Council seats in Kitchener are spread thin, 29,450 residents each, more than in 98% of Ontario municipalities
As a neighbourhood of Kitchener, Forest Hill shares the council elected in October 2022, with 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. Tim Louis (Liberal Party of Canada) is the MP for Kitchener—Conestoga, the riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) that takes in Forest Hill. For the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Forest Hill votes in Kitchener Centre; open data doesn’t yet say who its MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) is.
What stands out in how Forest Hill is governed
Many residents per seat
Across Ontario the median is one seat per 1,540 residents, well under the ratio on Kitchener council. Council size ↓
Turnout below the norm
Across Ontario, median turnout in 2022 was 35%, and Kitchener council came in under it. How Forest Hill voted ↓
Low spending per resident
In 2024, 67% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spent more per resident than Kitchener 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
Forest Hill 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.
Two councils serve Kitchener: its own, and that of Waterloo Region, the upper tier.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Forest Hill, from the most recent elections.
- 1Kitchener councilelected October 2022Berry Vrbanovic
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioKitchener Centre
- 3House of CommonsKitchener—Conestoga
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 |
The mayor is chosen at large; everyone else on Kitchener council answers to a ward. The contest for mayor went to Berry Vrbanovic, with 80% of the votes.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Forest Hill voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
Turnout for Kitchener council on 24 October 2022 was 20% of electors, lower than the Ontario norm.
How Forest Hill voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Forest Hill 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 | – |
The latest vote shown is 2021: the 2025 counts carry Elections Canada’s non-commercial terms. 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. 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
Forest Hill votes in Kitchener Centre 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 ↗Forest Hill is in Kitchener Centre, one of the ridings that each elect a MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Ontario’s southern ridings copy the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), and the town is placed by them.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Tim Louis represents Kitchener—Conestoga in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Kitchener—Conestoga · Liberal Party of Canada · first elected 2019
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
Tim Louis’s party, the Liberal Party of Canada, has 71 of the 122 seats from Ontario.
The MP’s record
First elected in 2019, Tim Louis is serving the 3rd term of a Commons career. Elections Canada’s transposition of the 2021 vote onto today’s Kitchener—Conestoga puts the Liberal Party of Canada first at 38%; Tim Louis held it for the party in 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
Kitchener Centre changed hands in 2021, to Mike Morrice (Green Party of Canada)
The 2019 and 2021 counts in Kitchener Centre, Forest Hill’s riding before the map was redrawn; it now votes in Kitchener—Conestoga.
In 2021, Kitchener Centre went to Mike Morrice (Green Party of Canada) on 35%; Mary Henein Thorn (Conservative Party of Canada) finished 5,335 votes behind. Back in 2019 a different party held it: Raj Saini (Liberal Party of Canada), on 37%.
All 6 candidates in Kitchener Centre, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Morrice | Green Party of Canada | 17,872 | 34.9% |
| Mary Henein Thorn | Conservative Party of Canada | 12,537 | 24.5% |
| Beisan Zubi | New Democratic Party | 8,938 | 17.5% |
| Raj Saini | Liberal Party of Canada | 8,297 | 16.2% |
| Diane Boskovic | People's Party of Canada | 3,381 | 6.6% |
| Ellen Papenburg | Animal Protection Party of Canada | 154 | 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
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.
1,386 full-time positions are funded, 4.7 per thousand residents. Water, sewers and waste takes the biggest share, 26%, or $416 per resident. Spending by Kitchener council came to $1,612 a resident in 2024, under the $1,901 median of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities. Residents are also served by Waterloo Region, which spent $2,285 each across its area, chiefly on social services and child care. At $270 per resident, Kitchener council’s $79.3M of long-term debt is less than the $440 median. At 27%, property taxes count for less of the revenue than the 42% seen across the province.
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.
The bars put the headline’s figure for Kitchener council next to nearby councils, the tick marking the provincial median.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Forest Hill 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. 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.
- Council size. Seats count the head of council and the councillors, and residents are the 2021 Census count; a neighbourhood shows its city’s.
- 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.
- 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. Party control (most Canadian councils sit without parties, and the open lists record none) and band councils.
Questions about how Forest Hill is run
Who is the MP for Forest Hill?
For Forest Hill, it’s Tim Louis (Liberal Party of Canada), who holds Kitchener—Conestoga.
Which party won Forest Hill in the 2021 federal election?
The Green Party of Canada, with Mike Morrice in Kitchener Centre; since 2025 Tim Louis represents Kitchener—Conestoga.
Who is the MPP for Forest Hill?
Forest Hill votes in Kitchener Centre; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s members page gives its current MPP.
Who heads the council in Kitchener?
For the 2022–26 term, Kitchener council was led by Berry Vrbanovic, elected mayor in October 2022.
How much does Kitchener council spend?
In 2024, Kitchener council spent $473.2M in all, for some 293,470 residents, of which $121.9M went on water, sewers and waste, the biggest line.
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 Forest Hill?
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).