Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0380 residents per council seat in Magnetawan, a lower ratio than 87% of Ontario municipalities
The October 2022 vote made Sam Dunnett mayor of Magnetawan, heading 5 seats. 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. The Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s northern ridings aren’t the federal ones and aren’t published as open data, so Magnetawan isn’t placed. Magnetawan sends one MP to Ottawa from Parry Sound—Muskoka, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP): Scott Aitchison (Conservative Party of Canada).
What stands out in how Magnetawan is governed
Few residents per seat
The middle municipality in Ontario has a seat for every 1,540 residents; Magnetawan council has fewer behind each. Council size ↓
High spending per resident
Only a minority of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities spent more per resident in 2024 than Magnetawan council: it is ahead of 71%. Council money ↓
A safe federal seat
The 2021 winner in Parry Sound—Muskoka finished 26.3 points ahead of the runner-up (Liberal Party of Canada), a wider lead than in 71% of Canada’s 338 ridings. How Magnetawan 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
Magnetawan, a municipality in Ontario, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
Schools, health care, highways, municipal law.
ola.org ↗Passports, pensions, EI, defence, immigration.
ourcommons.ca ↗Who to ask
Green: municipal. Gold: provincial. Grey: federal.
As a single-tier municipality, Magnetawan answers to no county or region; Parry Sound is only its census division.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Magnetawan, from the most recent elections.
- 1Magnetawan councilelected October 2022Sam Dunnett
- 2Legislative Assembly of Ontario–
- 3House of CommonsParry Sound—Muskoka
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 Magnetawan council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Sam Dunnett
- John S. Hetherington
- Brad Kneller
- Bill Bishop
- Jon Hind
5 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Dunnett | Mayor | 700 | 62% | Yes |
| John S. Hetherington | Councillor | 547 | 13% | Yes |
| Brad Kneller | Councillor | 555 | 14% | Yes |
| Bill Bishop | Councillor | 688 | 17% | No |
| Jon Hind | Councillor | 536 | 13% | No |
All of Magnetawan council is elected at large, with each voter helping fill every seat, the mayor’s as well. Sam Dunnett won 62% of the votes cast for mayor.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Magnetawan voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
Magnetawan council was elected on 24 October 2022 with 32% of electors voting, below the provincial middle.
How Magnetawan voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Magnetawan votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Magnetawan council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Why not 2025? Elections Canada publishes those counts under non-commercial terms, and its open data stop at the 2021 election. Voters last chose the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on 27 February 2025 and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. Councils are elected on the fourth Monday in October every four years, says the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, so Magnetawan votes next on 28 October 2030.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario: riding not placed
Provinces and territories run schools, health care and municipal law; each riding elects one MPP.
Find your MPP on the legislature’s site
ola.org ↗Legislatures: their own member pages
Scott Aitchison represents Parry Sound—Muskoka in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Parry Sound—Muskoka · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2019
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
Of the 122 seats from Ontario, the Liberal Party of Canada holds 71, and Scott Aitchison’s Conservative Party of Canada has 50.
The MP’s record
On today’s boundaries, the 2021 vote in Parry Sound—Muskoka would have gone to the Conservative Party of Canada with 48%, and Scott Aitchison kept it for them in 2025. First elected in 2019, Scott Aitchison is serving the 3rd term of a Commons career.
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
Scott Aitchison kept Parry Sound—Muskoka for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021
Counts for Parry Sound—Muskoka within its 2013 boundaries, used in 2019 and 2021; the 2025 election ran on a new map.
Turnout in Parry Sound—Muskoka reached 65% in 2021, against 63% nationally. Back in 2019, Scott Aitchison took the riding on 42%. The 2021 count in Parry Sound—Muskoka put Scott Aitchison (Conservative Party of Canada) first at 48%, with Jovanie Nicoyishakiye (Liberal Party of Canada) 14,586 votes back.
All 7 candidates in Parry Sound—Muskoka, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Aitchison | Conservative Party of Canada | 26,600 | 47.9% |
| Jovanie Nicoyishakiye | Liberal Party of Canada | 12,014 | 21.7% |
| Heather Hay | New Democratic Party | 9,339 | 16.8% |
| James Tole | People's Party of Canada | 4,184 | 7.5% |
| Marc Mantha | Green Party of Canada | 3,099 | 5.6% |
| Daniel Predie Jr | Independent | 169 | 0.3% |
| James Fawcett | National Citizens Alliance of Canada | 95 | 0.2% |
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
Magnetawan 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 single-tier municipalities.
Spending per resident by service, 2024
What pays for it
Shares of revenue, town and province.
At 63%, property taxes count for more of the revenue than the 37% seen across the province. Debt Magnetawan council owes over the long term came to $260K, $148 a resident, under the median of $971. Each resident’s share of Magnetawan council’s 2024 spending came to $4,534, where the middle of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities sat at $3,796. It employs the equivalent of 21 full-time positions, or 12.0 for each thousand people. The largest line is roads and transit: 38% of the total, $1,707 a resident.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $3M | $1,707 | 38% |
| Police, fire and protection | $1.3M | $766 | 17% |
| Recreation and culture | $997K | $569 | 13% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $843K | $481 | 11% |
| Social services and child care | $653K | $372 | 8% |
| General government | $632K | $361 | 8% |
| Public health and paramedics | $364K | $208 | 5% |
| Planning and development | $124K | $70 | 2% |
Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
Magnetawan council beside its neighbours
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
Nearby councils are drawn here for scale; the headline already says where Magnetawan council stands.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Magnetawan 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. Each MP’s name and party are Wikidata’s statements for the 45th Parliament, read in November 2026.
- Not on this page. Party control (most Canadian councils sit without parties, and the open lists record none) and band councils.
- Election results. The 2019 and 2021 figures are Elections Canada’s official counts on the ridings drawn in 2013; the “today’s boundaries” figures are its transposition of the 2021 vote onto the 2023 ridings, an estimate built from polling divisions.
- 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 Magnetawan is run
Who is the MP for Magnetawan?
For Magnetawan, it’s Scott Aitchison (Conservative Party of Canada), who holds Parry Sound—Muskoka.
Which party won Magnetawan in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Scott Aitchison (Conservative Party of Canada), who represents Parry Sound—Muskoka still.
Who is the MPP for Magnetawan?
Every MPP of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is on its members page, which is where to find the one for Magnetawan.
Who heads the council in Magnetawan?
Sam Dunnett was elected mayor in October 2022, for the 2022–26 term of Magnetawan council.
How much does Magnetawan council spend?
The 2024 return of Magnetawan council shows $7.9M of spending for roughly 1,753 residents, $3M of it on roads and transit.
How is Magnetawan council elected?
Every seat on Magnetawan council, the mayor’s included, is filled by the whole municipality.
What was the turnout in Magnetawan?
It was 31.7% for Magnetawan 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 · 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).