One councillor per 29,450 residents: Kitchener is more thinly represented than 98% of Ontario municipalities
The riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) covering Alpine is Kitchener South—Hespeler, and Matt Strauss (Conservative Party of Canada) represents it in the House of Commons. Provincially, Alpine votes in Kitchener South—Hespeler; 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. City council runs Alpine; in October 2022, Kitchener chose Berry Vrbanovic 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.
What stands out in how Alpine is governed
Many residents per seat
The middle municipality in Ontario has a seat for every 1,540 residents; Kitchener council has far more people behind each. Council size ↓
Turnout below the norm
The 2022 vote for Kitchener council drew fewer electors than Ontario’s median of 35%. How Alpine voted ↓
Low spending per resident
Per resident, Kitchener council’s 2024 spending sits under 67% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities. 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
Alpine is governed by Kitchener, with Ontario and Ottawa.
The city council decides local matters.
Spends most on social services and child care, then roads and transit (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.
Kitchener is a lower-tier municipality: Waterloo Region, the upper tier, has its own council and services over it.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Alpine, from the most recent elections.
- 1Kitchener councilelected October 2022Berry Vrbanovic
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioKitchener South—Hespeler
- 3House of CommonsKitchener South—Hespeler
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 Kitchener council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Berry Vrbanovic
- Debbie Chapman
- Scott Davey
- Bil Ioannidis
- Margaret Johnston
- Christine Michaud
- Dave Schnider
- Paul Singh
- Jason Deneault
- Ayo Owodunni
- Aislinn Clancy
11 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berry Vrbanovic | Mayor | 26,846 | 80% | Yes |
| Debbie Chapman | Councillor | 2,276 | 60% | Yes |
| Scott Davey | Councillor | 2,375 | 69% | Yes |
| Bil Ioannidis | Councillor | 1,620 | 42% | Yes |
| Margaret Johnston | Councillor | 2,596 | 88% | Yes |
| Christine Michaud | Councillor | 1,638 | 58% | Yes |
| Dave Schnider | Councillor | 3,284 | 82% | Yes |
| Paul Singh | Councillor | 2,060 | 75% | Yes |
| Jason Deneault | Councillor | 532 | 30% | No |
| Ayo Owodunni | Councillor | 844 | 32% | No |
| Aislinn Clancy | Councillor | 1,765 | 36% | No |
Berry Vrbanovic became mayor on 80% of the votes cast. Councillors on Kitchener council are elected by ward, the mayor by the whole municipality.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Alpine voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
20% of those on the list cast a ballot for Kitchener council on 24 October 2022, fewer than in a typical municipality.
How Alpine voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Alpine votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchener 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. The last general elections came on 27 February 2025 for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and on 28 April 2025 for Parliament. The next council election in Kitchener falls on 28 October 2030, the fourth Monday in October every four years under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Alpine votes in Kitchener South—Hespeler 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 comes from the 2013 federal map, which southern Ontario’s provincial ridings match under the Representation Act, 2015. Alpine is in Kitchener South—Hespeler, one of the ridings that each elect a MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Matt Strauss represents Kitchener South—Hespeler in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Kitchener South—Hespeler · Conservative Party of Canada
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
In Ontario, Matt Strauss belongs to a minority: the Conservative Party of Canada has 50 of 122 seats, the Liberal Party of Canada 71.
The MP’s record
Elections Canada’s transposition of the 2021 vote onto today’s Kitchener South—Hespeler puts the Liberal Party of Canada first at 37%: Matt Strauss won it away from them in 2025. April 2025 was Matt Strauss’s first election to the House of Commons.
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 Valerie Bradford won Kitchener South—Hespeler, as the Liberal Party of Canada had in 2019
Results in Kitchener South—Hespeler as drawn in 2013, the boundaries of the 2019 and 2021 elections; the riding was redrawn for 2025.
