Photo: Tabercil · CC BY 3.0Alex Ruff (Conservative Party of Canada) represents Durham in Ottawa as MP for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound
Across Ontario, 71 of the 122 MPs sit with the Liberal Party of Canada. For the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Durham votes in Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound; open data doesn’t yet say who its MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) is. For local government, Durham falls under West Grey, a municipality. West Grey’s council of 7 was elected in October 2022, with Kevin Eccles as mayor. Ontario held new municipal elections on 26 October 2026; until the province publishes them, the open record stops at the council elected in 2022.
Three governments, and who does what
Durham, 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 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.
Grey County is the upper tier over West Grey, a lower-tier municipality.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Durham, from the most recent elections.
- 1West Grey councilelected October 2022Kevin Eccles
- 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 West Grey council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Kevin Eccles
- Thomas Hutchinson
- Doug Hutchinson
- Geoffrey Shea
- Scott Foerster
- Joyce Nuhn
- Doug Townsend
7 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Eccles | Mayor | 1,834 | 46% | No |
| Thomas Hutchinson | Deputy Mayor | 2,718 | 68% | Yes |
| Doug Hutchinson | Councillor | 2,090 | 52% | Yes |
| Geoffrey Shea | Councillor | 1,437 | 36% | Yes |
| Scott Foerster | Councillor | 1,502 | 38% | No |
| Joyce Nuhn | Councillor | 1,710 | 43% | No |
| Doug Townsend | Councillor | 1,656 | 41% | No |
For mayor, Kevin Eccles drew 46% of the votes. There are no wards on West Grey council: the whole electorate votes for every seat, the mayor too.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Durham voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
No closer places have figures: these lie 15–29 km from Durham. West Grey council was elected on 24 October 2022 with 35% of electors voting, below the provincial middle.
How Durham voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Durham votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| West Grey council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
The 2025 results are left out because elections.ca’s terms forbid commercial reproduction; the open catalogue’s latest is 2021. The last general elections came on 27 February 2025 for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and on 28 April 2025 for Parliament. The next council election in West Grey falls on 28 October 2030, the fourth Monday in October every four years under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Durham 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 ↗By law (the Representation Act, 2015), southern Ontario’s provincial ridings follow the 2013 federal boundaries, so each place is located from those. Durham is in Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, 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
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
Elections Canada’s transposition of the 2021 vote onto today’s Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound puts the Conservative Party of Canada first at 49%; Alex Ruff held it for the party in 2025. The current Parliament is Alex Ruff’s 3rd, counting from a first win in 2019.
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
Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound returned Alex Ruff (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021
Counts for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound within its 2013 boundaries, used in 2019 and 2021; the 2025 election ran on a new map.
Turnout in Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound reached 64% in 2021, against 63% nationally. The 2019 result had favoured Alex Ruff as well, at 46%. 13,989 votes separated Alex Ruff (Conservative Party of Canada) from Anne Marie Watson (Liberal Party of Canada) in Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound in 2021, when the winner took 49%.
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
West Grey 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.
Taxes on property make up 62% of what comes in, more than the province-wide 42%. At $78 per resident, West Grey council’s $1M of long-term debt is less than the $440 median. Grey County, the upper tier, spent another $1,694 per resident of its whole area, most of it on social services and child care. West Grey council spent $1,734 per resident in 2024, against a median of $1,901 among Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities. The largest line is roads and transit: 34% of the total, $585 a resident. It employs the equivalent of 64 full-time positions, or 4.9 for each thousand people.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $7.7M | $585 | 34% |
| Police, fire and protection | $7M | $533 | 31% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $2.7M | $202 | 12% |
| Recreation and culture | $2.6M | $197 | 11% |
| General government | $2.5M | $187 | 11% |
| Planning and development | $320K | $24 | 1% |
| Public health and paramedics | $84K | $6 | 0% |
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 2,050 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
Only 62% of municipalities in Ontario have fewer seats for their size than West Grey council, at 2,050 residents each.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Durham 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 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.
- Council size. The council size includes the head of council; the population is the 2021 Census, the whole city’s for a neighbourhood.
- Which riding. A place belongs to the riding where most of its 2021 Census residents live, plus any other with 5% or more.
- 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.
- Not on this page. Party control (most Canadian councils sit without parties, and the open lists record none) and 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.
Questions about how Durham is run
Who is the MP for Durham?
Alex Ruff of the Conservative Party of Canada is the MP for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, which includes Durham.
Which party won Durham 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 Durham?
Durham votes in Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s members page gives its current MPP.
Who heads the council in Durham?
In October 2022, Kevin Eccles won the post of mayor for West Grey council’s 2022–26 term.
How much does West Grey council spend?
In 2024, West Grey council spent $22.8M in all, for some 13,131 residents, of which $7.7M went on roads and transit, the biggest line.
Which regional body is West Grey part of?
The council of Grey County, made up of members from its municipalities, West Grey among them, is the upper tier.
How is West Grey council elected?
At large: every voter helps fill all of West Grey council, the mayor too.
What was the turnout in Durham?
Turnout for West Grey council reached 34.5% 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).