Photo: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domainCornwall’s council outspends 89% of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities, per resident
Cornwall’s council of 11 was elected in October 2022, with Justin Towndale as mayor. These names are from the 2022–26 term: Ontario’s municipalities voted on 26 October 2026, but the province’s open list of the results isn’t out. Cornwall is in Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry 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. The riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) covering Cornwall is Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry, and Eric Duncan (Conservative Party of Canada) represents it in the House of Commons.
What stands out in how Cornwall is governed
Many residents per seat
Across Ontario the median is one seat per 1,540 residents, well under the ratio on Cornwall council. Council size ↓
Turnout below the norm
Across Ontario, median turnout in 2022 was 35%, and Cornwall council came in under it. How Cornwall voted ↓
High spending per resident
Per resident, Cornwall council’s 2024 spending tops 89% of Ontario’s single-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
Cornwall, a city 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.
Cornwall runs its own county-level services as a single-tier city; Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry appears only in the census.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Cornwall, from the most recent elections.
- 1Cornwall councilelected October 2022Justin Towndale
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioStormont—Dundas—South Glengarry
- 3House of CommonsStormont—Dundas—Glengarry
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 Cornwall council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Justin Towndale
- Sarah Good
- Carilyne Hébert
- Elaine MacDonald
- Dean Hollingsworth
- Todd Bennett
- Maurice Dupelle
- Claude McIntosh
- Denis Sabourin
- Syd Gardiner
- Fred Ngoundjo
11 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Towndale | Mayor | 5,169 | – | Yes |
| Sarah Good | Councillor | 5,478 | – | No |
| Carilyne Hébert | Councillor | 4,439 | – | Yes |
| Elaine MacDonald | Councillor | 3,880 | – | Yes |
| Dean Hollingsworth | Councillor | 3,480 | – | Yes |
| Todd Bennett | Councillor | 3,312 | – | Yes |
| Maurice Dupelle | Councillor | 3,302 | – | Yes |
| Claude McIntosh | Councillor | 3,217 | – | Yes |
| Denis Sabourin | Councillor | 2,859 | – | No |
| Syd Gardiner | Councillor | 2,738 | – | Yes |
| Fred Ngoundjo | Councillor | 2,719 | – | No |
Voters across the municipality choose the mayor and every councillor on Cornwall council alike.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Cornwall voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
Cornwall council was elected on 24 October 2022 with 29% of electors voting, below the provincial middle.
How Cornwall voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Cornwall votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Cornwall council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
The latest vote shown is 2021: the 2025 counts carry Elections Canada’s non-commercial terms. Cornwall votes next on 28 October 2030: the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 sets municipal elections on the fourth Monday in October every four years. The Legislative Assembly of Ontario was last elected on 27 February 2025, and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Cornwall votes in Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry 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 ↗For the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Cornwall votes in Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, which has one MPP. By law (the Representation Act, 2015), southern Ontario’s provincial ridings follow the 2013 federal boundaries, so each place is located from those.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Eric Duncan represents Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2019
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, Eric Duncan’s party.
The MP’s record
Eric Duncan was first elected in 2019; the current Parliament is Eric Duncan’s 3rd. Mapped onto today’s Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry, the 2021 vote gives the Conservative Party of Canada 54%; in 2025 Eric Duncan kept the seat in the same hands.
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
Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry returned Eric Duncan (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021
Under the 2013 boundaries of the 2019 and 2021 elections, Cornwall sat in Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry; the 2025 election put it in Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry.
62% of electors in Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry voted in 2021, below the 63% turnout across Canada. In 2019, Eric Duncan had won the same riding with 54%. The 2021 count in Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry put Eric Duncan (Conservative Party of Canada) first at 56%, with Denis Moquin (Liberal Party of Canada) 16,812 votes back.
All 5 candidates in Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Duncan | Conservative Party of Canada | 29,255 | 55.6% |
| Denis Moquin | Liberal Party of Canada | 12,443 | 23.6% |
| Trevor Kennedy | New Democratic Party | 5,804 | 11.0% |
| David Anber | People's Party of Canada | 3,921 | 7.5% |
| Jeanie Warnock | Green Party of Canada | 1,230 | 2.3% |
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
Cornwall 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.
Property taxes and payments in lieu brought in 33% of revenue, against 37% across the province’s returns. Debt Cornwall council owes over the long term came to $66.3M, $1,385 a resident, higher than the median of $971. It employs the equivalent of 864 full-time positions, or 18.1 for each thousand people. In 2024 the median among Ontario’s single-tier municipalities was $3,796 a resident; Cornwall council spent $5,210. The largest line is social services and child care: 29% of the total, $1,534 a resident.
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social services and child care | $73.4M | $1,534 | 29% |
| Police, fire and protection | $44.6M | $933 | 18% |
| Roads and transit | $29M | $606 | 12% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $28.4M | $594 | 11% |
| Public health and paramedics | $24.7M | $517 | 10% |
| Recreation and culture | $21.2M | $444 | 9% |
| Social housing | $18.9M | $395 | 8% |
| General government | $5.4M | $113 | 2% |
| Planning and development | $3.6M | $74 | 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 4,940 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
With 4,940 residents behind each seat, Cornwall council sits above 83% of Ontario municipalities.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Cornwall 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. Residents per seat divide the 2021 Census population by every council seat, the head of council’s included.
- 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.
- 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. A member who resigned or switched parties last week may still show here: the names are Wikidata’s.
- 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.
- 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.
Questions about how Cornwall is run
Who is the MP for Cornwall?
Eric Duncan (Conservative Party of Canada) sits for Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry, the riding Cornwall is in.
Which party won Cornwall in the 2021 federal election?
The Conservative Party of Canada: Eric Duncan won Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry in 2021 and is the MP for today’s Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry.
Who is the MPP for Cornwall?
The riding for Cornwall is Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario lists the MPP who holds it.
Who heads the council in Cornwall?
In October 2022, Justin Towndale won the post of mayor for Cornwall council’s 2022–26 term.
How much does Cornwall council spend?
The 2024 return of Cornwall council shows $249.3M of spending for roughly 47,845 residents, $73.4M of it on social services and child care.
How is Cornwall council elected?
At large: every voter helps fill all of Cornwall council, the mayor too.
What was the turnout in Cornwall?
29.0% of electors voted when Cornwall council was elected in October 2022; the Ontario median was 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).