Council seats in Ottawa are spread thin, 47,520 residents each, more than in 99% of Ontario municipalities
Ottawa, which governs Alta Vista, elected Mark Sutcliffe mayor in October 2022. 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. Alta Vista is in Ottawa South for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, whose current MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) no open source we can use records yet. For federal votes, Alta Vista belongs to Ottawa South, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP); David McGuinty (Liberal Party of Canada) holds it.
What stands out in how Alta Vista is governed
Many residents per seat
The middle municipality in Ontario has a seat for every 1,540 residents; Ottawa council has far more people behind each. Council size ↓
Turnout above the norm
Across Ontario, median turnout in 2022 was 35%, and Ottawa council beat it. How Alta Vista voted ↓
High spending per resident
In 2024, 65% of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities spent less per resident than Ottawa council. Council money ↓
High federal turnout
Federal turnout in Ottawa South beat 74% of Canada’s ridings in 2021. The 2021 turnout ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
Alta Vista is governed by Ottawa, with Ontario and Ottawa.
The city council decides local matters.
Schools, health care, highways, municipal law.
ola.org ↗Passports, pensions, EI, defence, immigration.
ourcommons.ca ↗Who to ask
Green: municipal. Gold: provincial. Grey: federal.
No county or regional council sits above Ottawa’s: it is a single-tier city.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Alta Vista, from the most recent elections.
- 1Ottawa councilelected October 2022Mark Sutcliffe
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioOttawa South
- 3House of CommonsOttawa South
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 Ottawa council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Mark Sutcliffe
- Catherine Kitts
- Cathy Curry
- Rawlson King
- Riley Brockington
- George Darouze
- Laura Dudas
- Glen Gower
- Allan Hubley
- Theresa Kavanagh
- Jeff Leiper
- Matthew Luloff
- Shawn Menard
- Tim Tierney
- David Hill
- Clarke Kelly
- Laine Johnson
- Sean Devine
- Jessica Bradley
- Stéphanie Plante
- Ariel Troster
- Marty Carr
- David Brown
- Steve Desroches
- Wilson Lo
25 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Sutcliffe | Mayor | 161,677 | 51% | No |
| Catherine Kitts | Councillor | 9,466 | 77% | Yes |
| Cathy Curry | Councillor | 8,827 | 77% | Yes |
| Rawlson King | Councillor | 8,491 | 80% | Yes |
| Riley Brockington | Councillor | 9,595 | 73% | Yes |
| George Darouze | Councillor | 4,353 | 41% | Yes |
| Laura Dudas | Councillor | 11,821 | 71% | Yes |
| Glen Gower | Councillor | 7,758 | 59% | Yes |
| Allan Hubley | Councillor | 5,334 | 34% | Yes |
| Theresa Kavanagh | Councillor | 12,398 | 83% | Yes |
| Jeff Leiper | Councillor | 11,045 | 72% | Yes |
| Matthew Luloff | Councillor | 11,918 | 74% | Yes |
| Shawn Menard | Councillor | 11,358 | 79% | Yes |
| Tim Tierney | Councillor | 7,617 | 82% | Yes |
| David Hill | Councillor | 6,230 | 44% | No |
| Clarke Kelly | Councillor | 2,549 | 27% | No |
| Laine Johnson | Councillor | 8,899 | 53% | No |
| Sean Devine | Councillor | 4,812 | 39% | No |
| Jessica Bradley | Councillor | 4,927 | 42% | No |
| Stéphanie Plante | Councillor | 4,621 | 37% | No |
| Ariel Troster | Councillor | 8,663 | 61% | No |
| Marty Carr | Councillor | 6,088 | 47% | No |
| David Brown | Councillor | 6,898 | 67% | No |
| Steve Desroches | Councillor | 5,684 | 68% | No |
| Wilson Lo | Councillor | 4,403 | 37% | No |
The mayor is chosen at large; everyone else on Ottawa council answers to a ward. The contest for mayor went to Mark Sutcliffe, with 51% of the votes.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Alta Vista voted more than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
Ottawa council was elected on 24 October 2022 with 44% of electors voting, above the provincial middle.
