Photo: JustSomePics · CC BY-SA 4.0Meaford’s MP is Alex Ruff (Conservative Party of Canada), for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound
Ross Kentner was elected mayor of Meaford in October 2022, on a council of 7 seats. Ontario’s councils were renewed on 26 October 2026, but the only open list so far is 2022’s, so that is the term shown. Meaford sends one MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, though no open record we can reuse gives the name. From Ontario come 122 MPs, 71 of them with the Liberal Party of Canada.
Three governments, and who does what
Meaford, a municipality in Ontario, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
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.
Grey County is the upper tier over Meaford, a lower-tier municipality.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Meaford, from the most recent elections.
- 1Meaford councilelected October 2022Ross Kentner
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioBruce—Grey—Owen Sound
- 3House of CommonsBruce—Grey—Owen Sound
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 Meaford council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Ross Kentner
- Shirley Keaveney
- Steve Bartley
- Tony Bell
- Harley Greenfield
- Brandon Forder
- Robert Uhrig
7 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross Kentner | Mayor | 2,063 | 53% | Yes |
| Shirley Keaveney | Deputy Mayor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Steve Bartley | Councillor | 2,328 | 60% | Yes |
| Tony Bell | Councillor | 2,016 | 52% | Yes |
| Harley Greenfield | Councillor | 2,248 | 58% | Yes |
| Brandon Forder | Councillor | 1,936 | 50% | No |
| Robert Uhrig | Councillor | 1,818 | 47% | No |
Ross Kentner won 53% of the votes cast for mayor. Every seat on Meaford council, the mayor’s included, is chosen by the whole municipality. One seat needed no vote: it had just one candidate.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Meaford voted more than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
Distances here run 20–27 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Meaford. When Meaford council was chosen on 24 October 2022, 37% of electors took part, above the provincial median.
How Meaford voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Meaford votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Meaford council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Parliament was last elected on 28 April 2025, and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on 27 February 2025. 28 October 2030 is the next council election in Meaford, fixed by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 for 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
Meaford votes in Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound 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 ↗By law (the Representation Act, 2015), southern Ontario’s provincial ridings follow the 2013 federal boundaries, so each place is located from those. Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound takes in Meaford and elects its MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Alex Ruff represents Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2019
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
The MP’s record
First elected in 2019, Alex Ruff is serving the 3rd term of a Commons career. Had the 2021 ballots been cast in today’s Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, the Conservative Party of Canada would have led with 49%; Alex Ruff held it for them in 2025.
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
Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound returned Alex Ruff (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021
Counts for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound within its 2013 boundaries, used in 2019 and 2021; the 2025 election ran on a new map.
At 64%, more of Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound voted in 2021 than Canada as a whole (63%). The 2019 result had favoured Alex Ruff as well, at 46%. The 2021 count in Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound put Alex Ruff (Conservative Party of Canada) first at 49%, with Anne Marie Watson (Liberal Party of Canada) 13,989 votes back.
All 6 candidates in Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Ruff | Conservative Party of Canada | 28,727 | 49.2% |
| Anne Marie Watson | Liberal Party of Canada | 14,738 | 25.2% |
| Christopher Neudorf | New Democratic Party | 7,939 | 13.6% |
| Anna-Marie Fosbrooke | People's Party of Canada | 4,697 | 8.0% |
| Ashley Michelle Lawrence | Green Party of Canada | 1,789 | 3.1% |
| Reima Kaikkonen | Independent | 524 | 0.9% |
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
Meaford 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.
Property taxes and payments in lieu brought in 53% of revenue, against 42% across the province’s returns. Long-term debt at Meaford council stood at $7.5M, or $654 a resident, above the $440 median. Grey County, the upper tier, spent another $1,694 per resident of its whole area, most of it on social services and child care. Each resident’s share of Meaford council’s 2024 spending came to $2,503, where the middle of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities sat at $1,901. Roads and transit takes the biggest share, 26%, or $662 per resident. It employs the equivalent of 98 full-time positions, or 8.5 for each thousand people.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $7.6M | $662 | 26% |
| Recreation and culture | $5.5M | $483 | 19% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $5M | $438 | 18% |
| Police, fire and protection | $4.9M | $422 | 17% |
| General government | $4.7M | $406 | 16% |
| Planning and development | $896K | $78 | 3% |
| Public health and paramedics | $146K | $13 | 1% |
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 1,810 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
A seat on Meaford council covers 1,810 residents; 59% of Ontario municipalities have fewer per seat.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Meaford 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
- 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.
- Which riding. Where residents of the 2021 Census live decides the riding; any riding with 5% of them or more is named.
- 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.
- Council size. The council size includes the head of council; the population is the 2021 Census, the whole city’s for a neighbourhood.
- 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.
Questions about how Meaford is run
Who is the MP for Meaford?
Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound’s MP, Alex Ruff of the Conservative Party of Canada, represents Meaford.
Which party won Meaford in the 2021 federal election?
The Conservative Party of Canada: Alex Ruff won Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound in 2021 and still holds it.
Who is the MPP for Meaford?
The riding for Meaford is Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario lists the MPP who holds it.
Who heads the council in Meaford?
The open record gives Ross Kentner, elected mayor of Meaford council in October 2022.
How much does Meaford council spend?
In 2024, Meaford council spent $28.7M in all, for some 11,485 residents, of which $7.6M went on roads and transit, the biggest line.
Which regional body is Meaford part of?
The council of Grey County, made up of members from its municipalities, Meaford among them, is the upper tier.
How is Meaford council elected?
At large: every voter helps fill all of Meaford council, the mayor too.
What was the turnout in Meaford?
In October 2022, turnout for Meaford council was 37.0%, against 35.5% for the typical Ontario municipality.
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).