Photo: JFVoll · CC BY-SA 4.0Each seat on Kitchener’s council stands for 29,450 residents, more than in 98% of Ontario municipalities
The 2 ridings of Kitchener South—Hespeler and Kitchener Centre each take in part of Vanier for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. No open record names Vanier’s MPP, so none is named here; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario lists its members. Federally, Vanier sits in Kitchener South—Hespeler, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP), held by Matt Strauss of the Conservative Party of Canada. Vanier is part of Kitchener, which elected Berry Vrbanovic as mayor in October 2022. These names are from the 2022–26 term: Ontario’s municipalities voted on 26 October 2026, but the province’s open list of the results isn’t out.
What stands out in how Vanier 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 Vanier voted ↓
Split between ridings
The riding line runs through Vanier: Kitchener South—Hespeler has 92% of its residents, Kitchener Centre most of the other 8%. Member of Parliament ↓
Low spending per resident
Kitchener council spent less per resident in 2024 than 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
Vanier 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 Vanier, from the most recent elections.
- 1Kitchener councilelected October 2022Berry Vrbanovic
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioKitchener South—Hespeler · Kitchener Centre
- 3House of CommonsKitchener South—Hespeler · 92%
- 4House of CommonsKitchener Centre · 8%
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. 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)
Vanier voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
When Kitchener council was chosen on 24 October 2022, just 20% of electors took part, under the provincial median.
How Vanier voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Vanier 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. 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. 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
Vanier spans 2 ridings 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 ↗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. So more than one MPP in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario speaks for parts of Vanier.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Vanier has 2 MPs
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 · 92%
en.wikipedia.org ↗Kitchener Centre · Conservative Party of Canada · 8%
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
Matt Strauss is one of 50 Conservative Party of Canada MPs from Ontario, where the Liberal Party of Canada has the most seats: 71 of 122.
The MP’s record
Matt Strauss was elected to the Commons for the first time in April 2025. Mapped onto today’s Kitchener South—Hespeler, the 2021 vote favoured the Liberal Party of Canada with 37%, which makes Matt Strauss’s 2025 win a gain.
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
Kitchener South—Hespeler as it stood from 2013: the 2019 and 2021 counts, before the riding was redrawn for 2025.
947 votes separated Valerie Bradford (Liberal Party of Canada) from Tyler Calver (Conservative Party of Canada) in Kitchener South—Hespeler in 2021, when the winner took 37%. Back in 2019 the seat went to Marwan Tabbara (Liberal Party of Canada), on 40%. Just 15 of the 338 ridings in Canada were decided by less. Kitchener South—Hespeler turned out at only 62% in 2021; the country managed 63%.
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.
Full-time staff number 1,386, about 4.7 to every thousand residents. Water, sewers and waste takes the biggest share, 26%, or $416 per resident. Kitchener council spent $1,612 per resident in 2024, against a median of $1,901 among 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. Kitchener council carried $79.3M of long-term debt, $270 per resident against a typical $440. 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.
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 Vanier 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
- 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. Party control (most Canadian councils sit without parties, and the open lists record none) and band councils.
- Election results. Two maps are in play: the 2013 ridings, on which 2019 and 2021 were counted, and the 2023 ridings, onto which Elections Canada transposed the 2021 vote poll by poll.
- Which riding. Where residents of the 2021 Census live decides the riding; any riding with 5% of them or more is named.
- Council size. Residents per seat divide the 2021 Census population by every council seat, the head of council’s included.
- Council money. Figures are the 2024 Financial Information Return’s totals after adjustments, per resident on the return’s population. Lower tiers stand beside lower tiers only: their county or region spends on top.
Questions about how Vanier is run
Who is the MP for Vanier?
Vanier has more than one: Matt Strauss (Conservative Party of Canada) for Kitchener South—Hespeler, and Kelly DeRidder for Kitchener Centre.
Which party won Vanier in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Valerie Bradford (Liberal Party of Canada), in Kitchener South—Hespeler; Kitchener South—Hespeler has elected Matt Strauss since.
Who is the MPP for Vanier?
Parts of Vanier are in Kitchener South—Hespeler and Kitchener Centre; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s site gives the MPP for each.
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 Vanier?
It was 20.3% for Kitchener council in 2022, with Ontario’s municipalities at a median of 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).