Photo: davestew89 · CC BY 3.0Fewer than 87% of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities spend as much per resident as Marathon
Patty Hajdu (Liberal Party of Canada) is the MP for Thunder Bay—Superior North, the riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) that takes in Marathon. The Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s northern ridings aren’t the federal ones and aren’t published as open data, so Marathon isn’t placed. Marathon’s council of 5 was elected in October 2022, with Rick Dumas as mayor. Ontario held new municipal elections on 26 October 2026; until the province publishes them, the open record stops at the council elected in 2022.
What stands out in how Marathon is governed
Few residents per seat
Marathon council has fewer people behind each seat than most of Ontario, where the middle figure is 1,540 residents a seat. Council size ↓
Turnout above the norm
In Ontario’s 2022 municipal elections, the middle municipality saw 35% of electors vote; Marathon council did better. How Marathon voted ↓
High spending per resident
Per resident, Marathon council’s 2024 spending tops 87% of Ontario’s single-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
Marathon, a town 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.
Marathon runs its own county-level services as a single-tier town; Thunder Bay appears only in the census.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Marathon, from the most recent elections.
- 1Marathon councilelected October 2022Rick Dumas
- 2Legislative Assembly of Ontario–
- 3House of CommonsThunder Bay—Superior North
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 Marathon council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Rick Dumas
- Zackary Souckey
- Raymond Lake
- Gregory Vallance
- Todd Wheeler
5 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rick Dumas | Mayor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Zackary Souckey | Councillor | 878 | 22% | Yes |
| Raymond Lake | Councillor | 646 | 16% | Yes |
| Gregory Vallance | Councillor | 713 | 18% | Yes |
| Todd Wheeler | Councillor | 452 | 12% | No |
Every seat on Marathon council, the mayor’s included, is chosen by the whole municipality. With no rival, Rick Dumas took the mayor’s chair by acclamation.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Marathon voted more than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
The nearest places to Marathon with figures are 54–66 km away. Turnout for Marathon council on 24 October 2022 was 42% of electors, higher than the Ontario norm.
How Marathon voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Marathon votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Marathon council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
The last general elections came on 27 February 2025 for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and on 28 April 2025 for Parliament. 28 October 2030 is the next council election in Marathon, fixed by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 for the fourth Monday in October every four years. 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.
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
Patty Hajdu represents Thunder Bay—Superior North in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Thunder Bay—Superior North · Liberal Party of Canada · first elected 2015
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
In Ontario, 71 of 122 ridings are held by the Liberal Party of Canada, the party Patty Hajdu sits with.
The MP’s record
Patty Hajdu has served as Minister of Health (2019–2021), Minister of Employment, Workforce, and Labour (2017–2019) and Minister for Women, Gender Equality and Youth (2015–2017). Elections Canada’s transposition of the 2021 vote onto today’s Thunder Bay—Superior North puts the Liberal Party of Canada first at 40%; Patty Hajdu held it for the party in 2025. First elected in 2015, Patty Hajdu is serving the 4th 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
Patty Hajdu kept Thunder Bay—Superior North for the Liberal Party of Canada in 2021
Thunder Bay—Superior North as it stood from 2013: the 2019 and 2021 counts, before the riding was redrawn for 2025.
Patty Hajdu was the sitting MP, elected there in 2019 with 43%. Thunder Bay—Superior North elected Patty Hajdu (Liberal Party of Canada) in 2021: 41% of the vote, a lead of 5,649 over Chantelle Bryson (New Democratic Party).
All 6 candidates in Thunder Bay—Superior North, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patty Hajdu | Liberal Party of Canada | 16,893 | 40.7% |
| Chantelle Bryson | New Democratic Party | 11,244 | 27.1% |
| Joshua Taylor | Conservative Party of Canada | 10,035 | 24.2% |
| Rick Daines | People's Party of Canada | 2,465 | 5.9% |
| Amanda Moddejonge | Green Party of Canada | 735 | 1.8% |
| Alexander Vodden | Libertarian Party of Canada | 111 | 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
Marathon 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.
Taxes on property make up 45% of what comes in, more than the province-wide 37%. Marathon council carried $19.2M of long-term debt, $6,112 per resident against a typical $971. Full-time staff number 36, about 11.5 to every thousand residents. At $5,129 for every resident in 2024, Marathon council sits above the $3,796 median of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities. At 29% of spending ($1,481 a resident), recreation and culture leads the budget.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recreation and culture | $4.6M | $1,481 | 29% |
| Roads and transit | $2.9M | $930 | 18% |
| General government | $2.4M | $774 | 15% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $2.4M | $758 | 15% |
| Police, fire and protection | $1.5M | $478 | 9% |
| Social housing | $1.4M | $460 | 9% |
| Public health and paramedics | $526K | $168 | 3% |
| Planning and development | $195K | $62 | 1% |
| Social services and child care | $56K | $18 | 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 640 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
With 640 residents behind each seat, Marathon council sits below 77% of Ontario municipalities.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Marathon 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
- Which riding. The 2021 Census homes of a place’s residents fix its ridings, and one is shown once it holds 5% of them.
- 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.
- Not on this page. Party control (most Canadian councils sit without parties, and the open lists record none) and band councils.
- Who holds each seat. Who holds each seat is read from Wikidata, so a very recent change in the Commons may not appear yet.
- 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.
- Council size. The 2021 Census population is shared over all council seats, including the head of council’s, for this ratio.
Questions about how Marathon is run
Who is the MP for Marathon?
Patty Hajdu of the Liberal Party of Canada is the MP for Thunder Bay—Superior North, which includes Marathon.
Which party won Marathon in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Patty Hajdu (Liberal Party of Canada), who represents Thunder Bay—Superior North still.
Who is the MPP for Marathon?
Marathon’s riding isn’t placed on this page; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s members page lists every MPP by riding.
Who heads the council in Marathon?
In October 2022, Rick Dumas won the post of mayor for Marathon council’s 2022–26 term.
How much does Marathon council spend?
The 2024 return of Marathon council shows $16.1M of spending for roughly 3,138 residents, $4.6M of it on recreation and culture.
How is Marathon council elected?
Every seat on Marathon council, the mayor’s included, is filled by the whole municipality.
What was the turnout in Marathon?
Turnout for Marathon council reached 42.3% in October 2022 (Ontario median: 35.5%).
Sources: MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · 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).