Photo: Nelro2 at en.wikipedia · CC BY 3.0Seaforth’s council outspends 83% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities, per resident
Ben Lobb (Conservative Party of Canada) is the MP for Huron—Bruce, the riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) that takes in Seaforth. Seaforth is in Huron—Bruce 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. The council for Seaforth is that of Huron East, a municipality. Bernie MacLellan was elected mayor of Huron East in October 2022, on a council of 11 seats. Ontario held new municipal elections on 26 October 2026; until the province publishes them, the open record stops at the council elected in 2022.
What stands out in how Seaforth is governed
Few residents per seat
Huron East council spreads its seats over a small population; the typical municipality in Ontario has one seat per 1,540 residents. Council size ↓
Turnout below the norm
In Ontario’s 2022 municipal elections, the middle municipality saw 35% of electors vote; Huron East council fell short of that. How Seaforth voted ↓
High spending per resident
Spending per resident put Huron East council above 83% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities in 2024. Council money ↓
A safe federal seat
In 2021 the winner in Huron—Bruce led the runner-up (Liberal Party of Canada) by 24.8 points, a wider gap than in 65% of Canada’s 338 ridings. How Seaforth has voted ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
Seaforth, a municipality 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 public health and paramedics (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 Huron East’s council sits Huron County, the upper tier, which runs services across all its municipalities.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Seaforth, from the most recent elections.
- 1Huron East councilelected October 2022Bernie MacLellan
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioHuron—Bruce
- 3House of CommonsHuron—Bruce
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 Huron 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.
- Bernie MacLellan
- Justin Morrison
- Jeff Newell
- Dianne Diehl
- Alvin McLellan
- Brenda Dalton
- Gloria Wilbee
- Robert Fisher
- John Steffler
- Raymond Chartrand
- Larry McGrath
11 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernie MacLellan | Mayor | 1,595 | 70% | Yes |
| Justin Morrison | Councillor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Jeff Newell | Councillor | – | acclaimed | No |
| Dianne Diehl | Councillor | 272 | 74% | Yes |
| Alvin McLellan | Councillor | 305 | 83% | Yes |
| Brenda Dalton | Councillor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Gloria Wilbee | Councillor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Robert Fisher | Councillor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| John Steffler | Councillor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Raymond Chartrand | Councillor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Larry McGrath | Councillor | – | acclaimed | Yes |
Councillors on Huron East council are elected by ward, the mayor by the whole municipality. Bernie MacLellan won 70% of the votes cast for mayor.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Seaforth voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
The nearest places to Seaforth with figures are 19–30 km away. Turnout for Huron East council on 24 October 2022 was 30% of electors, lower than the Ontario norm.
How Seaforth voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Seaforth votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Huron East council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
The open federal catalogue ends at 2021; the 2025 results sit on elections.ca under terms that bar commercial use. The next council election in Huron East falls on 28 October 2030, the fourth Monday in October every four years under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. Provincially the last general election was on 27 February 2025, for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario; federally, on 28 April 2025.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Seaforth votes in Huron—Bruce 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, Seaforth votes in Huron—Bruce, 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
Ben Lobb represents Huron—Bruce in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Huron—Bruce · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2008
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
The Conservative Party of Canada, Ben Lobb’s party, takes 50 of the 122 seats from Ontario; the Liberal Party of Canada takes 71.
The MP’s record
Ben Lobb has sat in the Commons since 2008, now for the 6th Parliament. Mapped onto today’s Huron—Bruce, the 2021 vote gives the Conservative Party of Canada 51%; in 2025 Ben Lobb 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
Ben Lobb kept Huron—Bruce for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021
Results in Huron—Bruce as drawn in 2013, the boundaries of the 2019 and 2021 elections; the riding was redrawn for 2025.
Back in 2019, Ben Lobb took the riding on 48%. Huron—Bruce elected Ben Lobb (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021: 51% of the vote, a lead of 15,155 over James Rice (Liberal Party of Canada). Turnout in Huron—Bruce reached 70% in 2021, against 63% nationally.
All 5 candidates in Huron—Bruce, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Lobb | Conservative Party of Canada | 31,170 | 50.9% |
| James Rice | Liberal Party of Canada | 16,015 | 26.2% |
| Jan Johnstone | New Democratic Party | 9,056 | 14.8% |
| Jack Stecho | People's Party of Canada | 4,437 | 7.3% |
| Justin L Smith | Independent | 519 | 0.9% |
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
Huron East 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 lower-tier municipalities.
Spending per resident by service, 2024
What pays for it
Shares of revenue, town and province.
The upper tier, Huron County, adds $2,008 per resident of its own, mostly for social services and child care. At $2,603 for every resident in 2024, Huron East council sits above the $1,901 median of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities. More goes to roads and transit than to anything else: $720 a resident, 28% of all spending. The return counts 52 full-time positions, 6.5 for every thousand residents. At 47%, property taxes count for more of the revenue than the 42% seen across the province. Huron East council carried $3.2M of long-term debt, $393 per resident against a typical $440.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $5.8M | $720 | 28% |
| Police, fire and protection | $3.8M | $471 | 18% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $3.7M | $455 | 17% |
| Recreation and culture | $2.7M | $335 | 13% |
| General government | $2.3M | $288 | 11% |
| Planning and development | $1.3M | $163 | 6% |
| Social services and child care | $1.1M | $134 | 5% |
| Public health and paramedics | $302K | $38 | 1% |
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 950 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
65% of municipalities in Ontario have more residents per seat than Huron East council, at 950 each.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Seaforth 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
- Which riding. A riding is listed when 5% or more of the place’s 2021 Census residents live in it; the largest share comes first.
- Election results. Ridings changed in 2023: the 2019 and 2021 results are on the old map, and the 2021 vote on today’s map is Elections Canada’s own estimate from polling divisions.
- 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.
- 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.
Questions about how Seaforth is run
Who is the MP for Seaforth?
Huron—Bruce’s MP, Ben Lobb of the Conservative Party of Canada, represents Seaforth.
Which party won Seaforth in the 2021 federal election?
Ben Lobb (Conservative Party of Canada) took Huron—Bruce in 2021 and is its MP today.
Who is the MPP for Seaforth?
Huron—Bruce is the riding; its sitting MPP is on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s own list of members for Seaforth and its neighbours.
Who heads the council in Seaforth?
Bernie MacLellan was elected mayor in October 2022, for the 2022–26 term of Huron East council.
How much does Huron East council spend?
Huron East council spent $20.9M in 2024 for about 8,026 residents; its largest service line was roads and transit, at $5.8M.
Which regional body is Huron East part of?
Huron East is part of Huron County, whose council, drawn from its municipalities’ councils, runs county-wide services.
How is Huron East council elected?
By ward for councillors and at large for the mayor, on Huron East council.
What was the turnout in Seaforth?
30.5% of electors voted when Huron East 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).