Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0Turnout in Kenora reached 54% in 2022, higher than in 95% of Ontario’s municipalities
Kenora’s council of 7 was elected in October 2022, with Andrew Poirier as mayor. Ontario’s councils were renewed on 26 October 2026, but the only open list so far is 2022’s, so that is the term shown. For federal votes, Kenora belongs to Kenora—Kiiwetinoong, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP); Eric Melillo (Conservative Party of Canada) holds it. The Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s northern ridings aren’t the federal ones and aren’t published as open data, so Kenora isn’t placed.
What stands out in how Kenora is governed
Many residents per seat
Across Ontario the median is one seat per 1,540 residents, well under the ratio on Kenora council. Council size ↓
Turnout above the norm
The 2022 vote for Kenora council pulled in more electors than Ontario’s median of 35%. How Kenora voted ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
Kenora, 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.
Kenora is a single-tier city, with no county or region over its council.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Kenora, from the most recent elections.
- 1Kenora councilelected October 2022Andrew Poirier
- 2Legislative Assembly of Ontario–
- 3House of CommonsKenora—Kiiwetinoong
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 Kenora council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Andrew Poirier
- Barbara Manson
- Lisa Moncrief
- Robert Bernie
- Kelsie Van Belleghem
- Lindsay Koch
- Graham Chaze
7 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Poirier | Mayor | 3,778 | 64% | Yes |
| Barbara Manson | Councillor | 3,602 | 61% | No |
| Lisa Moncrief | Councillor | 3,237 | 54% | No |
| Robert Bernie | Councillor | 3,136 | 53% | No |
| Kelsie Van Belleghem | Councillor | 2,476 | 42% | No |
| Lindsay Koch | Councillor | 2,411 | 41% | No |
| Graham Chaze | Councillor | 2,253 | 38% | Yes |
All of Kenora council is elected at large, with each voter helping fill every seat, the mayor’s as well. With 64% of the votes, Andrew Poirier carried the vote for mayor.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Kenora voted more than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
Kenora has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 95–151 km out. When Kenora council was chosen on 24 October 2022, 54% of electors took part, above the provincial median.
How Kenora voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Kenora votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Kenora 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. The last general elections came on 27 February 2025 for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and on 28 April 2025 for Parliament. Kenora votes next on 28 October 2030: the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 sets municipal elections on the fourth Monday in October every four years.
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
Eric Melillo represents Kenora—Kiiwetinoong in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Kenora—Kiiwetinoong · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2019
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
Of the 122 seats from Ontario, the Liberal Party of Canada holds 71, and Eric Melillo’s Conservative Party of Canada has 50.
The MP’s record
Eric Melillo was first elected in 2019; the current Parliament is Eric Melillo’s 3rd. Mapped onto today’s Kenora—Kiiwetinoong, the 2021 vote gives the Conservative Party of Canada 43%; in 2025 Eric Melillo kept the seat in the same hands.
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
Eric Melillo kept Kenora for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021
The 2019 and 2021 counts in Kenora, Kenora’s riding before the map was redrawn; it now votes in Kenora—Kiiwetinoong.
Turnout in Kenora was 57% in 2021, against 63% nationally. Eric Melillo already held it after the 2019 election, won with 34%. Eric Melillo won the 2021 race in Kenora for the Conservative Party of Canada, polling 43% and beating Janine Seymour (New Democratic Party) by 3,302 votes.
All 5 candidates in Kenora, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Melillo | Conservative Party of Canada | 11,103 | 42.6% |
| Janine Seymour | New Democratic Party | 7,801 | 29.9% |
| David Bruno | Liberal Party of Canada | 5,190 | 19.9% |
| Craig Martin | People's Party of Canada | 1,625 | 6.2% |
| Remi Rheault | Green Party of Canada | 364 | 1.4% |
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
Kenora 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.
Local taxpayers carry a bigger share than elsewhere: 48% of revenue, where the province’s returns show 37%. At $519 per resident, Kenora council’s $7.8M of long-term debt is less than the $971 median. At $4,154 for every resident in 2024, Kenora council sits above the $3,796 median of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities. 234 full-time positions are funded, 15.6 per thousand residents. The largest line is water, sewers and waste: 22% of the total, $928 a resident.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water, sewers and waste | $13.9M | $928 | 22% |
| Roads and transit | $13.1M | $877 | 21% |
| Police, fire and protection | $12.6M | $841 | 20% |
| Recreation and culture | $9.5M | $632 | 15% |
| Planning and development | $4.3M | $288 | 7% |
| Public health and paramedics | $2.8M | $188 | 5% |
| Social services and child care | $2.5M | $168 | 4% |
| General government | $1.8M | $122 | 3% |
| Social housing | $1.6M | $109 | 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 2,270 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
Only 66% of municipalities in Ontario have fewer seats for their size than Kenora council, at 2,270 residents each.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Kenora 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. A riding is listed when 5% or more of the place’s 2021 Census residents live in it; the largest share comes first.
- Who holds each seat. Who holds each seat is read from Wikidata, so a very recent change in the Commons may not appear yet.
- Not on this page. No party tally for the council, which the open lists don’t record, and no band councils.
Questions about how Kenora is run
Who is the MP for Kenora?
Kenora—Kiiwetinoong’s MP, Eric Melillo of the Conservative Party of Canada, represents Kenora.
Which party won Kenora in the 2021 federal election?
The Conservative Party of Canada: Eric Melillo won Kenora in 2021 and is the MP for today’s Kenora—Kiiwetinoong.
Who is the MPP for Kenora?
This page can’t say which riding Kenora is in; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario lists every MPP with theirs.
Who heads the council in Kenora?
For the 2022–26 term, Kenora council was led by Andrew Poirier, elected mayor in October 2022.
How much does Kenora council spend?
In 2024, Kenora council spent $62.2M in all, for some 14,967 residents, of which $13.9M went on water, sewers and waste, the biggest line.
How is Kenora council elected?
At large: every voter helps fill all of Kenora council, the mayor too.
What was the turnout in Kenora?
53.5% of electors voted when Kenora 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 · 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).