Photo: Jfvoll · CC BY-SA 4.0Perth East spends less per resident than 78% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities
The October 2022 vote made Rhonda Ehgoetz mayor of Perth East, 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. Perth East sends one MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from Perth—Wellington, though no open record we can reuse gives the name. Perth East sends one MP to Ottawa from Perth—Wellington, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP): John Nater (Conservative Party of Canada).
What stands out in how Perth East is governed
Low spending per resident
In 2024, 78% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spent more per resident than Perth East council. Council money ↓
High federal turnout
Fewer electors stayed home in Perth—Wellington than in 69% of Canada’s ridings at the 2021 election. 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
Perth East, a township in Ontario, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
Spends most on public health and paramedics, then roads and transit (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.
Perth County is the upper tier over Perth East, a lower-tier municipality.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Perth East, from the most recent elections.
- 1Perth East councilelected October 2022Rhonda Ehgoetz
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioPerth—Wellington
- 3House of CommonsPerth—Wellington
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 Perth East council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Rhonda Ehgoetz
- Hugh McDermid
- Amanda Brodhagen
- Andrew MacAlpine
- Jeremy Matheson
- Jerry Smith
- Bob McMillan
7 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhonda Ehgoetz | Mayor | 1,621 | 58% | Yes |
| Hugh McDermid | Deputy Mayor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Amanda Brodhagen | Councillor | 457 | 65% | Yes |
| Andrew MacAlpine | Councillor | 294 | 56% | Yes |
| Jeremy Matheson | Councillor | 306 | 83% | Yes |
| Jerry Smith | Councillor | 464 | 80% | Yes |
| Bob McMillan | Councillor | 248 | 38% | No |
A single seat was filled without a contest. Councillors on Perth East council are elected by ward, the mayor by the whole municipality. Rhonda Ehgoetz became mayor on 58% of the votes cast.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Perth East voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
33% of those on the list cast a ballot for Perth East council on 24 October 2022, fewer than in a typical municipality.
How Perth East voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Perth East votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Perth East council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
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 Perth East, fixed by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 for the fourth Monday in October every four years. 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
Perth East votes in Perth—Wellington 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 ↗Perth—Wellington takes in Perth East and elects its MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. By law (the Representation Act, 2015), southern Ontario’s provincial ridings follow the 2013 federal boundaries, so each place is located from those.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
John Nater represents Perth—Wellington in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Perth—Wellington · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2015
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
John Nater 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
John Nater has sat in the Commons since 2015, now for the 4th Parliament. Had the 2021 ballots been cast in today’s Perth—Wellington, the Conservative Party of Canada would have led with 49%; John Nater held 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
Perth—Wellington returned John Nater (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021
Counts for Perth—Wellington within its 2013 boundaries, used in 2019 and 2021; the 2025 election ran on a new map.
Back in 2019, John Nater took the riding on 46%. In 2021, Perth—Wellington went to John Nater (Conservative Party of Canada) on 49%; Brendan Knight (Liberal Party of Canada) finished 13,300 votes behind.
All 4 candidates in Perth—Wellington, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Nater | Conservative Party of Canada | 26,984 | 48.6% |
| Brendan Knight | Liberal Party of Canada | 13,684 | 24.6% |
| Kevin Kruchkywich | New Democratic Party | 9,552 | 17.2% |
| Wayne Baker | People's Party of Canada | 5,357 | 9.6% |
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
Perth East 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.
Each resident’s share of Perth East council’s 2024 spending came to $1,453, where the middle of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities sat at $1,901. Perth County, the upper tier, spent another $1,486 per resident of its whole area, most of it on public health and paramedics. It employs the equivalent of 40 full-time positions, or 3.2 for each thousand people. Roads and transit takes the biggest share, 30%, or $432 per resident. At 56%, property taxes count for more of the revenue than the 42% seen across the province. Perth East council’s borrowing is light: $578K long term, $46 a resident where the median is $440.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $5.4M | $432 | 30% |
| Police, fire and protection | $4.5M | $359 | 25% |
| Recreation and culture | $2.7M | $217 | 15% |
| Planning and development | $2.4M | $194 | 13% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $2M | $155 | 11% |
| General government | $1.1M | $89 | 6% |
| Public health and paramedics | $87K | $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 1,920 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
Perth East council has one seat for every 1,920 residents, more than in 60% of Ontario municipalities.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Perth East 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. Seats count the head of council and the councillors, and residents are the 2021 Census count; a neighbourhood shows its city’s.
- 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. Band councils, and which party runs the council: the open lists carry no party, and most councils have none.
- Who holds each seat. Who holds each seat is read from Wikidata, so a very recent change in the Commons may not appear yet.
- Which riding. Ridings are assigned from the 2021 Census: the one with most residents first, then any holding 5% or more.
- Election results. Where the page says “today’s boundaries”, it means Elections Canada’s estimate of the 2021 vote on the 2023 ridings; every other count is official and on the 2013 map.
Questions about how Perth East is run
Who is the MP for Perth East?
For Perth East, it’s John Nater (Conservative Party of Canada), who holds Perth—Wellington.
Which party won Perth East in the 2021 federal election?
The Conservative Party of Canada: John Nater won Perth—Wellington in 2021 and still holds it.
Who is the MPP for Perth East?
Perth—Wellington is the riding; its sitting MPP is on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s own list of members for Perth East and its neighbours.
Who heads the council in Perth East?
Rhonda Ehgoetz was elected mayor in October 2022, for the 2022–26 term of Perth East council.
How much does Perth East council spend?
In 2024, Perth East council spent $18.3M in all, for some 12,595 residents, of which $5.4M went on roads and transit, the biggest line.
Which regional body is Perth East part of?
The council of Perth County, made up of members from its municipalities, Perth East among them, is the upper tier.
How is Perth East council elected?
Perth East council: the mayor is chosen by the whole municipality, the councillors ward by ward.
What was the turnout in Perth East?
In October 2022, turnout for Perth East council was 32.7%, against 35.5% for the typical Ontario municipality.
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).