Photo: JFVoll · CC BY-SA 3.0Council seats in Kitchener are spread thin, 29,450 residents each, more than in 98% of Ontario municipalities
Kelly DeRidder (Conservative Party of Canada) is the MP for Kitchener Centre, the riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) that takes in Southdale. In the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Southdale belongs to Kitchener Centre; who holds it as MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) isn’t on an open record, so no one is named. As a neighbourhood of Kitchener, Southdale 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.
What stands out in how Southdale 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 Southdale voted ↓
Low spending per resident
Most of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spent more per resident in 2024 than Kitchener council: 67% of them. 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
Southdale 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 Southdale, 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 |
For mayor, Berry Vrbanovic drew 80% of the votes. Seats on Kitchener council are tied to wards, apart from the mayor, whom every voter helps choose.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Southdale 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 Southdale voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Southdale 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 | – |
Elections Canada’s open records end with the 2021 election; its 2025 results are under terms that rule out commercial use. Kitchener votes next on 28 October 2030: the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 sets municipal elections on the fourth Monday in October every four years. The last general elections came on 27 February 2025 for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and on 28 April 2025 for Parliament.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Southdale 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 ↗Southern Ontario’s ridings are the 2013 federal ones by statute, which is how this page places the town. Southdale is in Kitchener Centre, 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
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.
The Liberal Party of Canada leads Ontario with 71 of 122 seats; Kelly DeRidder is among the 50 from the Conservative Party of Canada.
The MP’s record
Mapped onto today’s Kitchener Centre, the 2021 vote favoured the Green Party of Canada with 33%, which makes Kelly DeRidder’s 2025 win a gain. 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
Kitchener Centre changed hands in 2021, to Mike Morrice (Green Party of Canada)
Kitchener Centre as it stood from 2013: the 2019 and 2021 counts, before the riding was redrawn for 2025.
Back in 2019 a different party held it: Raj Saini (Liberal Party of Canada), on 37%. 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.
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.
At $1,612 for every resident in 2024, Kitchener council sits below the $1,901 median of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities. On top of that comes Waterloo Region: $2,285 a resident across its area, led by social services and child care. Full-time staff number 1,386, about 4.7 to every thousand residents. At 26% of spending ($416 a resident), water, sewers and waste leads the budget. 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.
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 Southdale 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 Southdale is run
Who is the MP for Southdale?
Kitchener Centre’s MP, Kelly DeRidder of the Conservative Party of Canada, represents Southdale.
Which party won Southdale in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Mike Morrice (Green Party of Canada), in Kitchener Centre; Kitchener Centre has elected Kelly DeRidder since.
Who is the MPP for Southdale?
Southdale votes in Kitchener Centre; 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?
The 2024 return of Kitchener council shows $473.2M of spending for roughly 293,470 residents, $121.9M of it on water, sewers and waste.
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 Southdale?
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).