That was among the tightest results in the country: 15 of 338 ridings were closer. At 62%, fewer of Kitchener South—Hespeler voted in 2021 than Canada as a whole (63%). The 2021 count in Kitchener South—Hespeler put Valerie Bradford (Liberal Party of Canada) first at 37%, with Tyler Calver (Conservative Party of Canada) 947 votes back. Marwan Tabbara (Liberal Party of Canada) had taken it in 2019 with 40%.
All 8 candidates in Kitchener South—Hespeler, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valerie Bradford | Liberal Party of Canada | 18,596 | 37.5% |
| Tyler Calver | Conservative Party of Canada | 17,649 | 35.5% |
| Suresh Arangath | New Democratic Party | 8,079 | 16.3% |
| Melissa Baumgaertner | People's Party of Canada | 3,351 | 6.8% |
| Gabe Rose | Green Party of Canada | 1,710 | 3.4% |
| C.A. Morrison | Independent | 119 | 0.2% |
| Stephen Davis | Parti Rhinocéros Party | 93 | 0.2% |
| Elaine Baetz | Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada | 57 | 0.1% |
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
Kitchener 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.
Long-term debt at Kitchener council stood at $79.3M, or $270 a resident, below the $440 median. Taxes on property make up 27% of what comes in, less than the province-wide 42%. The return counts 1,386 full-time positions, 4.7 for every thousand residents. More goes to water, sewers and waste than to anything else: $416 a resident, 26% of all spending. At $1,612 for every resident in 2024, Kitchener council sits below the $1,901 median of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities. The upper tier, Waterloo Region, adds $2,285 per resident of its own, mostly for social services and child care.
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water, sewers and waste | $121.9M | $416 | 26% |
| Recreation and culture | $114.2M | $389 | 24% |
| Other | $70.7M | $241 | 15% |
| Police, fire and protection | $67M | $228 | 14% |
| Roads and transit | $44.6M | $152 | 9% |
| General government | $23.9M | $81 | 5% |
| Planning and development | $22.9M | $78 | 5% |
| Social services and child care | $4.2M | $14 | 1% |
| Public health and paramedics | $3.6M | $12 | 1% |
| Social housing | $197K | $1 | 0% |
Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
Kitchener council beside its neighbours
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
How Kitchener council compares is at the top of the page; here it stands beside its neighbours.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Alpine 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
- Election results. Where the page says “today’s boundaries”, it means Elections Canada’s estimate of the 2021 vote on the 2023 ridings; every other count is official and on the 2013 map.
- 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. Wikidata, edited by volunteers, is the source for each MP, and it can trail a change of seat by a little.
- Not on this page. Band councils, and which party runs the council: the open lists carry no party, and most councils have none.
- 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. The council size includes the head of council; the population is the 2021 Census, the whole city’s for a neighbourhood.
Questions about how Alpine is run
Who is the MP for Alpine?
Kitchener South—Hespeler’s MP, Matt Strauss of the Conservative Party of Canada, represents Alpine.
Which party won Alpine in the 2021 federal election?
The Liberal Party of Canada, with Valerie Bradford in Kitchener South—Hespeler; since 2025 Matt Strauss represents Kitchener South—Hespeler.
Who is the MPP for Alpine?
Look up Kitchener South—Hespeler on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s site: that riding, which takes in Alpine, has one MPP.
Who heads the council in Kitchener?
The open record gives Berry Vrbanovic, elected mayor of Kitchener council in October 2022.
How much does Kitchener council spend?
Kitchener council spent $473.2M in 2024 for about 293,470 residents; its largest service line was water, sewers and waste, at $121.9M.
Which regional body is Kitchener part of?
The council of Waterloo Region sits above Kitchener’s and runs region-wide services, police and water among them.
How is Kitchener council elected?
By ward for councillors and at large for the mayor, on Kitchener council.
What was the turnout in Alpine?
Turnout for Kitchener council reached 20.3% in October 2022 (Ontario median: 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).