Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0Nipigon turned out at 49% for its 2022 council election, above 91% of Ontario municipalities
In October 2022, Nipigon elected Suzanne Kukko as mayor, with a council of 5. 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. 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 Nipigon. Nipigon is in the north, where the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s ridings don’t follow the 2013 federal map and have no open boundary file.
What stands out in how Nipigon is governed
Few residents per seat
The middle municipality in Ontario has a seat for every 1,540 residents; Nipigon council has fewer behind each. Council size ↓
Turnout above the norm
The 2022 vote for Nipigon council pulled in more electors than Ontario’s median of 35%. How Nipigon voted ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
Nipigon, a township 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.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Nipigon, from the most recent elections.
- 1Nipigon councilelected October 2022Suzanne Kukko
- 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 Nipigon council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Suzanne Kukko
- Gordon Mackenzie
- Pierre Pelletier
- Kathy Sakamoto
- John Jr. Zechner
5 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suzanne Kukko | Mayor | 415 | 62% | No |
| Gordon Mackenzie | Councillor | 414 | 62% | No |
| Pierre Pelletier | Councillor | 395 | 59% | No |
| Kathy Sakamoto | Councillor | 428 | 64% | No |
| John Jr. Zechner | Councillor | 503 | 76% | Yes |
With 62% of the votes, Suzanne Kukko carried the vote for mayor. There are no wards on Nipigon council: the whole electorate votes for every seat, the mayor too.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Nipigon 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 77–110 km: that is how far the nearest places with figures are from Nipigon. Turnout for Nipigon council on 24 October 2022 was 49% of electors, higher than the Ontario norm.
How Nipigon voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Nipigon votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Nipigon 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. 28 October 2030 is the next council election in Nipigon, fixed by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 for the fourth Monday in October every four years. Voters last chose the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on 27 February 2025 and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025.
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.
Of the 122 MPs from Ontario, 71 are with the Liberal Party of Canada, Patty Hajdu among them.
The MP’s record
In Ottawa, Patty Hajdu has been Minister of Health (2019–2021), Minister of Employment, Workforce, and Labour (2017–2019) and Minister for Women, Gender Equality and Youth (2015–2017). On today’s boundaries, the 2021 vote in Thunder Bay—Superior North would have gone to the Liberal Party of Canada with 40%, and Patty Hajdu kept it for them in 2025. The current Parliament is Patty Hajdu’s 4th, counting from a first win in 2015.
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
Thunder Bay—Superior North returned Patty Hajdu (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.
43% had elected Patty Hajdu there in 2019. Patty Hajdu won the 2021 race in Thunder Bay—Superior North for the Liberal Party of Canada, polling 41% and beating Chantelle Bryson (New Democratic Party) by 5,649 votes.
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
One seat for every 320 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
Only 320 residents share each seat on Nipigon council, fewer than in 91% of Ontario municipalities.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Nipigon 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
- Election results. Elections Canada redrew the ridings in 2023 and re-tallied the 2021 ballots onto the new map from polling divisions; that estimate, and the official 2019 and 2021 counts on the old map, are what you see.
- Council size. For residents per seat, the head of council is counted as a seat, and the population is the 2021 Census figure.
- Not on this page. No council budgets, no band councils, and no party tally for the council, which the open lists don’t record.
- Which riding. A place belongs to the riding where most of its 2021 Census residents live, plus any other with 5% or more.
- 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.
Questions about how Nipigon is run
Who is the MP for Nipigon?
Nipigon is in Thunder Bay—Superior North, represented by Patty Hajdu (Liberal Party of Canada).
Which party won Nipigon in the 2021 federal election?
Patty Hajdu (Liberal Party of Canada) took Thunder Bay—Superior North in 2021 and is its MP today.
Who is the MPP for Nipigon?
Nipigon’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 Nipigon?
For the 2022–26 term, Nipigon council was led by Suzanne Kukko, elected mayor in October 2022.
How is Nipigon council elected?
Every seat on Nipigon council, the mayor’s included, is filled by the whole municipality.
What was the turnout in Nipigon?
It was 48.9% for Nipigon 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) · 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).