29,450 residents per council seat in Kitchener, a higher ratio than 98% of Ontario municipalities
As a neighbourhood of Kitchener, Laurentian West shares the council elected in October 2022, with Berry Vrbanovic as mayor. 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. For the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Laurentian West votes in Kitchener—Conestoga; open data doesn’t yet say who its MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) is. For federal votes, Laurentian West belongs to Kitchener—Conestoga, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP); Tim Louis (Liberal Party of Canada) holds it.
What stands out in how Laurentian West 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 Laurentian West voted ↓
Low spending per resident
Kitchener council spent less per resident in 2024 than 67% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities. Council money ↓
A close federal race
In 2021 only 1.1 points separated first and second (Conservative Party of Canada) in Kitchener—Conestoga, tighter than 97% of the 338 ridings. How Laurentian West has voted ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
Laurentian West 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.
Local government here has two tiers: Kitchener below, Waterloo Region above.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Laurentian West, from the most recent elections.
- 1Kitchener councilelected October 2022Berry Vrbanovic
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioKitchener—Conestoga
- 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 contest for mayor went to Berry Vrbanovic, with 80% of the votes. The mayor is chosen at large; everyone else on Kitchener council answers to a ward.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Laurentian West voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
Kitchener council was elected on 24 October 2022 with 20% of electors voting, below the provincial middle.
How Laurentian West voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Laurentian West 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. Councils are elected on the fourth Monday in October every four years, says the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, so Kitchener votes next on 28 October 2030. 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
Laurentian West votes in Kitchener—Conestoga 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. Kitchener—Conestoga takes in Laurentian West and elects its MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
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 is one of 71 Liberal Party of Canada MPs among the 122 from Ontario.
The MP’s record
Tim Louis was first elected in 2019; the current Parliament is Tim Louis’ 3rd. Had the 2021 ballots been cast in today’s Kitchener—Conestoga, the Liberal Party of Canada would have led with 38%; Tim Louis held it for them 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
In 2021, Kitchener—Conestoga re-elected Tim Louis of the Liberal Party of Canada
Counts for Kitchener—Conestoga within its 2013 boundaries, used in 2019 and 2021; the 2025 election ran on a new map.
At 68%, more of Kitchener—Conestoga voted in 2021 than Canada as a whole (63%). In 2019, Tim Louis had won the same riding with 40%. Tim Louis (Liberal Party of Canada) took Kitchener—Conestoga in 2021 with 39% of the vote, 577 votes ahead of Carlene Hawley (Conservative Party of Canada).
All 5 candidates in Kitchener—Conestoga, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Louis | Liberal Party of Canada | 20,025 | 39.3% |
| Carlene Hawley | Conservative Party of Canada | 19,448 | 38.2% |
| Narine Dat Sookram | New Democratic Party | 5,948 | 11.7% |
| Kevin Dupuis | People's Party of Canada | 3,690 | 7.2% |
| Owen Bradley | Green Party of Canada | 1,842 | 3.6% |
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.
Local taxpayers carry a smaller share than elsewhere: 27% of revenue, where the province’s returns show 42%. Kitchener council carried $79.3M of long-term debt, $270 per resident against a typical $440. 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. 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.
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 Laurentian West 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 size. The council size includes the head of council; the population is the 2021 Census, the whole city’s for a neighbourhood.
- 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.
- Who holds each seat. MPs come from Wikidata’s records of the 45th Parliament, which can lag a resignation or a by-election by some days.
- Not on this page. Party control (most Canadian councils sit without parties, and the open lists record none) and band councils.
- Election results. Official counts for 2019 and 2021 are by the 2013 ridings; Elections Canada also re-counted the 2021 ballots onto the 2023 ridings by polling division, and that estimate is what “today’s boundaries” means here.
- Which riding. Where residents of the 2021 Census live decides the riding; any riding with 5% of them or more is named.
Questions about how Laurentian West is run
Who is the MP for Laurentian West?
Tim Louis of the Liberal Party of Canada is the MP for Kitchener—Conestoga, which includes Laurentian West.
Which party won Laurentian West in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Tim Louis (Liberal Party of Canada), who represents Kitchener—Conestoga still.
Who is the MPP for Laurentian West?
Laurentian West votes in Kitchener—Conestoga; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s members page gives its current MPP.
Who heads the council in Kitchener?
Berry Vrbanovic was elected mayor in October 2022, for the 2022–26 term of Kitchener council.
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 Laurentian West?
In October 2022, turnout for Kitchener council was 20.3%, against 35.5% for the typical Ontario municipality.
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).