Photo: Andrea_44 from Leamington, Ontario , Canada · CC BY 2.067% of electors voted in Essex in 2021, more than in 77% of Canada’s ridings
Sherry Bondy was elected mayor of Essex in October 2022, on a council of 8 seats. 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. Essex is in the riding of the same name 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. Chris Lewis (Conservative Party of Canada) is MP for Essex, a riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) named after the town.
What stands out in how Essex is governed
Many residents per seat
Essex council spreads its seats over a big population; the typical municipality in Ontario has one seat per 1,540 residents. Council size ↓
Turnout above the norm
In Ontario’s 2022 municipal elections, the middle municipality saw 35% of electors vote; Essex council did better. How Essex voted ↓
A close federal race
In 2021 only 9.2 points separated first and second (New Democratic Party) in Essex, tighter than 74% of the 338 ridings. How Essex has voted ↓
High federal turnout
Federal turnout in Essex beat 77% of Canada’s ridings in 2021. 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
Essex, a town in Ontario, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
Spends most on public health and paramedics, then social services and child care (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 Essex: its own, and that of Essex County, the upper tier.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Essex, from the most recent elections.
- 1Essex councilelected October 2022Sherry Bondy
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioEssex
- 3House of CommonsEssex
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 Essex council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Sherry Bondy
- Rob Shepley
- Joe Garon
- Kim Verbeek
- Katie McGuire-Blais
- Brad Allard
- Jason Matyi
- Rodney Hammond
8 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherry Bondy | Mayor | 3,794 | 54% | Yes |
| Rob Shepley | Deputy Mayor | 3,581 | 51% | No |
| Joe Garon | Councillor | 1,282 | 54% | Yes |
| Kim Verbeek | Councillor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Katie McGuire-Blais | Councillor | 1,186 | 50% | No |
| Brad Allard | Councillor | 1,063 | 48% | No |
| Jason Matyi | Councillor | 1,038 | 47% | Yes |
| Rodney Hammond | Councillor | 626 | 52% | No |
Councillors on Essex council are elected by ward, the mayor by the whole municipality. For mayor, Sherry Bondy drew 54% of the votes. One seat needed no vote: it had just one candidate.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Essex voted more than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
41% of those on the list cast a ballot for Essex council on 24 October 2022, more than in a typical municipality.
How Essex voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Essex votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Essex council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
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 Essex falls on 28 October 2030, the fourth Monday in October every four years under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. No open copy of the 2025 counts exists, and Elections Canada’s own terms rule out commercial reuse, so 2021 is the last vote shown.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Essex votes in the riding of the same name 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 ↗The riding of the same name takes in Essex and elects its MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 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
Chris Lewis represents Essex in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Essex · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2019
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
In Ontario, Chris Lewis belongs to a minority: the Conservative Party of Canada has 50 of 122 seats, the Liberal Party of Canada 71.
The MP’s record
Had the 2021 ballots been cast in today’s Essex, the Conservative Party of Canada would have led with 41%; Chris Lewis held it for them in 2025. The current Parliament is Chris Lewis’ 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
Chris Lewis kept Essex for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021
Counts for Essex within its 2013 boundaries, used in 2019 and 2021; the 2025 election ran on a new map.
The 2019 result had favoured Chris Lewis as well, at 41%. Chris Lewis won the 2021 race in Essex for the Conservative Party of Canada, polling 41% and beating Tracey Ramsey (New Democratic Party) by 6,463 votes.
All 7 candidates in Essex, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Lewis | Conservative Party of Canada | 28,741 | 41.1% |
| Tracey Ramsey | New Democratic Party | 22,278 | 31.8% |
| Audrey Festeryga | Liberal Party of Canada | 10,813 | 15.5% |
| Beth Charron-Rowberry | People's Party of Canada | 6,925 | 9.9% |
| Nancy Pancheshan | Green Party of Canada | 865 | 1.2% |
| Jeremy Palko | Christian Heritage Party of Canada | 182 | 0.3% |
| Andrew George | Independent | 172 | 0.3% |
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
Essex 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.
Taxes on property make up 37% of what comes in, less than the province-wide 42%. Long-term debt at Essex council stood at $19.2M, or $905 a resident, above the $440 median. Each resident’s share of Essex council’s 2024 spending came to $1,992, where the middle of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities sat at $1,901. Essex County, the upper tier, spent another $1,043 per resident of its whole area, most of it on public health and paramedics. It employs the equivalent of 85 full-time positions, or 4.0 for each thousand people. At 22% of spending ($429 a resident), roads and transit leads the budget.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $9.1M | $429 | 22% |
| Recreation and culture | $8.9M | $418 | 21% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $8.4M | $398 | 20% |
| Police, fire and protection | $7.6M | $357 | 18% |
| General government | $6.4M | $303 | 15% |
| Planning and development | $1.5M | $71 | 4% |
| Public health and paramedics | $334K | $16 | 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 2,980 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
At 2,980 residents a seat, Essex council is more thinly spread than 74% of Ontario municipalities.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Essex 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. The 2021 Census population is shared over all council seats, including the head of council’s, for this ratio.
- 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.
- 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. Each MP’s name and party are Wikidata’s statements for the 45th Parliament, read in November 2026.
- 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. Two maps are in play: the 2013 ridings, on which 2019 and 2021 were counted, and the 2023 ridings, onto which Elections Canada transposed the 2021 vote poll by poll.
Questions about how Essex is run
Who is the MP for Essex?
For Essex, it’s Chris Lewis (Conservative Party of Canada), who holds the riding of the same name.
Which party won Essex in the 2021 federal election?
The Conservative Party of Canada: Chris Lewis won Essex in 2021 and still holds it.
Who is the MPP for Essex?
The riding for Essex is the riding of the same name, and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario lists the MPP who holds it.
Who heads the council in Essex?
The open record gives Sherry Bondy, elected mayor of Essex council in October 2022.
How much does Essex council spend?
The 2024 return of Essex council shows $42.3M of spending for roughly 21,216 residents, $9.1M of it on roads and transit.
Which regional body is Essex part of?
The council of Essex County, made up of members from its municipalities, Essex among them, is the upper tier.
How is Essex council elected?
Essex council: the mayor is chosen by the whole municipality, the councillors ward by ward.
What was the turnout in Essex?
In October 2022, turnout for Essex council was 41.1%, 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).