Photo: Adam Bishop · CC BY-SA 4.0More of Leamington voted in 2022 than in most of Ontario: 46%, ahead of 86% of municipalities
In October 2022, Leamington elected Hilda MacDonald as mayor, with a council of 7. Ontario held new municipal elections on 26 October 2026; until the province publishes them, the open record stops at the council elected in 2022. Leamington sends one MP to Ottawa from Chatham-Kent—Leamington, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP): Dave Epp (Conservative Party of Canada). For the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Leamington votes in Chatham-Kent—Leamington; open data doesn’t yet say who its MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) is.
What stands out in how Leamington is governed
Many residents per seat
Leamington council has more people behind each seat than most of Ontario, where the middle figure is 1,540 residents a seat. Council size ↓
Turnout above the norm
Leamington council drew more of its electors to the polls in 2022 than the typical Ontario municipality (35%). How Leamington voted ↓
A close federal race
The 2021 winner in Chatham-Kent—Leamington finished 12.3 points ahead of the runner-up (Liberal Party of Canada), a closer race than 67% of Canada’s 338 ridings. How Leamington 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
Leamington, a municipality 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.
Leamington 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 Leamington, from the most recent elections.
- 1Leamington councilelected October 2022Hilda MacDonald
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioChatham-Kent—Leamington
- 3House of CommonsChatham-Kent—Leamington
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 Leamington council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Hilda MacDonald
- Larry Joseph Verbeke
- Bill Dunn
- Paul Tiessen
- Tim Wilkinson
- Anthony Abraham
- Heather Latam
7 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilda MacDonald | Mayor | 4,333 | 54% | Yes |
| Larry Joseph Verbeke | Deputy Mayor | 3,229 | 41% | Yes |
| Bill Dunn | Councillor | 4,250 | 12% | Yes |
| Paul Tiessen | Councillor | 3,949 | 12% | Yes |
| Tim Wilkinson | Councillor | 4,253 | 13% | Yes |
| Anthony Abraham | Councillor | 2,806 | 8% | No |
| Heather Latam | Councillor | 2,363 | 7% | Yes |
Hilda MacDonald won 54% of the votes cast for mayor. There are no wards on Leamington council: the whole electorate votes for every seat, the mayor too.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Leamington voted more than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
No closer places have figures: these lie 12–28 km from Leamington. When Leamington council was chosen on 24 October 2022, 46% of electors took part, above the provincial median.
How Leamington voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Leamington votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Leamington council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
This page stops at the 2021 vote: elections.ca keeps the 2025 counts under non-commercial terms. Parliament was last elected on 28 April 2025, and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on 27 February 2025. Councils are elected on the fourth Monday in October every four years, says the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, so Leamington votes next on 28 October 2030.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Leamington votes in Chatham-Kent—Leamington 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. For the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Leamington votes in Chatham-Kent—Leamington, which has one MPP.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Dave Epp represents Chatham-Kent—Leamington in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Chatham-Kent—Leamington · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2019
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
In Ontario, Dave Epp belongs to a minority: the Conservative Party of Canada has 50 of 122 seats, the Liberal Party of Canada 71.
The MP’s record
Mapped onto today’s Chatham-Kent—Leamington, the 2021 vote gives the Conservative Party of Canada 42%; in 2025 Dave Epp kept the seat in the same hands. Dave Epp 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
Chatham-Kent—Leamington returned Dave Epp (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021
Chatham-Kent—Leamington as it stood from 2013: the 2019 and 2021 counts, before the riding was redrawn for 2025.
Dave Epp was the sitting MP, elected there in 2019 with 47%. 6,752 votes separated Dave Epp (Conservative Party of Canada) from Greg Hetherington (Liberal Party of Canada) in Chatham-Kent—Leamington in 2021, when the winner took 41%. In 2021, 64% of electors cast a ballot in Chatham-Kent—Leamington, more than the national 63%.
All 5 candidates in Chatham-Kent—Leamington, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Epp | Conservative Party of Canada | 22,435 | 40.9% |
| Greg Hetherington | Liberal Party of Canada | 15,683 | 28.6% |
| Dan Gelinas | New Democratic Party | 8,007 | 14.6% |
| Liz Vallee | People's Party of Canada | 7,892 | 14.4% |
| Mark Vercouteren | Green Party of Canada | 837 | 1.5% |
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
Leamington council spends more 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.
On top of that comes Essex County: $1,043 a resident across its area, led by public health and paramedics. At $2,061 for every resident in 2024, Leamington council sits above the $1,901 median of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities. More goes to water, sewers and waste than to anything else: $580 a resident, 28% of all spending. Full-time staff number 143, about 4.8 to every thousand residents. At 48%, property taxes count for more of the revenue than the 42% seen across the province. Debt Leamington council owes over the long term came to $6.4M, $216 a resident, under the median of $440.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water, sewers and waste | $17.2M | $580 | 28% |
| Police, fire and protection | $12.7M | $426 | 21% |
| Roads and transit | $10.3M | $348 | 17% |
| Recreation and culture | $9.3M | $313 | 15% |
| General government | $5.9M | $199 | 10% |
| Planning and development | $5.7M | $190 | 9% |
| Public health and paramedics | $155K | $5 | 0% |
Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
One seat for every 4,950 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
At 4,950 residents a seat, Leamington council is more thinly spread than 83% of Ontario municipalities.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Leamington 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. Residents per seat divide the 2021 Census population by every council seat, the head of council’s included.
- Election results. Ridings changed in 2023: the 2019 and 2021 results are on the old map, and the 2021 vote on today’s map is Elections Canada’s own estimate from polling divisions.
- Which riding. A riding is listed when 5% or more of the place’s 2021 Census residents live in it; the largest share comes first.
- 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.
Questions about how Leamington is run
Who is the MP for Leamington?
Dave Epp of the Conservative Party of Canada is the MP for Chatham-Kent—Leamington, which includes Leamington.
Which party won Leamington in the 2021 federal election?
Dave Epp (Conservative Party of Canada) took Chatham-Kent—Leamington in 2021 and is its MP today.
Who is the MPP for Leamington?
Leamington votes in Chatham-Kent—Leamington; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s members page gives its current MPP.
Who heads the council in Leamington?
Hilda MacDonald was elected mayor in October 2022, for the 2022–26 term of Leamington council.
How much does Leamington council spend?
The 2024 return of Leamington council shows $61.2M of spending for roughly 29,680 residents, $17.2M of it on water, sewers and waste.
Which regional body is Leamington part of?
Leamington is part of Essex County, whose council, drawn from its municipalities’ councils, runs county-wide services.
How is Leamington council elected?
Every seat on Leamington council, the mayor’s included, is filled by the whole municipality.
What was the turnout in Leamington?
45.7% of electors voted when Leamington 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).