Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0Per resident, Geraldton spends more than 96% of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities
Geraldton is in the north, where the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s ridings don’t follow the 2013 federal map and have no open boundary file. Patty Hajdu (Liberal Party of Canada) is the MP for Thunder Bay—Superior North, the riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) that takes in Geraldton. For local government, Geraldton falls under Greenstone, a municipality. In October 2022, Greenstone elected James McPherson as mayor, with a council of 9. Ontario held new municipal elections on 26 October 2026; until the province publishes them, the open record stops at the council elected in 2022.
What stands out in how Geraldton is governed
Few residents per seat
The middle municipality in Ontario has a seat for every 1,540 residents; Greenstone council has fewer behind each. Council size ↓
Turnout below the norm
Across Ontario, median turnout in 2022 was 35%, and Greenstone council came in under it. How Geraldton voted ↓
High spending per resident
In 2024, 96% of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities spent less per resident than Greenstone council. 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
Geraldton, a municipality 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.
As a single-tier municipality, Greenstone answers to no county or region; Thunder Bay is only its census division.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Geraldton, from the most recent elections.
- 1Greenstone councilelected October 2022James McPherson
- 2Legislative Assembly of Ontario–
- 3House of CommonsThunder Bay—Superior North
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 Greenstone council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- James McPherson
- Vicky Budge
- Eric Pietsch
- Chris Walterson
- Elaine Mannisto
- Alan Ouellet
- Claudette Trottier
- Matthew Donovan
- Fran Koning
9 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James McPherson | Mayor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Vicky Budge | Councillor | 51 | 62% | No |
| Eric Pietsch | Councillor | – | acclaimed | No |
| Chris Walterson | Councillor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Elaine Mannisto | Councillor | 222 | 42% | Yes |
| Alan Ouellet | Councillor | 227 | 43% | No |
| Claudette Trottier | Councillor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Matthew Donovan | Councillor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Fran Koning | Councillor | 65 | 61% | No |
With no rival, James McPherson took the mayor’s chair by acclamation. The mayor is chosen at large; everyone else on Greenstone council answers to a ward.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Geraldton voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
On 24 October 2022, only 25% of electors voted for Greenstone council, a weaker showing than most of Ontario. Geraldton has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 104–120 km out.
How Geraldton voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Geraldton votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Greenstone council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
28 October 2030 is the next council election in Greenstone, fixed by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 for the fourth Monday in October every four years. The last general elections came on 27 February 2025 for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and on 28 April 2025 for Parliament. There are no 2025 counts here: Elections Canada’s terms bar their commercial reuse, so 2021 is the latest open result.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario: riding not placed
Provinces and territories run schools, health care and municipal law; each riding elects one MPP.
Find your MPP on the legislature’s site
ola.org ↗Legislatures: their own member pages
Patty Hajdu represents Thunder Bay—Superior North in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Thunder Bay—Superior North · Liberal Party of Canada · first elected 2015
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
Patty Hajdu sits with the Liberal Party of Canada, which holds 71 of the 122 seats from Ontario.
The MP’s record
Wikidata records Patty Hajdu as Minister of Health (2019–2021), Minister of Employment, Workforce, and Labour (2017–2019) and Minister for Women, Gender Equality and Youth (2015–2017). Patty Hajdu was first elected in 2015; the current Parliament is Patty Hajdu’s 4th. Elections Canada’s transposition of the 2021 vote onto today’s Thunder Bay—Superior North puts the Liberal Party of Canada first at 40%; Patty Hajdu held it for the party 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
In 2021, Thunder Bay—Superior North re-elected Patty Hajdu of the Liberal Party of Canada
Results in Thunder Bay—Superior North as drawn in 2013, the boundaries of the 2019 and 2021 elections; the riding was redrawn for 2025.
Patty Hajdu (Liberal Party of Canada) took Thunder Bay—Superior North in 2021 with 41% of the vote, 5,649 votes ahead of Chantelle Bryson (New Democratic Party). Back in 2019, Patty Hajdu took the riding on 43%.
All 6 candidates in Thunder Bay—Superior North, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patty Hajdu | Liberal Party of Canada | 16,893 | 40.7% |
| Chantelle Bryson | New Democratic Party | 11,244 | 27.1% |
| Joshua Taylor | Conservative Party of Canada | 10,035 | 24.2% |
| Rick Daines | People's Party of Canada | 2,465 | 5.9% |
| Amanda Moddejonge | Green Party of Canada | 735 | 1.8% |
| Alexander Vodden | Libertarian Party of Canada | 111 | 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
Greenstone 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.
At 27% of spending ($1,659 a resident), roads and transit leads the budget. The return counts 78 full-time positions, 18.1 for every thousand residents. Each resident’s share of Greenstone council’s 2024 spending came to $6,208, where the middle of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities sat at $3,796. Greenstone council’s borrowing is on the heavy side: $6.8M long term, $1,569 a resident where the median is $971. Property taxes and payments in lieu brought in 57% of revenue, against 37% across the province’s returns.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $7.1M | $1,659 | 27% |
| General government | $4.7M | $1,092 | 18% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $4.7M | $1,083 | 17% |
| Social services and child care | $3.2M | $740 | 12% |
| Police, fire and protection | $3.1M | $721 | 12% |
| Recreation and culture | $2.7M | $631 | 10% |
| Public health and paramedics | $779K | $181 | 3% |
| Planning and development | $434K | $101 | 2% |
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 490 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
A seat on Greenstone council covers 490 residents; 84% of Ontario municipalities have more per seat.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Geraldton 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. No party tally for the council, which the open lists don’t record, and no band councils.
- Who holds each seat. MPs come from Wikidata’s records of the 45th Parliament, which can lag a resignation or a by-election by some days.
- Which riding. Where residents of the 2021 Census live decides the riding; any riding with 5% of them or more is named.
- 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.
- Council size. The council size includes the head of council; the population is the 2021 Census, the whole city’s for a neighbourhood.
- 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 Geraldton is run
Who is the MP for Geraldton?
Patty Hajdu (Liberal Party of Canada) sits for Thunder Bay—Superior North, the riding Geraldton is in.
Which party won Geraldton in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Patty Hajdu (Liberal Party of Canada), who represents Thunder Bay—Superior North still.
Who is the MPP for Geraldton?
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s website names each MPP by riding; the riding of Geraldton has to be looked up there.
Who heads the council in Geraldton?
The open record gives James McPherson, elected mayor of Greenstone council in October 2022.
How much does Greenstone council spend?
The 2024 return of Greenstone council shows $26.7M of spending for roughly 4,309 residents, $7.1M of it on roads and transit.
How is Greenstone council elected?
By ward for councillors and at large for the mayor, on Greenstone council.
What was the turnout in Geraldton?
Turnout for Greenstone council reached 24.5% in October 2022 (Ontario median: 35.5%).
Sources: MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · 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).