How Alta Vista voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Alta Vista votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
This page stops at the 2021 vote: elections.ca keeps the 2025 counts under non-commercial terms. Councils are elected on the fourth Monday in October every four years, says the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, so Ottawa votes next on 28 October 2030. Parliament was last elected on 28 April 2025, and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on 27 February 2025.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Alta Vista votes in Ottawa South 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 ↗For the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Alta Vista votes in Ottawa South, which has one MPP. The riding comes from the 2013 federal map, which southern Ontario’s provincial ridings match under the Representation Act, 2015.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
David McGuinty represents Ottawa South in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Ottawa South · Liberal Party of Canada · first elected 2004
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
David McGuinty’s party, the Liberal Party of Canada, has 71 of the 122 seats from Ontario.
The MP’s record
In Ottawa, David McGuinty has been Minister of National Defence (since 2025) and Minister of Public Safety (2025). The current Parliament is David McGuinty’s 8th, counting from a first win in 2004. Mapped onto today’s Ottawa South, the 2021 vote gives the Liberal Party of Canada 49%; in 2025 David McGuinty kept the seat in the same hands.
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, Ottawa South re-elected David McGuinty of the Liberal Party of Canada
Results in Ottawa South as drawn in 2013, the boundaries of the 2019 and 2021 elections; the riding was redrawn for 2025.
The 2021 count in Ottawa South put David McGuinty (Liberal Party of Canada) first at 49%, with Eli Tannis (Conservative Party of Canada) 13,541 votes back. In 2019, David McGuinty had won the same riding with 52%.
All 6 candidates in Ottawa South, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| David McGuinty | Liberal Party of Canada | 29,038 | 48.8% |
| Eli Tannis | Conservative Party of Canada | 15,497 | 26.1% |
| Huda Mukbil | New Democratic Party | 11,514 | 19.4% |
| Chylow Hall | People's Party of Canada | 1,898 | 3.2% |
| Les Schram | Green Party of Canada | 1,401 | 2.4% |
| Larry Wasslen | Communist Party of Canada | 144 | 0.2% |
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
Ottawa 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.
Debt Ottawa council owes over the long term came to $4.2 billion, $3,809 a resident, higher than the median of $971. Property taxes and payments in lieu brought in 42% of revenue, against 37% across the province’s returns. More goes to roads and transit than to anything else: $1,219 a resident, 28% of all spending. The return counts 15,793 full-time positions, 14.4 for every thousand residents. Ottawa council spent $4,324 per resident in 2024, against a median of $3,796 among Ontario’s single-tier municipalities.
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $1.3 billion | $1,219 | 28% |
| Police, fire and protection | $751.3M | $684 | 16% |
| Social services and child care | $715.4M | $652 | 15% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $544.5M | $496 | 11% |
| Social housing | $497.1M | $453 | 10% |
| Recreation and culture | $423.6M | $386 | 9% |
| Public health and paramedics | $239.3M | $218 | 5% |
| General government | $125.6M | $114 | 3% |
| Planning and development | $111.8M | $102 | 2% |
Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
Ottawa council beside its neighbours
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
The bars put the headline’s figure for Ottawa council next to nearby councils, the tick marking the provincial median.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Alta Vista 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. 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.
- 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. MPs come from Wikidata’s records of the 45th Parliament, which can lag a resignation or a by-election by some days.
- Which riding. Each place is put in its ridings by where its 2021 Census residents live; a riding holding 5% or more of them is listed.
- 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.
Questions about how Alta Vista is run
Who is the MP for Alta Vista?
For Alta Vista, it’s David McGuinty (Liberal Party of Canada), who holds Ottawa South.
Which party won Alta Vista in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was David McGuinty (Liberal Party of Canada), who represents Ottawa South still.
Who is the MPP for Alta Vista?
The riding for Alta Vista is Ottawa South, and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario lists the MPP who holds it.
Who heads the council in Ottawa?
The open record gives Mark Sutcliffe, elected mayor of Ottawa council in October 2022.
How much does Ottawa council spend?
In 2024, Ottawa council spent $4.7 billion in all, for some 1,097,760 residents, of which $1.3 billion went on roads and transit, the biggest line.
How is Ottawa council elected?
By ward for councillors and at large for the mayor, on Ottawa council.
What was the turnout in Alta Vista?
43.8% of electors voted when Ottawa council was elected in October 2022; the Ontario median was 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).