 only 12.3 points separated first and second (Liberal Party of Canada) in Chatham-Kent—Leamington, tighter than 67% of the 338 ridings. How Chatham 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
Chatham, a municipality 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.
As a single-tier municipality, Chatham-Kent has no upper-tier council above it.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Chatham, from the most recent elections.
- 1Chatham-Kent councilelected October 2022Darrin Canniff
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioChatham-Kent—Leamington · Lambton—Kent—Middlesex
- 3House of CommonsChatham-Kent—Leamington
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 Chatham-Kent council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Darrin Canniff
- Michael Bondy
- Anthony Ceccacci
- Marjorie Crew
- Amy Finn
- Aaron Hall
- Melissa Harrigan
- Jamie McGrail
- Carmen McGregor
- Brock McGregor
- Steve Pinsonneault
- Trevor Thompson
- John Wright
- Lauren Anderson
- Ryan Doyle
- Rhonda Jubenville
- Conor Allin
- Alysson Storey
18 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darrin Canniff | Mayor | 17,981 | 75% | Yes |
| Michael Bondy | Councillor | 5,146 | 10% | Yes |
| Anthony Ceccacci | Councillor | 3,214 | 28% | Yes |
| Marjorie Crew | Councillor | 5,056 | 10% | Yes |
| Amy Finn | Councillor | 3,900 | 8% | Yes |
| Aaron Hall | Councillor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Melissa Harrigan | Councillor | 1,399 | 37% | Yes |
| Jamie McGrail | Councillor | 1,506 | 28% | Yes |
| Carmen McGregor | Councillor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Brock McGregor | Councillor | 5,329 | 10% | Yes |
| Steve Pinsonneault | Councillor | 2,049 | 38% | Yes |
| Trevor Thompson | Councillor | 2,909 | 25% | Yes |
| John Wright | Councillor | 1,727 | 32% | Yes |
| Lauren Anderson | Councillor | 1,331 | 35% | No |
| Ryan Doyle | Councillor | 2,083 | 18% | No |
| Rhonda Jubenville | Councillor | 1,046 | 20% | No |
| Conor Allin | Councillor | 5,095 | 10% | No |
| Alysson Storey | Councillor | 4,776 | 9% | No |
Darrin Canniff became mayor on 75% of the votes cast. The mayor is chosen at large; everyone else on Chatham-Kent council answers to a ward.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Chatham voted less 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 Chatham with figures are 34–52 km away. When Chatham-Kent council was chosen on 24 October 2022, just 31% of electors took part, under the provincial median.
How Chatham voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Chatham votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Chatham-Kent council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Chatham-Kent votes next on 28 October 2030: the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 sets municipal elections on the fourth Monday in October every four years. Provincially the last general election was on 27 February 2025, for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario; federally, on 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.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Chatham 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 ↗By law (the Representation Act, 2015), southern Ontario’s provincial ridings follow the 2013 federal boundaries, so each place is located from those. Which MPP in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario represents a home in Chatham depends on the street.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Dave Epp represents Chatham-Kent—Leamington in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Chatham-Kent—Leamington · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2019
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
Dave Epp 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
The current Parliament is Dave Epp’s 3rd, counting from a first win in 2019. On today’s boundaries, the 2021 vote in Chatham-Kent—Leamington would have gone to the Conservative Party of Canada with 42%, and Dave Epp kept 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
Dave Epp kept Chatham-Kent—Leamington for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021
Counts for Chatham-Kent—Leamington within its 2013 boundaries, used in 2019 and 2021; the 2025 election ran on a new map. 75% of Chatham lived in it.
64% of electors in Chatham-Kent—Leamington voted in 2021, above the 63% turnout across Canada. In 2019, Dave Epp had won the same riding with 47%. In 2021, Chatham-Kent—Leamington went to Dave Epp (Conservative Party of Canada) on 41%; Greg Hetherington (Liberal Party of Canada) finished 6,752 votes behind.
All 5 candidates in Chatham-Kent—Leamington, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Epp | Conservative Party of Canada | 22,435 | 40.9% |
| Greg Hetherington | Liberal Party of Canada | 15,683 | 28.6% |
| Dan Gelinas | New Democratic Party | 8,007 | 14.6% |
| Liz Vallee | People's Party of Canada | 7,892 | 14.4% |
| Mark Vercouteren | Green Party of Canada | 837 | 1.5% |
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
Chatham-Kent 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 41%, property taxes count for more of the revenue than the 37% seen across the province. At $182 per resident, Chatham-Kent council’s $20.3M of long-term debt is less than the $971 median. In 2024 the median among Ontario’s single-tier municipalities was $3,796 a resident; Chatham-Kent council spent $3,922. It employs the equivalent of 1,437 full-time positions, or 12.9 for each thousand people. At 26% of spending ($1,019 a resident), social services and child care leads the budget.
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social services and child care | $113.9M | $1,019 | 26% |
| Police, fire and protection | $75.5M | $676 | 17% |
| Roads and transit | $71.7M | $642 | 16% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $62.9M | $563 | 14% |
| Public health and paramedics | $32.6M | $292 | 7% |
| Recreation and culture | $32.2M | $288 | 7% |
| General government | $24M | $215 | 5% |
| Social housing | $17.1M | $153 | 4% |
| Planning and development | $8.3M | $74 | 2% |
Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
Chatham-Kent council beside its neighbours
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
How Chatham-Kent council compares is at the top of the page; here it stands beside its neighbours.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Chatham 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. Every seat counts, the head of council’s too, against the population of the 2021 Census.
- 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.
- Who holds each seat. MPs come from Wikidata’s records of the 45th Parliament, which can lag a resignation or a by-election by some days.
- Not on this page. Party control (most Canadian councils sit without parties, and the open lists record none) and 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. Where residents of the 2021 Census live decides the riding; any riding with 5% of them or more is named.
Questions about how Chatham is run
Who is the MP for Chatham?
Dave Epp (Conservative Party of Canada) sits for Chatham-Kent—Leamington, the riding Chatham is in.
Which party won Chatham in the 2021 federal election?
The Conservative Party of Canada: Dave Epp won Chatham-Kent—Leamington in 2021 and still holds it.
Who is the MPP for Chatham?
Each of Chatham-Kent—Leamington and Lambton—Kent—Middlesex elects its own MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and Chatham lies across them.
Who heads the council in Chatham?
Darrin Canniff was elected mayor in October 2022, for the 2022–26 term of Chatham-Kent council.
How much does Chatham-Kent council spend?
The 2024 return of Chatham-Kent council shows $438.1M of spending for roughly 111,705 residents, $113.9M of it on social services and child care.
How is Chatham-Kent council elected?
By ward for councillors and at large for the mayor, on Chatham-Kent council.
What was the turnout in Chatham?
It was 30.6% for Chatham-Kent council in 2022, with Ontario’s municipalities at a median of 35.5%.
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).