Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0Less is spent per resident in Springwater than in 81% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities
Springwater’s council of 7 was elected in October 2022, with Jennifer Coughlin as mayor. 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. Springwater is in Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte 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. Springwater sends one MP to Ottawa from Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP): Doug Shipley (Conservative Party of Canada).
What stands out in how Springwater is governed
Many residents per seat
Springwater council spreads its seats over a big population; the typical municipality in Ontario has one seat per 1,540 residents. Council size ↓
Low spending per resident
Spending per resident left Springwater council below 81% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities in 2024. 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
Springwater, a township 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.
Local government here has two tiers: Springwater below, Simcoe County above.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Springwater, from the most recent elections.
- 1Springwater councilelected October 2022Jennifer Coughlin
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioBarrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte
- 3House of CommonsBarrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte
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 Springwater council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Jennifer Coughlin
- George Cabral
- Anita Moore
- Matt Garwood
- Danielle Alexander
- Brad Thompson
- Phil Fisher
7 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jennifer Coughlin | Mayor | 3,472 | 60% | Yes |
| George Cabral | Deputy Mayor | 2,409 | 42% | Yes |
| Anita Moore | Councillor | 577 | 54% | Yes |
| Matt Garwood | Councillor | 788 | 69% | No |
| Danielle Alexander | Councillor | – | acclaimed | No |
| Brad Thompson | Councillor | 542 | 40% | No |
| Phil Fisher | Councillor | 744 | 56% | No |
One seat went by acclamation, with a single candidate standing. Jennifer Coughlin won 60% of the votes cast for mayor. The mayor is chosen at large; everyone else on Springwater council answers to a ward.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Springwater voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
Turnout for Springwater council on 24 October 2022 was 33% of electors, lower than the Ontario norm.
How Springwater voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Springwater votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Springwater council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Springwater votes next on 28 October 2030: the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 sets municipal elections on the fourth Monday in October every four years. The Legislative Assembly of Ontario was last elected on 27 February 2025, and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. Counts from April 2025 can’t appear here, since Elections Canada allows only non-commercial reuse of them.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Springwater votes in Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte 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 ↗The riding comes from the 2013 federal map, which southern Ontario’s provincial ridings match under the Representation Act, 2015. Springwater is in Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, one of the ridings that each elect a MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Doug Shipley represents Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2019
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
Of the 122 seats from Ontario, the Liberal Party of Canada holds 71, and Doug Shipley’s Conservative Party of Canada has 50.
The MP’s record
Elections Canada’s transposition of the 2021 vote onto today’s Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte puts the Conservative Party of Canada first at 46%; Doug Shipley held it for the party in 2025. Doug Shipley was first elected in 2019; the current Parliament is Doug Shipley’s 3rd.
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
Doug Shipley kept Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021
Results in Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte as drawn in 2013, the boundaries of the 2019 and 2021 elections; the riding was redrawn for 2025.
Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte turned out at 64% in 2021; the country managed 63%. In 2021, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte went to Doug Shipley (Conservative Party of Canada) on 45%; Tanya Saari (Liberal Party of Canada) finished 7,410 votes behind. The 2019 result had favoured Doug Shipley as well, at 39%.
All 4 candidates in Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doug Shipley | Conservative Party of Canada | 23,555 | 45.1% |
| Tanya Saari | Liberal Party of Canada | 16,145 | 30.9% |
| Sarah Lochhead | New Democratic Party | 8,910 | 17.1% |
| Chris Webb | People's Party of Canada | 3,629 | 7.0% |
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
Springwater 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.
Springwater council’s borrowing is light: $1.5M long term, $64 a resident where the median is $440. Local taxpayers carry a bigger share than elsewhere: 56% of revenue, where the province’s returns show 42%. No service costs more than roads and transit, at $407 per resident and 29% of the total. The return counts 102 full-time positions, 4.3 for every thousand residents. The upper tier, Simcoe County, adds $1,228 per resident of its own, mostly for social services and child care. In 2024 the median among Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities was $1,901 a resident; Springwater council spent $1,393.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $9.6M | $407 | 29% |
| Police, fire and protection | $7.3M | $310 | 22% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $5.3M | $222 | 16% |
| General government | $4.8M | $204 | 15% |
| Recreation and culture | $4.7M | $200 | 14% |
| Planning and development | $1.1M | $48 | 3% |
| Public health and paramedics | $41K | $2 | 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 3,450 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
Only 78% of municipalities in Ontario have fewer seats for their size than Springwater council, at 3,450 residents each.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Springwater 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. The council size includes the head of council; the population is the 2021 Census, the whole city’s for a neighbourhood.
- 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. Band councils, and which party runs the council: the open lists carry no party, and most councils have none.
- 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. Ridings are assigned from the 2021 Census: the one with most residents first, then any holding 5% or more.
- Election results. Two maps are in play: the 2013 ridings, on which 2019 and 2021 were counted, and the 2023 ridings, onto which Elections Canada transposed the 2021 vote poll by poll.
Questions about how Springwater is run
Who is the MP for Springwater?
Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte’s MP, Doug Shipley of the Conservative Party of Canada, represents Springwater.
Which party won Springwater in the 2021 federal election?
The Conservative Party of Canada: Doug Shipley won Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte in 2021 and still holds it.
Who is the MPP for Springwater?
Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte is the riding; its sitting MPP is on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s own list of members for Springwater and its neighbours.
Who heads the council in Springwater?
For the 2022–26 term, Springwater council was led by Jennifer Coughlin, elected mayor in October 2022.
How much does Springwater council spend?
Springwater council spent $32.9M in 2024 for about 23,636 residents; its largest service line was roads and transit, at $9.6M.
Which regional body is Springwater part of?
The council of Simcoe County, made up of members from its municipalities, Springwater among them, is the upper tier.
How is Springwater council elected?
Springwater council: the mayor is chosen by the whole municipality, the councillors ward by ward.
What was the turnout in Springwater?
Turnout for Springwater council reached 32.9% in October 2022 (Ontario median: 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).