Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0Council seats in Lakeshore are spread thin, 5,740 residents each, more than in 86% of Ontario municipalities
Voters in Lakeshore chose Tracey Bailey as mayor in October 2022, for a 8-seat council. Ontario held new municipal elections on 26 October 2026; until the province publishes them, the open record stops at the council elected in 2022. For the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Lakeshore spreads over 2 ridings: Essex and Chatham-Kent—Leamington. The open record doesn’t name a current MPP for Lakeshore; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s own list does. Lakeshore is in Essex, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP), and the seat belongs to Chris Lewis of the Conservative Party of Canada.
What stands out in how Lakeshore is governed
Many residents per seat
Lakeshore council spreads its seats over a big population; the typical municipality in Ontario has one seat per 1,540 residents. Council size ↓
Turnout below the norm
Lakeshore council drew fewer of its electors to the polls in 2022 than the typical Ontario municipality (35%). How Lakeshore voted ↓
Split between ridings
79% of Lakeshore residents live in Essex; the other 21% vote in Windsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore or beyond. Member of Parliament ↓
Low spending per resident
Most of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spent more per resident in 2024 than Lakeshore council: 68% 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
Lakeshore, a town in Ontario, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
Spends most on public health and paramedics, then social services and child care (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.
Lakeshore is a lower-tier municipality: Essex County, the upper tier, has its own council and services over it.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Lakeshore, from the most recent elections.
- 1Lakeshore councilelected October 2022Tracey Bailey
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioEssex · Chatham-Kent—Leamington
- 3House of CommonsEssex · 79%
- 4House of CommonsWindsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore · 21%
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 Lakeshore council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Tracey Bailey
- Kirk Walstedt
- John Kerr
- Kelsey Santarossa
- Ryan McNamara
- Paddy Byrne
- Ian Ruston
- Larissa Vogler
8 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tracey Bailey | Mayor | 5,638 | 62% | Yes |
| Kirk Walstedt | Deputy Mayor | 4,719 | 53% | Yes |
| John Kerr | Councillor | 1,327 | 62% | Yes |
| Kelsey Santarossa | Councillor | 837 | 61% | Yes |
| Ryan McNamara | Councillor | 974 | 77% | No |
| Paddy Byrne | Councillor | 605 | 56% | No |
| Ian Ruston | Councillor | 656 | 41% | No |
| Larissa Vogler | Councillor | 1,084 | 77% | No |
Each ward chooses its own councillors on Lakeshore council, while the whole municipality votes for the mayor. With 62% of the votes, Tracey Bailey carried the vote for mayor.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Lakeshore voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
31% of those on the list cast a ballot for Lakeshore council on 24 October 2022, fewer than in a typical municipality.
How Lakeshore voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Lakeshore votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario was last elected on 27 February 2025, and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. Under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, Lakeshore’s next municipal vote is on 28 October 2030, the fourth Monday in October every four years. Why not 2025? Elections Canada publishes those counts under non-commercial terms, and its open data stop at the 2021 election.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Lakeshore 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 ↗Each of these ridings elects its own MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, so Lakeshore has more than one. 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
Lakeshore has 2 MPs
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Essex · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2019 · 79%
en.wikipedia.org ↗Windsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore · Conservative Party of Canada · 21%
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
In Ontario, Chris Lewis belongs to a minority: the Conservative Party of Canada has 50 of 122 seats, the Liberal Party of Canada 71.
The MP’s record
On today’s boundaries, the 2021 vote in Essex would have gone to the Conservative Party of Canada with 41%, and Chris Lewis kept it for them in 2025. Chris Lewis has sat in the Commons since 2019, now for the 3rd Parliament.
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
Essex returned Chris Lewis (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021
These are the 2019 and 2021 results on the 2013 map of Essex; its boundaries changed for the 2025 election. It held 87% of Lakeshore’s residents.
Essex elected Chris Lewis (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021: 41% of the vote, a lead of 6,463 over Tracey Ramsey (New Democratic Party). 41% had elected Chris Lewis there in 2019. 67% of electors in Essex voted in 2021, above the 63% turnout across Canada.
All 7 candidates in Essex, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Lewis | Conservative Party of Canada | 28,741 | 41.1% |
| Tracey Ramsey | New Democratic Party | 22,278 | 31.8% |
| Audrey Festeryga | Liberal Party of Canada | 10,813 | 15.5% |
| Beth Charron-Rowberry | People's Party of Canada | 6,925 | 9.9% |
| Nancy Pancheshan | Green Party of Canada | 865 | 1.2% |
| Jeremy Palko | Christian Heritage Party of Canada | 182 | 0.3% |
| Andrew George | Independent | 172 | 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
Lakeshore 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.
Water, sewers and waste takes the biggest share, 39%, or $632 per resident. 140 full-time positions are funded, 3.5 per thousand residents. Residents are also served by Essex County, which spent $1,043 each across its area, chiefly on public health and paramedics. At $1,605 for every resident in 2024, Lakeshore council sits below the $1,901 median of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities. Lakeshore council carried $62.1M of long-term debt, $1,538 per resident against a typical $440. At 47%, property taxes count for more of the revenue than the 42% seen across the province.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water, sewers and waste | $25.5M | $632 | 39% |
| Recreation and culture | $12.1M | $299 | 19% |
| Police, fire and protection | $11.9M | $295 | 18% |
| Roads and transit | $11.4M | $281 | 18% |
| Planning and development | $2.2M | $54 | 3% |
| General government | $1.8M | $43 | 3% |
Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
Lakeshore council beside its neighbours
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
The headline above gives the figure; the bars set Lakeshore council beside nearby councils, with the provincial median as the tick.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Lakeshore 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. Residents per seat divide the 2021 Census population by every council seat, the head of council’s included.
- 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.
- 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.
- Election results. Where the page says “today’s boundaries”, it means Elections Canada’s estimate of the 2021 vote on the 2023 ridings; every other count is official and on the 2013 map.
- Which riding. The 2021 Census homes of a place’s residents fix its ridings, and one is shown once it holds 5% of them.
Questions about how Lakeshore is run
Who is the MP for Lakeshore?
Most residents of Lakeshore have Chris Lewis (Conservative Party of Canada) as MP for Essex; the rest mainly have Kathy Borrelli, for Windsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore.
Which party won Lakeshore in the 2021 federal election?
Chris Lewis (Conservative Party of Canada) took Essex in 2021 and is its MP today.
Who is the MPP for Lakeshore?
Each of Essex and Chatham-Kent—Leamington elects its own MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and Lakeshore lies across them.
Who heads the council in Lakeshore?
Tracey Bailey was elected mayor in October 2022, for the 2022–26 term of Lakeshore council.
How much does Lakeshore council spend?
Lakeshore council spent $64.9M in 2024 for about 40,410 residents; its largest service line was water, sewers and waste, at $25.5M.
Which regional body is Lakeshore part of?
Lakeshore is part of Essex County, whose council, drawn from its municipalities’ councils, runs county-wide services.
How is Lakeshore council elected?
Lakeshore council: the mayor is chosen by the whole municipality, the councillors ward by ward.
What was the turnout in Lakeshore?
It was 30.5% for Lakeshore 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).