Photo: Joe Mabel (on Flickr as Joe Mabel from Seattle, US) · CC BY-SA 3.019,420 residents per council seat in Oshawa, a higher ratio than 96% of Ontario municipalities
Voters in Oshawa chose Dan Carter as mayor in October 2022, for a 11-seat council. 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. Oshawa is split between 2 ridings of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Oshawa and Durham. Who sits as MPP for Oshawa isn’t on an open record; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario has the current list. Federally, Oshawa is also the name of its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP), represented by Rhonda Kirkland of the Conservative Party of Canada.
What stands out in how Oshawa is governed
Many residents per seat
The middle municipality in Ontario has a seat for every 1,540 residents; Oshawa council has far more people behind each. Council size ↓
Turnout below the norm
The 2022 vote for Oshawa council drew fewer electors than Ontario’s median of 35%. How Oshawa voted ↓
Split between ridings
The riding of the same name takes in 75% of Oshawa, and Bowmanville—Oshawa North the bulk of the remaining 25%. Member of Parliament ↓
Low spending per resident
In 2024, 91% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spent more per resident than Oshawa council. 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
Oshawa, a city 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 water, sewers and waste (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.
Above Oshawa’s council sits Durham Region, the upper tier, which runs services across all its municipalities.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Oshawa, from the most recent elections.
- 1Oshawa councilelected October 2022Dan Carter
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioOshawa · Durham
- 3House of CommonsOshawa · 75%
- 4House of CommonsBowmanville—Oshawa North · 25%
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 Oshawa council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Dan Carter
- Derek Giberson
- John Gray
- Bradley Marks
- Rosemary McConkey
- Jim Lee
- Bob Chapman
- Rick Kerr
- Tito-Dante Marimpietri
- John Neal
- Brian Nicholson
11 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Carter | Mayor | 14,270 | 65% | Yes |
| Derek Giberson | Councillor | 1,497 | 27% | Yes |
| John Gray | Councillor | 2,360 | 63% | Yes |
| Bradley Marks | Councillor | 2,964 | 59% | Yes |
| Rosemary McConkey | Councillor | 1,101 | 46% | Yes |
| Jim Lee | Councillor | 1,509 | 34% | No |
| Bob Chapman | Local and Regional Councillor | 3,793 | 72% | Yes |
| Rick Kerr | Local and Regional Councillor | 2,467 | 46% | Yes |
| Tito-Dante Marimpietri | Local and Regional Councillor | 2,427 | 53% | Yes |
| John Neal | Local and Regional Councillor | 1,829 | 76% | Yes |
| Brian Nicholson | Local and Regional Councillor | 1,948 | 51% | Yes |
With 65% of the votes, Dan Carter carried the vote for mayor. Each ward chooses its own councillors on Oshawa council, while the whole municipality votes for the mayor.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Oshawa voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
When Oshawa council was chosen on 24 October 2022, just 18% of electors took part, under the provincial median.
How Oshawa voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Oshawa votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Oshawa council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
The next council election in Oshawa falls on 28 October 2030, the fourth Monday in October every four years under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. The last general elections came on 27 February 2025 for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and on 28 April 2025 for Parliament. 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
Oshawa spans 2 ridings 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 ↗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. Which MPP in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario represents a home in Oshawa depends on the street.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Oshawa has 2 MPs
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Oshawa · Conservative Party of Canada · 75%
en.wikipedia.org ↗Bowmanville—Oshawa North · Conservative Party of Canada · 25%
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
Rhonda Kirkland sits with the Conservative Party of Canada, which has 50 of the 122 seats from Ontario, against 71 for the Liberal Party of Canada.
The MP’s record
On today’s boundaries, the 2021 vote in Oshawa would have gone to the Conservative Party of Canada with 40%, and Rhonda Kirkland kept it for them in 2025. Rhonda Kirkland was elected to the Commons for the first time in April 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, Oshawa re-elected Colin Carrie of the Conservative Party of Canada
Counts for Oshawa within its 2013 boundaries, used in 2019 and 2021; the 2025 election ran on a new map. 75% of Oshawa lived in it.
Turnout in Oshawa was 56% in 2021, against 63% nationally. 6,330 votes separated Colin Carrie (Conservative Party of Canada) from Shailene Panylo (New Democratic Party) in Oshawa in 2021, when the winner took 40%. Back in 2019, Colin Carrie took the riding on 39%.
All 5 candidates in Oshawa, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colin Carrie | Conservative Party of Canada | 22,409 | 39.7% |
| Shailene Panylo | New Democratic Party | 16,079 | 28.5% |
| Afroza Hossain | Liberal Party of Canada | 13,044 | 23.1% |
| Darryl Mackie | People's Party of Canada | 4,029 | 7.1% |
| Sonny Mir | Green Party of Canada | 864 | 1.5% |
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
Oshawa council spends less 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.
Oshawa council carried $28M of long-term debt, $149 per resident against a typical $440. At 58%, property taxes count for more of the revenue than the 42% seen across the province. It employs the equivalent of 921 full-time positions, or 4.9 for each thousand people. At 32% of spending ($384 a resident), recreation and culture leads the budget. Oshawa council spent $1,217 per resident in 2024, against a median of $1,901 among Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities. Durham Region, the upper tier, spent another $2,359 per resident of its whole area, most of it on social services and child care.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recreation and culture | $71.9M | $384 | 32% |
| Police, fire and protection | $63.9M | $342 | 28% |
| Roads and transit | $53.1M | $284 | 23% |
| General government | $16.5M | $88 | 7% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $14.8M | $79 | 6% |
| Planning and development | $4.8M | $26 | 2% |
| Social services and child care | $2.3M | $12 | 1% |
| Public health and paramedics | $683K | $4 | 0% |
Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
Oshawa council beside its neighbours
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
The headline above gives the figure; the bars set Oshawa council beside nearby councils, with the provincial median as the tick.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Oshawa 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. For residents per seat, the head of council is counted as a seat, and the population is the 2021 Census figure.
- 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.
- 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.
- Not on this page. Band councils, and which party runs the council: the open lists carry no party, and most councils have none.
- 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. Ridings are assigned from the 2021 Census: the one with most residents first, then any holding 5% or more.
Questions about how Oshawa is run
Who is the MP for Oshawa?
Mostly Rhonda Kirkland (Conservative Party of Canada), MP for the riding of the same name; part of Oshawa is in Bowmanville—Oshawa North, held by Jamil Jivani.
Which party won Oshawa in the 2021 federal election?
The Conservative Party of Canada, with Colin Carrie in Oshawa; since 2025 Rhonda Kirkland represents Oshawa.
Who is the MPP for Oshawa?
Each of Oshawa and Durham elects its own MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and Oshawa lies across them.
Who heads the council in Oshawa?
Dan Carter was elected mayor in October 2022, for the 2022–26 term of Oshawa council.
How much does Oshawa council spend?
Oshawa council spent $228M in 2024 for about 187,240 residents; its largest service line was recreation and culture, at $71.9M.
Which regional body is Oshawa part of?
The council of Durham Region sits above Oshawa’s and runs region-wide services, police and water among them.
How is Oshawa council elected?
Oshawa council: the mayor is chosen by the whole municipality, the councillors ward by ward.
What was the turnout in Oshawa?
It was 18.4% for Oshawa 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).