Photo: MikeStnly · CC BY-SA 4.0Turnout in Minden Hills was 25% in 2022, lower than in 87% of Ontario’s municipalities
In October 2022, Minden Hills elected Bob Carter as mayor, with a council of 7. The council shown is the one elected in 2022, since Ontario voted again on 26 October 2026 and no open file of the new councils exists yet. Provincially, Minden Hills votes in Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock; the open record doesn’t name its MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, so the legislature’s own list is linked below. Jamie Schmale (Conservative Party of Canada) is the MP for Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes, the riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) that takes in Minden Hills.
What stands out in how Minden Hills is governed
Turnout below the norm
Across Ontario, median turnout in 2022 was 35%, and Minden Hills council came in under it. How Minden Hills voted ↓
High spending per resident
Minden Hills council spent more per resident in 2024 than 73% of Ontario’s lower-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
Minden Hills, a township in Ontario, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
Spends most on roads and transit, then public health and paramedics (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.
Haliburton County is the upper tier over Minden Hills, a lower-tier municipality.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Minden Hills, from the most recent elections.
- 1Minden Hills councilelected October 2022Bob Carter
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioHaliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock
- 3House of CommonsHaliburton—Kawartha Lakes
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 Minden Hills council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Bob Carter
- Lisa Schell
- Pam Sayne
- Tammy McKelvey
- Ivan Ingram
- Shirley Johannessen
- Bob Sisson
7 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Carter | Mayor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Lisa Schell | Deputy Mayor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Pam Sayne | Councillor | 529 | – | Yes |
| Tammy McKelvey | Councillor | 1,843 | – | No |
| Ivan Ingram | Councillor | 1,238 | – | No |
| Shirley Johannessen | Councillor | 736 | – | No |
| Bob Sisson | Councillor | – | acclaimed | No |
Seats on Minden Hills council are tied to wards, apart from the mayor, whom every voter helps choose. Bob Carter was acclaimed mayor, with no one on the ballot against them.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Minden Hills voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
Minden Hills council was elected on 24 October 2022 with 25% of electors voting, below the provincial middle. Minden Hills has few close neighbours with figures, so the list reaches 18–49 km out.
How Minden Hills voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Minden Hills votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Minden Hills 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. Minden Hills votes next on 28 October 2030: the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 sets municipal elections on the fourth Monday in October every four years. This page stops at the 2021 vote: elections.ca keeps the 2025 counts under non-commercial terms.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Minden Hills votes in Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock 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 ↗The riding is Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock: it sends one MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and Minden Hills votes in it. Southern Ontario’s ridings are the 2013 federal ones by statute, which is how this page places the town.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Jamie Schmale represents Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2015
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
The Conservative Party of Canada, Jamie Schmale’s party, takes 50 of the 122 seats from Ontario; the Liberal Party of Canada takes 71.
The MP’s record
The current Parliament is Jamie Schmale’s 4th, counting from a first win in 2015. On today’s boundaries, the 2021 vote in Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes would have gone to the Conservative Party of Canada with 52%, and Jamie Schmale kept 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
In 2021, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock re-elected Jamie Schmale of the Conservative Party of Canada
Results in Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, the riding Minden Hills belonged to on the 2013 map used in 2019 and 2021; since 2025 it votes in Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes.
Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock elected Jamie Schmale (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021: 52% of the vote, a lead of 19,773 over Judi Forbes (Liberal Party of Canada). Jamie Schmale was the sitting MP, elected there in 2019 with 49%. Turnout in Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock reached 66% in 2021, against 63% nationally.
All 6 candidates in Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie Schmale | Conservative Party of Canada | 35,418 | 52.3% |
| Judi Forbes | Liberal Party of Canada | 15,645 | 23.1% |
| Zac Miller | New Democratic Party | 9,730 | 14.4% |
| Alison Davidson | People's Party of Canada | 4,769 | 7.0% |
| Angel Godsoe | Green Party of Canada | 1,696 | 2.5% |
| Gene Balfour | Libertarian Party of Canada | 463 | 0.7% |
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
Minden Hills 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.
The largest line is roads and transit: 27% of the total, $645 a resident. Full-time staff number 49, about 7.0 to every thousand residents. On top of that comes Haliburton County: $1,458 a resident across its area, led by roads and transit. Minden Hills council spent $2,396 per resident in 2024, against a median of $1,901 among Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities. Long-term debt at Minden Hills council stood at $10.4M, or $1,497 a resident, above the $440 median. Local taxpayers carry a bigger share than elsewhere: 61% of revenue, where the province’s returns show 42%.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $4.5M | $645 | 27% |
| Police, fire and protection | $3.3M | $479 | 20% |
| Recreation and culture | $3M | $425 | 18% |
| General government | $2.7M | $390 | 16% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $2.5M | $353 | 15% |
| Planning and development | $509K | $73 | 3% |
| Public health and paramedics | $215K | $31 | 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 1,120 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
Only 1,120 residents share each seat on Minden Hills council, fewer than in 59% of Ontario municipalities.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Minden Hills 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. 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.
- Not on this page. No party tally for the council, which the open lists don’t record, and no band councils.
- 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.
- Which riding. A place belongs to the riding where most of its 2021 Census residents live, plus any other with 5% or more.
- Election results. Official counts for 2019 and 2021 are by the 2013 ridings; Elections Canada also re-counted the 2021 ballots onto the 2023 ridings by polling division, and that estimate is what “today’s boundaries” means here.
Questions about how Minden Hills is run
Who is the MP for Minden Hills?
For Minden Hills, it’s Jamie Schmale (Conservative Party of Canada), who holds Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes.
Which party won Minden Hills in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Jamie Schmale (Conservative Party of Canada), in Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock; Jamie Schmale represents Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes today.
Who is the MPP for Minden Hills?
Look up Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s site: that riding, which takes in Minden Hills, has one MPP.
Who heads the council in Minden Hills?
For the 2022–26 term, Minden Hills council was led by Bob Carter, elected mayor in October 2022.
How much does Minden Hills council spend?
Minden Hills council spent $16.7M in 2024 for about 6,971 residents; its largest service line was roads and transit, at $4.5M.
Which regional body is Minden Hills part of?
Minden Hills is part of Haliburton County, whose council, drawn from its municipalities’ councils, runs county-wide services.
How is Minden Hills council elected?
Minden Hills council: the mayor is chosen by the whole municipality, the councillors ward by ward.
What was the turnout in Minden Hills?
It was 24.8% for Minden Hills 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).