Photo: Hearst1958 · CC BY-SA 4.0Hearst’s council outspends 94% of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities, per resident
The October 2022 vote made Roger Sigouin mayor of Hearst, heading 7 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. The riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) covering Hearst is Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk, and Gaétan Malette (Conservative Party of Canada) represents it in the House of Commons. Hearst 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.
What stands out in how Hearst is governed
Few residents per seat
Hearst council has fewer people behind each seat than most of Ontario, where the middle figure is 1,540 residents a seat. Council size ↓
High spending per resident
Spending per resident put Hearst council above 94% of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities in 2024. 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
Hearst, a town 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.
The census places Hearst in Cochrane, but the town is single-tier, with no county or regional council above it.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Hearst, from the most recent elections.
- 1Hearst councilelected October 2022Roger Sigouin
- 2Legislative Assembly of Ontario–
- 3House of CommonsKapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk
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 Hearst council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Roger Sigouin
- Gaetan Baillargeon
- Martin Lanoix
- Joel Lauzon
- Daniel Lemaire
- Nicolas Picard
- Josée Vachon
7 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Sigouin | Mayor | 965 | 84% | Yes |
| Gaetan Baillargeon | Councillor | 859 | 15% | Yes |
| Martin Lanoix | Councillor | 773 | 14% | Yes |
| Joel Lauzon | Councillor | 670 | 12% | Yes |
| Daniel Lemaire | Councillor | 811 | 14% | Yes |
| Nicolas Picard | Councillor | 782 | 14% | No |
| Josée Vachon | Councillor | 947 | 17% | Yes |
With 84% of the votes, Roger Sigouin carried the vote for mayor. All of Hearst council is elected at large, with each voter helping fill every seat, the mayor’s as well.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Hearst voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
No closer places have figures: these lie 95–154 km from Hearst. On 24 October 2022, only 32% of electors voted for Hearst council, a weaker showing than most of Ontario.
How Hearst voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Hearst votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Hearst council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
The 2025 results are left out because elections.ca’s terms forbid commercial reproduction; the open catalogue’s latest is 2021. 28 October 2030 is the next council election in Hearst, fixed by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 for the fourth Monday in October every four years. The Legislative Assembly of Ontario was last elected on 27 February 2025, and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025.
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
Gaétan Malette represents Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk · Conservative Party of Canada
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
In Ontario, Gaétan Malette belongs to a minority: the Conservative Party of Canada has 50 of 122 seats, the Liberal Party of Canada 71.
The MP’s record
The 2025 general election sent Gaétan Malette to the Commons for the first time. Mapped onto today’s Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk, the 2021 vote favoured the New Democratic Party with 36%, which makes Gaétan Malette’s 2025 win a gain.
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
Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing returned Carol Hughes (New Democratic Party) in 2021
Results in Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, the riding Hearst belonged to on the 2013 map used in 2019 and 2021; since 2025 it votes in Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk.
At 60%, fewer of Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing voted in 2021 than Canada as a whole (63%). 42% had elected Carol Hughes there in 2019. The 2021 count in Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing put Carol Hughes (New Democratic Party) first at 40%, with John Sagman (Conservative Party of Canada) 5,010 votes back.
All 6 candidates in Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carol Hughes | New Democratic Party | 15,895 | 40.2% |
| John Sagman | Conservative Party of Canada | 10,885 | 27.5% |
| Duke Peltier | Liberal Party of Canada | 8,888 | 22.5% |
| Harry Jaaskelainen | People's Party of Canada | 2,840 | 7.2% |
| Stephen Zimmermann | Green Party of Canada | 726 | 1.8% |
| Clarence Baarda | Christian Heritage Party of Canada | 289 | 0.7% |
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
Hearst 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%, property taxes count for less of the revenue than the 37% seen across the province. Debt Hearst council owes over the long term came to $5.9M, $1,234 a resident, higher than the median of $971. Full-time staff number 63, about 13.1 to every thousand residents. Spending by Hearst council reached $5,694 a resident in 2024, well over the $3,796 median of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities. More goes to social services and child care than to anything else: $2,014 a resident, 35% of all spending.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social services and child care | $9.7M | $2,014 | 35% |
| Roads and transit | $5.3M | $1,099 | 19% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $3.4M | $704 | 12% |
| Recreation and culture | $2.5M | $514 | 9% |
| General government | $2M | $413 | 7% |
| Police, fire and protection | $1.7M | $345 | 6% |
| Social housing | $1.4M | $298 | 5% |
| Public health and paramedics | $751K | $157 | 3% |
| Planning and development | $724K | $151 | 3% |
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 720 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
Each seat on Hearst council answers to 720 residents, a lower ratio than 74% of municipalities in Ontario.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Hearst 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 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.
- Council size. For residents per seat, the head of council is counted as a seat, and the population is the 2021 Census figure.
- 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. Each place is put in its ridings by where its 2021 Census residents live; a riding holding 5% or more of them is listed.
- Who holds each seat. A member who resigned or switched parties last week may still show here: the names are Wikidata’s.
- Not on this page. Party control (most Canadian councils sit without parties, and the open lists record none) and band councils.
Questions about how Hearst is run
Who is the MP for Hearst?
Hearst is in Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk, represented by Gaétan Malette (Conservative Party of Canada).
Which party won Hearst in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Carol Hughes (New Democratic Party), in Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing; Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk has elected Gaétan Malette since.
Who is the MPP for Hearst?
Every MPP of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is on its members page, which is where to find the one for Hearst.
Who heads the council in Hearst?
For the 2022–26 term, Hearst council was led by Roger Sigouin, elected mayor in October 2022.
How much does Hearst council spend?
The 2024 return of Hearst council shows $27.3M of spending for roughly 4,794 residents, $9.7M of it on social services and child care.
How is Hearst council elected?
At large: every voter helps fill all of Hearst council, the mayor too.
What was the turnout in Hearst?
It was 32.0% for Hearst council in 2022, with Ontario’s municipalities at a median of 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).