Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0Fewer than 88% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spend as much per resident as Collingwood
Federally, Collingwood sits in Simcoe—Grey, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP), held by Terry Dowdall of the Conservative Party of Canada. Provincially, Collingwood votes in Simcoe—Grey; the open record doesn’t name its MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, so the legislature’s own list is linked below. Voters in Collingwood chose Yvonne Hamlin as mayor in October 2022, for a 9-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.
What stands out in how Collingwood is governed
Many residents per seat
The middle municipality in Ontario has a seat for every 1,540 residents; Collingwood council has far more people behind each. Council size ↓
Turnout above the norm
Across Ontario, median turnout in 2022 was 35%, and Collingwood council beat it. How Collingwood voted ↓
High spending per resident
Per resident, Collingwood council’s 2024 spending tops 88% of Ontario’s lower-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
Collingwood, a town 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 water, sewers and waste (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.
Two councils serve Collingwood: its own, and that of Simcoe County, the upper tier.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Collingwood, from the most recent elections.
- 1Collingwood councilelected October 2022Yvonne Hamlin
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioSimcoe—Grey
- 3House of CommonsSimcoe—Grey
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 Collingwood council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Yvonne Hamlin
- Tim Fryer
- Kathy Jeffery
- Deb Doherty
- Brandon Houston
- Chris Potts
- Rob Ring
- Christopher Baines
- Steve Perry
9 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yvonne Hamlin | Mayor | 3,469 | 40% | Yes |
| Tim Fryer | Deputy Mayor | 5,804 | 70% | No |
| Kathy Jeffery | Councillor | 5,615 | 13% | Yes |
| Deb Doherty | Councillor | 5,350 | 12% | Yes |
| Brandon Houston | Councillor | 4,822 | 11% | No |
| Chris Potts | Councillor | 4,267 | 10% | No |
| Rob Ring | Councillor | 4,032 | 9% | No |
| Christopher Baines | Councillor | 3,854 | 9% | No |
| Steve Perry | Councillor | 3,351 | 8% | No |
With 40% of the votes, Yvonne Hamlin carried the vote for mayor. Every seat on Collingwood council, the mayor’s included, is chosen by the whole municipality.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Collingwood voted more than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
Turnout for Collingwood council on 24 October 2022 was 40% of electors, higher than the Ontario norm.
How Collingwood voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Collingwood votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Collingwood council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Councils are elected on the fourth Monday in October every four years, says the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, so Collingwood votes next on 28 October 2030. Parliament was last elected on 28 April 2025, and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on 27 February 2025. This page stops at the 2021 vote: elections.ca keeps the 2025 counts under non-commercial terms.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Collingwood votes in Simcoe—Grey 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 ↗By law (the Representation Act, 2015), southern Ontario’s provincial ridings follow the 2013 federal boundaries, so each place is located from those. Collingwood is in Simcoe—Grey, one of the ridings that each elect a MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Terry Dowdall represents Simcoe—Grey in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Simcoe—Grey · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2019
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
The Liberal Party of Canada leads Ontario with 71 of 122 seats; Terry Dowdall is among the 50 from the Conservative Party of Canada.
The MP’s record
Elections Canada’s transposition of the 2021 vote onto today’s Simcoe—Grey puts the Conservative Party of Canada first at 47%; Terry Dowdall held it for the party in 2025. First elected in 2019, Terry Dowdall is serving the 3rd term of a Commons career.
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
Simcoe—Grey returned Terry Dowdall (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021
Counts for Simcoe—Grey within its 2013 boundaries, used in 2019 and 2021; the 2025 election ran on a new map.
At 64%, more of Simcoe—Grey voted in 2021 than Canada as a whole (63%). Back in 2019, Terry Dowdall took the riding on 43%. Terry Dowdall won the 2021 race in Simcoe—Grey for the Conservative Party of Canada, polling 47% and beating Bren Munro (Liberal Party of Canada) by 14,929 votes.
All 6 candidates in Simcoe—Grey, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terry Dowdall | Conservative Party of Canada | 36,249 | 47.3% |
| Bren Munro | Liberal Party of Canada | 21,320 | 27.8% |
| Lucas Gillies | New Democratic Party | 10,140 | 13.2% |
| Adam Minatel | People's Party of Canada | 5,550 | 7.2% |
| Nicholas Clayton | Green Party of Canada | 2,969 | 3.9% |
| Ken Stouffer | Christian Heritage Party of Canada | 382 | 0.5% |
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
Collingwood 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.
Property taxes and payments in lieu brought in 39% of revenue, against 42% across the province’s returns. Debt Collingwood council owes over the long term came to $12.1M, $488 a resident, higher than the median of $440. Simcoe County, the upper tier, spent another $1,228 per resident of its whole area, most of it on social services and child care. At $2,801 for every resident in 2024, Collingwood council sits above the $1,901 median of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities. At 23% of spending ($648 a resident), water, sewers and waste leads the budget. It employs the equivalent of 214 full-time positions, or 8.6 for each thousand people.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water, sewers and waste | $16.1M | $648 | 23% |
| Police, fire and protection | $14.7M | $591 | 21% |
| Recreation and culture | $13.5M | $543 | 19% |
| Roads and transit | $12.7M | $511 | 18% |
| General government | $8.7M | $349 | 12% |
| Planning and development | $3.3M | $133 | 5% |
| Social housing | $661K | $27 | 1% |
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 3,150 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
3,150 residents share each seat on Collingwood council, more than in 76% of Ontario municipalities.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Collingwood 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
- Which riding. The 2021 Census homes of a place’s residents fix its ridings, and one is shown once it holds 5% of them.
- Election results. The 2019 and 2021 figures are Elections Canada’s official counts on the ridings drawn in 2013; the “today’s boundaries” figures are its transposition of the 2021 vote onto the 2023 ridings, an estimate built from polling divisions.
- Not on this page. No party tally for the council, which the open lists don’t record, and no band councils.
- Who holds each seat. Wikidata, edited by volunteers, is the source for each MP, and it can trail a change of seat by a little.
- 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.
- Council size. The council size includes the head of council; the population is the 2021 Census, the whole city’s for a neighbourhood.
Questions about how Collingwood is run
Who is the MP for Collingwood?
For Collingwood, it’s Terry Dowdall (Conservative Party of Canada), who holds Simcoe—Grey.
Which party won Collingwood in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Terry Dowdall (Conservative Party of Canada), who represents Simcoe—Grey still.
Who is the MPP for Collingwood?
Collingwood votes in Simcoe—Grey; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s members page gives its current MPP.
Who heads the council in Collingwood?
In October 2022, Yvonne Hamlin won the post of mayor for Collingwood council’s 2022–26 term.
How much does Collingwood council spend?
The 2024 return of Collingwood council shows $69.5M of spending for roughly 24,811 residents, $16.1M of it on water, sewers and waste.
Which regional body is Collingwood part of?
Collingwood is part of Simcoe County, whose council, drawn from its municipalities’ councils, runs county-wide services.
How is Collingwood council elected?
Every seat on Collingwood council, the mayor’s included, is filled by the whole municipality.
What was the turnout in Collingwood?
Turnout for Collingwood council reached 39.7% in October 2022 (Ontario median: 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).