Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.088% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spend more per resident than Hamilton
Provincially, Hamilton votes in Northumberland—Peterborough South; the open record doesn’t name its MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, so the legislature’s own list is linked below. Philip Lawrence (Conservative Party of Canada) is the MP for Northumberland—Clarke, the riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) that takes in Hamilton. The October 2022 vote made Scott Jibb mayor of Hamilton, heading 5 seats. 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 Hamilton is governed
Many residents per seat
The middle municipality in Ontario has a seat for every 1,540 residents; Hamilton council has far more people behind each. Council size ↓
Turnout below the norm
The 2022 vote for Hamilton council drew fewer electors than Ontario’s median of 35%. How Hamilton voted ↓
Low spending per resident
In 2024, 88% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spent more per resident than Hamilton 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
Hamilton, 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 public health and paramedics (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.
Above Hamilton’s council sits Northumberland County, the upper tier, which runs services across all its municipalities.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Hamilton, from the most recent elections.
- 1Hamilton councilelected October 2022Scott Jibb
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioNorthumberland—Peterborough South
- 3House of CommonsNorthumberland—Clarke
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 Hamilton council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Scott Jibb
- Larry Williamson
- Mark Lovshin
- John Davison
- Bruce Buttar
5 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Jibb | Mayor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Larry Williamson | Deputy Mayor | 1,337 | 52% | Yes |
| Mark Lovshin | Councillor | 1,512 | 22% | Yes |
| John Davison | Councillor | 1,487 | 22% | No |
| Bruce Buttar | Councillor | 1,179 | 17% | No |
With no rival, Scott Jibb took the mayor’s chair by acclamation. There are no wards on Hamilton council: the whole electorate votes for every seat, the mayor too.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Hamilton voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
27% of those on the list cast a ballot for Hamilton council on 24 October 2022, fewer than in a typical municipality.
How Hamilton voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Hamilton votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Hamilton council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
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. 28 October 2030 is the next council election in Hamilton, fixed by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 for the fourth Monday in October every four years. Parliament was last elected on 28 April 2025, and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on 27 February 2025.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Hamilton votes in Northumberland—Peterborough South 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. For the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Hamilton votes in Northumberland—Peterborough South, which has one MPP.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Philip Lawrence represents Northumberland—Clarke in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Northumberland—Clarke · Conservative 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 leads Ontario with 71 of 122 seats; Philip Lawrence is among the 50 from the Conservative Party of Canada.
The MP’s record
Mapped onto today’s Northumberland—Clarke, the 2021 vote gives the Conservative Party of Canada 44%; in 2025 Philip Lawrence kept the seat in the same hands. Philip Lawrence was first elected in 2019; the current Parliament is Philip Lawrence’s 3rd.
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
Philip Lawrence kept Northumberland—Peterborough South for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021
Under the 2013 boundaries of the 2019 and 2021 elections, Hamilton sat in Northumberland—Peterborough South; the 2025 election put it in Northumberland—Clarke.
7,679 votes separated Philip Lawrence (Conservative Party of Canada) from Alison Lester (Liberal Party of Canada) in Northumberland—Peterborough South in 2021, when the winner took 44%. The 2019 result had favoured Philip Lawrence as well, at 40%. In 2021, 70% of electors cast a ballot in Northumberland—Peterborough South, more than the national 63%.
All 5 candidates in Northumberland—Peterborough South, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Lawrence | Conservative Party of Canada | 31,015 | 44.5% |
| Alison Lester | Liberal Party of Canada | 23,336 | 33.5% |
| Kim McArthur-Jackson | New Democratic Party | 9,809 | 14.1% |
| Nathan Lang | People's Party of Canada | 3,813 | 5.5% |
| Christina Wilson | Green Party of Canada | 1,764 | 2.5% |
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
Hamilton 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.
It employs the equivalent of 42 full-time positions, or 3.8 for each thousand people. More goes to roads and transit than to anything else: $494 a resident, 38% of all spending. Hamilton council spent $1,293 per resident in 2024, against a median of $1,901 among Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities. Northumberland County, the upper tier, spent another $1,552 per resident of its whole area, most of it on social services and child care. Debt Hamilton council owes over the long term came to $482K, $44 a resident, under the median of $440. Property taxes and payments in lieu brought in 69% of revenue, against 42% across the province’s returns.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $5.5M | $494 | 38% |
| Police, fire and protection | $3.9M | $353 | 27% |
| Recreation and culture | $2.9M | $260 | 20% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $1M | $93 | 7% |
| General government | $722K | $65 | 5% |
| Planning and development | $305K | $28 | 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 2,360 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
Each seat on Hamilton council answers to 2,360 residents, a higher ratio than 67% of municipalities in Ontario.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Hamilton 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
- Who holds each seat. Each MP’s name and party are Wikidata’s statements for the 45th Parliament, read in November 2026.
- Not on this page. Band councils, and which party runs the council: the open lists carry no party, and most councils have none.
- 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.
- Which riding. Ridings are assigned from the 2021 Census: the one with most residents first, then any holding 5% or more.
- Council size. For residents per seat, the head of council is counted as a seat, and the population is the 2021 Census figure.
- 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 Hamilton is run
Who is the MP for Hamilton?
Northumberland—Clarke’s MP, Philip Lawrence of the Conservative Party of Canada, represents Hamilton.
Which party won Hamilton in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Philip Lawrence (Conservative Party of Canada), in Northumberland—Peterborough South; Philip Lawrence represents Northumberland—Clarke today.
Who is the MPP for Hamilton?
Hamilton votes in Northumberland—Peterborough South; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s members page gives its current MPP.
Who heads the council in Hamilton?
The open record gives Scott Jibb, elected mayor of Hamilton council in October 2022.
How much does Hamilton council spend?
The 2024 return of Hamilton council shows $14.3M of spending for roughly 11,059 residents, $5.5M of it on roads and transit.
Which regional body is Hamilton part of?
Hamilton is part of Northumberland County, whose council, drawn from its municipalities’ councils, runs county-wide services.
How is Hamilton council elected?
Every seat on Hamilton council, the mayor’s included, is filled by the whole municipality.
What was the turnout in Hamilton?
27.1% of electors voted when Hamilton council was elected in October 2022; the Ontario median was 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).