Photo: JustSomePics · CC BY-SA 3.0Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, which takes in Chesley, is held by Alex Ruff (Conservative Party of Canada)
Locally, Chesley is governed as part of Arran-Elderslie, a municipality. The October 2022 vote made Steve Hammell mayor of Arran-Elderslie, heading 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. Chesley is in Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, whose current MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) no open source we can use records yet. Across Ontario, 71 of the 122 MPs sit with the Liberal Party of Canada.
Three governments, and who does what
Chesley, a municipality in Ontario, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
Spends most on social services and child care, then public health and paramedics (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.
Arran-Elderslie is a lower-tier municipality: Bruce County, the upper tier, has its own council and services over it.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Chesley, from the most recent elections.
- 1Arran-Elderslie councilelected October 2022Steve Hammell
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioBruce—Grey—Owen Sound
- 3House of CommonsBruce—Grey—Owen Sound
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 Arran-Elderslie council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Steve Hammell
- Jennifer Christie
- Ryan Nickason
- Brian Dudgeon
- Darryl Hampton
- Moiken Penner
- Peter Steinacker
7 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Hammell | Mayor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Jennifer Christie | Deputy Mayor | 1,704 | 70% | No |
| Ryan Nickason | Councillor | 489 | 87% | Yes |
| Brian Dudgeon | Councillor | 218 | 65% | Yes |
| Darryl Hampton | Councillor | – | acclaimed | No |
| Moiken Penner | Councillor | – | acclaimed | No |
| Peter Steinacker | Councillor | 309 | 59% | No |
No candidate stood against Steve Hammell, who became mayor by acclamation. Each ward chooses its own councillors on Arran-Elderslie council, while the whole municipality votes for the mayor.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Chesley voted more than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
Chesley has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 21–27 km out. 47% of those on the list cast a ballot for Arran-Elderslie council on 24 October 2022, more than in a typical municipality.
How Chesley voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Chesley votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Arran-Elderslie council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
There are no 2025 counts here: Elections Canada’s terms bar their commercial reuse, so 2021 is the latest open result. 28 October 2030 is the next council election in Arran-Elderslie, fixed by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 for 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.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Chesley votes in Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound 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 ↗Southern Ontario’s ridings are the 2013 federal ones by statute, which is how this page places the town. The riding is Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound: it sends one MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and Chesley votes in it.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Alex Ruff represents Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2019
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
The MP’s record
Alex Ruff was first elected in 2019; the current Parliament is Alex Ruff’s 3rd. On today’s boundaries, the 2021 vote in Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound would have gone to the Conservative Party of Canada with 49%, and Alex Ruff 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
In 2021, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound re-elected Alex Ruff of the Conservative Party of Canada
Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound as it stood from 2013: the 2019 and 2021 counts, before the riding was redrawn for 2025.
Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound turned out at 64% in 2021; the country managed 63%. Alex Ruff already held it after the 2019 election, won with 46%. The 2021 count in Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound put Alex Ruff (Conservative Party of Canada) first at 49%, with Anne Marie Watson (Liberal Party of Canada) 13,989 votes back.
All 6 candidates in Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Ruff | Conservative Party of Canada | 28,727 | 49.2% |
| Anne Marie Watson | Liberal Party of Canada | 14,738 | 25.2% |
| Christopher Neudorf | New Democratic Party | 7,939 | 13.6% |
| Anna-Marie Fosbrooke | People's Party of Canada | 4,697 | 8.0% |
| Ashley Michelle Lawrence | Green Party of Canada | 1,789 | 3.1% |
| Reima Kaikkonen | Independent | 524 | 0.9% |
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
Arran-Elderslie 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 lower-tier municipalities.
Spending per resident by service, 2024
What pays for it
Shares of revenue, town and province.
Local taxpayers carry a bigger share than elsewhere: 52% of revenue, where the province’s returns show 42%. At $61 per resident, Arran-Elderslie council’s $419K of long-term debt is less than the $440 median. On top of that comes Bruce County: $2,014 a resident across its area, led by social services and child care. Spending by Arran-Elderslie council reached $1,954 a resident in 2024, well over the $1,901 median of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities. No service costs more than roads and transit, at $551 per resident and 28% of the total. Full-time staff number 35, about 5.1 to every thousand residents.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $3.8M | $551 | 28% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $2.9M | $412 | 21% |
| Police, fire and protection | $2.6M | $378 | 19% |
| Recreation and culture | $2M | $294 | 15% |
| General government | $1.5M | $217 | 11% |
| Planning and development | $429K | $62 | 3% |
| Public health and paramedics | $271K | $39 | 2% |
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 1,090 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
Only 1,090 residents share each seat on Arran-Elderslie council, fewer than in 61% of Ontario municipalities.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Chesley 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
- 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. Band councils, and which party runs the council: the open lists carry no party, and most councils have none.
- 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. A riding is listed when 5% or more of the place’s 2021 Census residents live in it; the largest share comes first.
- Council size. For residents per seat, the head of council is counted as a seat, and the population is the 2021 Census figure.
- 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.
Questions about how Chesley is run
Who is the MP for Chesley?
Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound’s MP, Alex Ruff of the Conservative Party of Canada, represents Chesley.
Which party won Chesley in the 2021 federal election?
Alex Ruff (Conservative Party of Canada) took Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound in 2021 and is its MP today.
Who is the MPP for Chesley?
Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound is the riding; its sitting MPP is on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s own list of members for Chesley and its neighbours.
Who heads the council in Chesley?
For the 2022–26 term, Arran-Elderslie council was led by Steve Hammell, elected mayor in October 2022.
How much does Arran-Elderslie council spend?
In 2024, Arran-Elderslie council spent $13.5M in all, for some 6,913 residents, of which $3.8M went on roads and transit, the biggest line.
Which regional body is Arran-Elderslie part of?
The council of Bruce County, made up of members from its municipalities, Arran-Elderslie among them, is the upper tier.
How is Arran-Elderslie council elected?
Arran-Elderslie council: the mayor is chosen by the whole municipality, the councillors ward by ward.
What was the turnout in Chesley?
It was 46.6% for Arran-Elderslie 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).