Photo: Saskia2586 · CC BY-SA 3.0Kitchener—Conestoga came down to 577 votes in 2021, closer than 97% of the country’s ridings
Elmira is in Kitchener—Conestoga 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 Elmira is Kitchener—Conestoga, and Tim Louis (Liberal Party of Canada) represents it in the House of Commons. Locally, Elmira is governed as part of Woolwich, a township. Voters in Woolwich chose Sandy Shantz as mayor in October 2022, for a 6-seat council. 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.
What stands out in how Elmira is governed
Many residents per seat
Woolwich council has more people behind each seat than most of Ontario, where the middle figure is 1,540 residents a seat. Council size ↓
Low spending per resident
Most of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spent more per resident in 2024 than Woolwich council: 90% of them. Council money ↓
A close federal race
In 2021 the winner in Kitchener—Conestoga led the runner-up (Conservative Party of Canada) by 1.1 points, a closer finish than in 97% of Canada’s 338 ridings. How Elmira has voted ↓
High federal turnout
Fewer electors stayed home in Kitchener—Conestoga than in 87% of Canada’s ridings at the 2021 election. The 2021 turnout ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
Elmira, a township 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.
Woolwich is a lower-tier municipality: Waterloo Region, the upper tier, has its own council and services over it.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Elmira, from the most recent elections.
- 1Woolwich councilelected October 2022Sandy Shantz
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioKitchener—Conestoga
- 3House of CommonsKitchener—Conestoga
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 Woolwich council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Sandy Shantz
- Evan Burgess
- Nathan Cadeau
- Eric Schwindt
- Bonnie Bryant
- Kayla Grant
6 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Shantz | Mayor | 3,929 | 58% | Yes |
| Evan Burgess | Councillor | 2,055 | 36% | No |
| Nathan Cadeau | Councillor | 1,510 | 27% | No |
| Eric Schwindt | Councillor | 618 | 56% | No |
| Bonnie Bryant | Councillor | 1,223 | 33% | No |
| Kayla Grant | Councillor | 1,104 | 29% | No |
Each ward chooses its own councillors on Woolwich council, while the whole municipality votes for the mayor. Sandy Shantz became mayor on 58% of the votes cast.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Elmira voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
Turnout for Woolwich council on 24 October 2022 was 35% of electors, lower than the Ontario norm.
How Elmira voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Elmira votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Woolwich 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. The Legislative Assembly of Ontario was last elected on 27 February 2025, and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. Councils are elected on the fourth Monday in October every four years, says the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, so Woolwich votes next on 28 October 2030.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Elmira votes in Kitchener—Conestoga 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 ↗Kitchener—Conestoga takes in Elmira and elects its MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Ontario’s southern ridings copy the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), and the town is placed by them.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Tim Louis represents Kitchener—Conestoga in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Kitchener—Conestoga · Liberal 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 holds 71 of 122 seats from Ontario, including Tim Louis’s.
The MP’s record
Tim Louis has sat in the Commons since 2019, now for the 3rd Parliament. Had the 2021 ballots been cast in today’s Kitchener—Conestoga, the Liberal Party of Canada would have led with 38%; Tim Louis held 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
Tim Louis kept Kitchener—Conestoga for the Liberal Party of Canada in 2021
These are the 2019 and 2021 results on the 2013 map of Kitchener—Conestoga; its boundaries changed for the 2025 election.
In 2021, Kitchener—Conestoga went to Tim Louis (Liberal Party of Canada) on 39%; Carlene Hawley (Conservative Party of Canada) finished 577 votes behind. Tim Louis was the sitting MP, elected there in 2019 with 40%.
All 5 candidates in Kitchener—Conestoga, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Louis | Liberal Party of Canada | 20,025 | 39.3% |
| Carlene Hawley | Conservative Party of Canada | 19,448 | 38.2% |
| Narine Dat Sookram | New Democratic Party | 5,948 | 11.7% |
| Kevin Dupuis | People's Party of Canada | 3,690 | 7.2% |
| Owen Bradley | Green Party of Canada | 1,842 | 3.6% |
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
Woolwich 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.
Woolwich council’s borrowing is light: $3.2M long term, $118 a resident where the median is $440. Taxes on property make up 41% of what comes in, less than the province-wide 42%. 94 full-time positions are funded, 3.5 per thousand residents. More goes to recreation and culture than to anything else: $341 a resident, 27% of all spending. Each resident’s share of Woolwich council’s 2024 spending came to $1,263, where the middle of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities sat at $1,901. Residents are also served by Waterloo Region, which spent $2,285 each across its area, chiefly on social services and child care.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recreation and culture | $9.2M | $341 | 27% |
| Roads and transit | $8.9M | $329 | 26% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $6.2M | $231 | 18% |
| Police, fire and protection | $5.1M | $187 | 15% |
| Planning and development | $2.4M | $89 | 7% |
| General government | $2.1M | $79 | 6% |
| Public health and paramedics | $102K | $4 | 0% |
| Social services and child care | $76K | $3 | 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 5,230 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
Woolwich council has one seat for every 5,230 residents, more than in 85% of Ontario municipalities.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Elmira 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
- 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.
- 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. Ridings changed in 2023: the 2019 and 2021 results are on the old map, and the 2021 vote on today’s map is Elections Canada’s own estimate from polling divisions.
- Council size. Seats count the head of council and the councillors, and residents are the 2021 Census count; a neighbourhood shows its city’s.
- 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.
Questions about how Elmira is run
Who is the MP for Elmira?
Tim Louis of the Liberal Party of Canada is the MP for Kitchener—Conestoga, which includes Elmira.
Which party won Elmira in the 2021 federal election?
The Liberal Party of Canada: Tim Louis won Kitchener—Conestoga in 2021 and still holds it.
Who is the MPP for Elmira?
The riding for Elmira is Kitchener—Conestoga, and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario lists the MPP who holds it.
Who heads the council in Elmira?
The open record gives Sandy Shantz, elected mayor of Woolwich council in October 2022.
How much does Woolwich council spend?
The 2024 return of Woolwich council shows $34.1M of spending for roughly 26,999 residents, $9.2M of it on recreation and culture.
Which regional body is Woolwich part of?
The council of Waterloo Region sits above Woolwich’s and runs region-wide services, police and water among them.
How is Woolwich council elected?
By ward for councillors and at large for the mayor, on Woolwich council.
What was the turnout in Elmira?
In October 2022, turnout for Woolwich council was 34.7%, against 35.5% for the typical Ontario municipality.
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).