Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0Turnout in St. Joseph reached 54% in 2022, higher than in 96% of Ontario’s municipalities
Terry Sheehan (Liberal Party of Canada) is the MP for Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma, the riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) that takes in St. Joseph. Northern Ontario’s provincial ridings differ from the federal ones, and no open file of them exists, so St. Joseph’s riding for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario isn’t shown. St. Joseph’s council of 5 was elected in October 2022, with Jody Wildman as mayor. 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.
What stands out in how St. Joseph is governed
Few residents per seat
St. Joseph council spreads its seats over a small population; the typical municipality in Ontario has one seat per 1,540 residents. Council size ↓
Turnout above the norm
St. Joseph council drew more of its electors to the polls in 2022 than the typical Ontario municipality (35%). How St. Joseph voted ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
St. Joseph, a township in Ontario, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
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 council governs St. Joseph, a single-tier township, even if the census files it under Algoma.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for St. Joseph, from the most recent elections.
- 1St. Joseph councilelected October 2022Jody Wildman
- 2Legislative Assembly of Ontario–
- 3House of CommonsSault Ste. Marie—Algoma
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 St. Joseph council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Jody Wildman
- Greg Senecal
- Bryon Hall
- Steven Adams
- Cameron Ross
5 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jody Wildman | Mayor | 452 | 49% | Yes |
| Greg Senecal | Councillor | 514 | 18% | Yes |
| Bryon Hall | Councillor | 548 | 19% | Yes |
| Steven Adams | Councillor | 584 | 21% | Yes |
| Cameron Ross | Councillor | 586 | 21% | No |
For mayor, Jody Wildman drew 49% of the votes. No seat on St. Joseph council belongs to a ward; the mayor and every councillor face the whole municipality.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
St. Joseph voted more than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
No closer places have figures: these lie 14–46 km from St. Joseph. On 24 October 2022, 54% of electors voted for St. Joseph council, a stronger showing than most of Ontario.
How St. Joseph voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When St. Joseph votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph 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. 28 October 2030 is the next council election in St. Joseph, fixed by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 for 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.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario: riding not placed
Provinces and territories run schools, health care and municipal law; each riding elects one MPP.
Find your MPP on the legislature’s site
ola.org ↗Legislatures: their own member pages
Terry Sheehan represents Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma · Liberal Party of Canada · first elected 2015
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
The Liberal Party of Canada holds 71 of 122 seats from Ontario, including Terry Sheehan’s.
The MP’s record
Had the 2021 ballots been cast in today’s Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma, the Conservative Party of Canada would have led with 36%; in 2025 Terry Sheehan took it from them. Terry Sheehan was first elected in 2015; the current Parliament is Terry Sheehan’s 4th.
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, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing re-elected Carol Hughes of the New Democratic Party
Under the 2013 boundaries of the 2019 and 2021 elections, St. Joseph sat in Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing; the 2025 election put it in Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma.
Back in 2019, Carol Hughes took the riding on 42%. The 2021 count in Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing put Carol Hughes (New Democratic Party) first at 40%, with John Sagman (Conservative Party of Canada) 5,010 votes back. At 60%, fewer of Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing voted in 2021 than Canada as a whole (63%).
All 6 candidates in Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carol Hughes | New Democratic Party | 15,895 | 40.2% |
| John Sagman | Conservative Party of Canada | 10,885 | 27.5% |
| Duke Peltier | Liberal Party of Canada | 8,888 | 22.5% |
| Harry Jaaskelainen | People's Party of Canada | 2,840 | 7.2% |
| Stephen Zimmermann | Green Party of Canada | 726 | 1.8% |
| Clarence Baarda | Christian Heritage Party of Canada | 289 | 0.7% |
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
St. Joseph 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 single-tier municipalities.
Spending per resident by service, 2024
What pays for it
Shares of revenue, town and province.
Spending by St. Joseph council came to $3,531 a resident in 2024, under the $3,796 median of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities. Social services and child care takes the biggest share, 20%, or $706 per resident. It employs the equivalent of 11 full-time positions, or 7.7 for each thousand people. At 40%, property taxes count for more of the revenue than the 37% seen across the province.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social services and child care | $1M | $706 | 20% |
| Roads and transit | $949K | $666 | 19% |
| Recreation and culture | $789K | $554 | 16% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $583K | $409 | 12% |
| Police, fire and protection | $473K | $332 | 9% |
| Public health and paramedics | $462K | $324 | 9% |
| General government | $462K | $324 | 9% |
| Social housing | $251K | $176 | 5% |
| Planning and development | $59K | $42 | 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 310 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
At 310 residents a seat, St. Joseph council is more closely spread than 92% of Ontario municipalities.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how St. Joseph 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Who holds each seat. Each MP’s name and party are Wikidata’s statements for the 45th Parliament, read in November 2026.
- Not on this page. No party tally for the council, which the open lists don’t record, and no band councils.
- 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.
- Council size. Every seat counts, the head of council’s too, against the population of the 2021 Census.
Questions about how St. Joseph is run
Who is the MP for St. Joseph?
Terry Sheehan of the Liberal Party of Canada is the MP for Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma, which includes St. Joseph.
Which party won St. Joseph in the 2021 federal election?
Carol Hughes won Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing for the New Democratic Party in 2021; the riding is now Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma, held by Terry Sheehan.
Who is the MPP for St. Joseph?
Use the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s own list: every MPP is there by riding, though St. Joseph isn’t placed in one here.
Who heads the council in St. Joseph?
Jody Wildman was elected mayor in October 2022, for the 2022–26 term of St. Joseph council.
How much does St. Joseph council spend?
In 2024, St. Joseph council spent $5M in all, for some 1,426 residents, of which $1M went on social services and child care, the biggest line.
How is St. Joseph council elected?
At large: every voter helps fill all of St. Joseph council, the mayor too.
What was the turnout in St. Joseph?
53.8% of electors voted when St. Joseph 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 · 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).