One councillor per 29,450 residents: Kitchener is more thinly represented than 98% of Ontario municipalities
Heritage Park is part of Kitchener, which elected Berry Vrbanovic as mayor in October 2022. 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 Heritage Park is Kitchener Centre, and Kelly DeRidder (Conservative Party of Canada) represents it in the House of Commons. Kitchener Centre is the riding Heritage Park votes in for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and its MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) isn’t named here because no open list records the members.
What stands out in how Heritage Park 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 Heritage Park 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
Heritage Park 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 Heritage Park, from the most recent elections.
- 1Kitchener councilelected October 2022Berry Vrbanovic
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioKitchener Centre
- 3House of CommonsKitchener Centre
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 contest for mayor went to Berry Vrbanovic, with 80% of the votes. Each ward chooses its own councillors on Kitchener council, while the whole municipality votes for the mayor.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Heritage Park voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
On 24 October 2022, only 20% of electors voted for Kitchener council, a weaker showing than most of Ontario.
How Heritage Park voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Heritage Park 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 open federal catalogue ends at 2021; the 2025 results sit on elections.ca under terms that bar commercial use. 28 October 2030 is the next council election in Kitchener, fixed by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 for the fourth Monday in October every four years. Provincially the last general election was on 27 February 2025, for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario; federally, on 28 April 2025.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Heritage Park 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 ↗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, Heritage Park votes in Kitchener Centre, which has one MPP.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Kelly DeRidder represents Kitchener Centre in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Kitchener Centre · Conservative Party of Canada
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
In Ontario, Kelly DeRidder belongs to a minority: the Conservative Party of Canada has 50 of 122 seats, the Liberal Party of Canada 71.
The MP’s record
Had the 2021 ballots been cast in today’s Kitchener Centre, the Green Party of Canada would have led with 33%; in 2025 Kelly DeRidder took it from them. April 2025 was Kelly DeRidder’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
A new party in Kitchener Centre in 2021: Mike Morrice (Green Party of Canada)
Counts for Kitchener Centre within its 2013 boundaries, used in 2019 and 2021; the 2025 election ran on a new map.
The 2021 count in Kitchener Centre put Mike Morrice (Green Party of Canada) first at 35%, with Mary Henein Thorn (Conservative Party of Canada) 5,335 votes back. 37% had been enough for Raj Saini (Liberal Party of Canada) to win it in 2019.
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.
Kitchener council’s borrowing is light: $79.3M long term, $270 a resident where the median is $440. At 27%, property taxes count for less of the revenue than the 42% seen across the province. The largest line is water, sewers and waste: 26% of the total, $416 a resident. It employs the equivalent of 1,386 full-time positions, or 4.7 for each thousand people. Waterloo Region, the upper tier, spent another $2,285 per resident of its whole area, most of it on social services and child care. In 2024 the median among Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities was $1,901 a resident; Kitchener council spent $1,612.
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.
Beside its neighbours, Kitchener council is the bar in colour; the headline above has the comparison with the province.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Heritage Park 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. Every seat counts, the head of council’s too, against the population of the 2021 Census.
- 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. The members named here are Wikidata’s, kept up by volunteers; a by-election or a floor crossing may take a few days to show.
- Not on this page. Band councils, and which party runs the council: the open lists carry no party, and most councils have none.
Questions about how Heritage Park is run
Who is the MP for Heritage Park?
For Heritage Park, it’s Kelly DeRidder (Conservative Party of Canada), who holds Kitchener Centre.
Which party won Heritage Park in the 2021 federal election?
Mike Morrice won Kitchener Centre for the Green Party of Canada in 2021; the riding is now Kitchener Centre, held by Kelly DeRidder.
Who is the MPP for Heritage Park?
Kitchener Centre is the riding; its sitting MPP is on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s own list of members for Heritage Park and its neighbours.
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?
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?
Kitchener is part of Waterloo Region, the upper tier, whose regional council runs services such as water and policing.
How is Kitchener council elected?
Kitchener council: the mayor is chosen by the whole municipality, the councillors ward by ward.
What was the turnout in Heritage Park?
20.3% of electors voted when Kitchener 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).