Photo: Michael Pardo from Niagara, Canada · CC0Turnout in Niagara West reached 72% in 2021, above 97% of ridings
The October 2022 vote made Marvin Junkin mayor of Pelham, heading 7 seats. Ontario voted again on 26 October 2026, and the province hasn’t published that election’s open file yet, so these are the 2022–26 council’s names. Pelham sends one MP to Ottawa from Niagara West, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP): Dean Allison (Conservative Party of Canada). In the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Pelham belongs to Niagara West; who holds it as MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) isn’t on an open record, so no one is named.
What stands out in how Pelham is governed
Many residents per seat
The middle municipality in Ontario has a seat for every 1,540 residents; Pelham council has far more people behind each. Council size ↓
High federal turnout
At the 2021 federal election, Niagara West out-voted 97% of the country’s ridings. 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
Pelham, a town 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 police, fire and protection (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 Pelham’s council sits Niagara Region, the upper tier, which runs services across all its municipalities.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Pelham, from the most recent elections.
- 1Pelham councilelected October 2022Marvin Junkin
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioNiagara West
- 3House of CommonsNiagara West
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 Pelham council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Marvin Junkin
- Wayne Olson
- Robert Hildebrandt
- John Wink
- Kevin Ker
- Brian Eckhardt
- Shellee Niznik
7 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvin Junkin | Mayor | 2,967 | 58% | Yes |
| Wayne Olson | Councillor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Robert Hildebrandt | Councillor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| John Wink | Councillor | 1,355 | 37% | Yes |
| Kevin Ker | Councillor | – | acclaimed | No |
| Brian Eckhardt | Councillor | 988 | 27% | No |
| Shellee Niznik | Councillor | – | acclaimed | No |
The contest for mayor went to Marvin Junkin, with 58% of the votes. The mayor is chosen at large; everyone else on Pelham council answers to a ward.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Pelham 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 Pelham council was chosen on 24 October 2022, just 33% of electors took part, under the provincial median.
How Pelham voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Pelham votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Pelham council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Counts from April 2025 can’t appear here, since Elections Canada allows only non-commercial reuse of them. Voters last chose the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on 27 February 2025 and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. 28 October 2030 is the next council election in Pelham, fixed by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 for the fourth Monday in October every four years.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Pelham votes in Niagara West 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 ↗Ontario’s southern ridings copy the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), and the town is placed by them. For the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Pelham votes in Niagara West, which has one MPP.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Dean Allison represents Niagara West in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Niagara West · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2004
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
The Conservative Party of Canada, Dean Allison’s party, takes 50 of the 122 seats from Ontario; the Liberal Party of Canada takes 71.
The MP’s record
Dean Allison has served as Minister of Families, Children and Social Development (2006–2010). First elected in 2004, Dean Allison is serving the 8th term of a Commons career. Mapped onto today’s Niagara West, the 2021 vote gives the Conservative Party of Canada 44%; in 2025 Dean Allison 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
Dean Allison kept Niagara West for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021
These are the 2019 and 2021 results on the 2013 map of Niagara West; its boundaries changed for the 2025 election.
8,391 votes separated Dean Allison (Conservative Party of Canada) from Ian Bingham (Liberal Party of Canada) in Niagara West in 2021, when the winner took 46%. 45% had elected Dean Allison there in 2019.
All 6 candidates in Niagara West, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dean Allison | Conservative Party of Canada | 25,206 | 45.6% |
| Ian Bingham | Liberal Party of Canada | 16,815 | 30.4% |
| Nameer Rahman | New Democratic Party | 7,064 | 12.8% |
| Shaunalee Derkson | People's Party of Canada | 3,933 | 7.1% |
| Joanna Kocsis | Green Party of Canada | 1,602 | 2.9% |
| Harold Jonker | Christian Heritage Party of Canada | 657 | 1.2% |
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
Pelham 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.
Pelham council carried $24.3M of long-term debt, $1,334 per resident against a typical $440. At 49%, property taxes count for more of the revenue than the 42% seen across the province. At 30% of spending ($521 a resident), recreation and culture leads the budget. 84 full-time positions are funded, 4.6 per thousand residents. Residents are also served by Niagara Region, which spent $2,474 each across its area, chiefly on social services and child care. Each resident’s share of Pelham council’s 2024 spending came to $1,736, where the middle of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities sat at $1,901.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recreation and culture | $9.5M | $521 | 30% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $7.8M | $427 | 25% |
| Roads and transit | $7M | $383 | 22% |
| General government | $3.1M | $171 | 10% |
| Police, fire and protection | $3M | $167 | 10% |
| Planning and development | $1.1M | $59 | 3% |
| Public health and paramedics | $130K | $7 | 0% |
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 2,850 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
With 2,850 residents behind each seat, Pelham council sits above 73% of Ontario municipalities.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Pelham 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 money. Per resident means the 2024 Financial Information Return’s totals over the population it reports. Since a county or region spends in its lower tiers too, those are compared only with each other.
- Council size. For residents per seat, the head of council is counted as a seat, and the population is the 2021 Census figure.
- 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. Each place is put in its ridings by where its 2021 Census residents live; a riding holding 5% or more of them is listed.
- 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. No party tally for the council, which the open lists don’t record, and no band councils.
Questions about how Pelham is run
Who is the MP for Pelham?
Dean Allison (Conservative Party of Canada) sits for Niagara West, the riding Pelham is in.
Which party won Pelham in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Dean Allison (Conservative Party of Canada), who represents Niagara West still.
Who is the MPP for Pelham?
Look up Niagara West on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s site: that riding, which takes in Pelham, has one MPP.
Who heads the council in Pelham?
Marvin Junkin was elected mayor in October 2022, for the 2022–26 term of Pelham council.
How much does Pelham council spend?
In 2024, Pelham council spent $31.6M in all, for some 18,192 residents, of which $9.5M went on recreation and culture, the biggest line.
Which regional body is Pelham part of?
Pelham is part of Niagara Region, the upper tier, whose regional council runs services such as water and policing.
How is Pelham council elected?
Pelham council: the mayor is chosen by the whole municipality, the councillors ward by ward.
What was the turnout in Pelham?
32.6% of electors voted when Pelham 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).