Photo: Ryan Hodnett · CC BY-SA 4.0Guelph has one council seat for every 12,370 residents, more than 93% of municipalities in Ontario
Voters in Guelph chose Cam Guthrie as mayor in October 2022, for a 13-seat council. 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. For the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Guelph votes in the riding of the same name; open data doesn’t yet say who its MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) is. Dominique O'Rourke (Liberal Party of Canada) is MP for Guelph, a riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) named after the town.
What stands out in how Guelph is governed
Many residents per seat
The middle municipality in Ontario has a seat for every 1,540 residents; Guelph council has far more people behind each. Council size ↓
Turnout below the norm
The 2022 vote for Guelph council drew fewer electors than Ontario’s median of 35%. How Guelph voted ↓
Split between ridings
83% of Guelph residents live in the riding of the same name; the other 17% vote in Wellington—Halton Hills North or beyond. Member of Parliament ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
Guelph, 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.
No county council governs Guelph, a single-tier city, even if the census files it under Wellington.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Guelph, from the most recent elections.
- 1Guelph councilelected October 2022Cam Guthrie
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioGuelph
- 3House of CommonsGuelph · 83%
- 4House of CommonsWellington—Halton Hills North · 17%
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 Guelph council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Cam Guthrie
- Phil Allt
- Christine Billings
- Cathy Downer
- Dan Gibson
- Rodrigo Goller
- Dominique O'Rourke
- Leanne Caron Piper
- Erin Caton
- Carly Klassen
- Michele Richardson
- Linda Busuttil
- Ken Yee Chew
13 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cam Guthrie | Mayor | 20,357 | 71% | Yes |
| Phil Allt | Councillor | 3,228 | 39% | Yes |
| Christine Billings | Councillor | 2,202 | 30% | Yes |
| Cathy Downer | Councillor | 2,809 | 34% | Yes |
| Dan Gibson | Councillor | 2,375 | 31% | Yes |
| Rodrigo Goller | Councillor | 3,498 | 31% | Yes |
| Dominique O'Rourke | Councillor | 3,330 | 36% | Yes |
| Leanne Caron Piper | Councillor | 2,870 | 35% | Yes |
| Erin Caton | Councillor | 1,418 | 19% | No |
| Carly Klassen | Councillor | 3,105 | 27% | No |
| Michele Richardson | Councillor | 1,362 | 17% | No |
| Linda Busuttil | Councillor | 1,685 | 23% | No |
| Ken Yee Chew | Councillor | 2,624 | 28% | No |
Councillors on Guelph council are elected by ward, the mayor by the whole municipality. Cam Guthrie won 71% of the votes cast for mayor.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Guelph voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
When Guelph council was chosen on 24 October 2022, just 28% of electors took part, under the provincial median.
How Guelph voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Guelph votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Guelph council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario was last elected on 27 February 2025, and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. The next council election in Guelph falls on 28 October 2030, the fourth Monday in October every four years under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. The 2025 results are left out because elections.ca’s terms forbid commercial reproduction; the open catalogue’s latest is 2021.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Guelph 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 Guelph and elects its MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The riding comes from the 2013 federal map, which southern Ontario’s provincial ridings match under the Representation Act, 2015.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Guelph has 2 MPs
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Guelph · Liberal Party of Canada · 83%
en.wikipedia.org ↗Wellington—Halton Hills North · Conservative Party of Canada · 17%
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
Of the 122 MPs from Ontario, 71 are with the Liberal Party of Canada, Dominique O'Rourke among them.
The MP’s record
Had the 2021 ballots been cast in today’s Guelph, the Liberal Party of Canada would have led with 41%; Dominique O'Rourke held it for them in 2025. Dominique O'Rourke was elected to the Commons for the first time in April 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
Guelph returned Lloyd Longfield (Liberal Party of Canada) in 2021
Results in Guelph as drawn in 2013, the boundaries of the 2019 and 2021 elections; the riding was redrawn for 2025.
Lloyd Longfield won the 2021 race in Guelph for the Liberal Party of Canada, polling 42% and beating Ashish Sachan (Conservative Party of Canada) by 12,587 votes. In 2019, Lloyd Longfield had won the same riding with 40%. Guelph turned out at 65% in 2021; the country managed 63%.
All 7 candidates in Guelph, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lloyd Longfield | Liberal Party of Canada | 29,382 | 42.1% |
| Ashish Sachan | Conservative Party of Canada | 16,795 | 24.1% |
| Aisha Jahangir | New Democratic Party | 14,713 | 21.1% |
| Michelle Bowman | Green Party of Canada | 5,250 | 7.5% |
| Joshua Leier | People's Party of Canada | 3,182 | 4.6% |
| Karen Levenson | Animal Protection Party of Canada | 262 | 0.4% |
| Tristan Dineen | Communist Party of Canada | 187 | 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
Guelph 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.
More goes to police, fire and protection than to anything else: $876 a resident, 21% of all spending. Guelph council spent $4,116 per resident in 2024, against a median of $3,796 among Ontario’s single-tier municipalities. The return counts 1,518 full-time positions, 10.6 for every thousand residents. Long-term debt at Guelph council stood at $108.6M, or $756 a resident, below the $971 median. Property taxes and payments in lieu brought in 47% of revenue, against 37% across the province’s returns.
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police, fire and protection | $125.9M | $876 | 21% |
| Roads and transit | $94.2M | $655 | 16% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $93.1M | $648 | 16% |
| Social services and child care | $71.1M | $495 | 12% |
| Recreation and culture | $67.6M | $470 | 11% |
| Public health and paramedics | $50.6M | $352 | 9% |
| Social housing | $35.7M | $248 | 6% |
| General government | $29.6M | $206 | 5% |
| Planning and development | $23.8M | $166 | 4% |
Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
Guelph council beside its neighbours
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
Nearby councils are drawn here for scale; the headline already says where Guelph council stands.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Guelph 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 council size includes the head of council; the population is the 2021 Census, the whole city’s for a neighbourhood.
- 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. Ridings are assigned from the 2021 Census: the one with most residents first, then any holding 5% or more.
- Election results. The 2019 and 2021 figures are Elections Canada’s official counts on the ridings drawn in 2013; the “today’s boundaries” figures are its transposition of the 2021 vote onto the 2023 ridings, an estimate built from polling divisions.
Questions about how Guelph is run
Who is the MP for Guelph?
It depends on the street: most of Guelph is in the riding of the same name (Dominique O'Rourke, Liberal Party of Canada), some in Wellington—Halton Hills North (Michael Chong).
Which party won Guelph in the 2021 federal election?
Guelph went to Lloyd Longfield (Liberal Party of Canada) in 2021. Since 2025, Dominique O'Rourke has been the MP for Guelph.
Who is the MPP for Guelph?
Guelph votes in the riding of the same name; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s members page gives its current MPP.
Who heads the council in Guelph?
The open record gives Cam Guthrie, elected mayor of Guelph council in October 2022.
How much does Guelph council spend?
Guelph council spent $591.7M in 2024 for about 143,740 residents; its largest service line was police, fire and protection, at $125.9M.
How is Guelph council elected?
By ward for councillors and at large for the mayor, on Guelph council.
What was the turnout in Guelph?
In October 2022, turnout for Guelph council was 27.8%, 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).