Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0St. Thomas has one council seat for every 5,490 residents, more than 85% of municipalities in Ontario
Provincially, St. Thomas votes in Elgin—Middlesex—London; the open record doesn’t name its MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, so the legislature’s own list is linked below. St. Thomas is in Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP), and the seat belongs to Andrew Lawton of the Conservative Party of Canada. Voters in St. Thomas chose Joe Preston as mayor in October 2022, for a 9-seat council. 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.
What stands out in how St. Thomas is governed
Many residents per seat
The middle municipality in Ontario has a seat for every 1,540 residents; St. Thomas council has far more people behind each. Council size ↓
Turnout below the norm
The 2022 vote for St. Thomas council drew fewer electors than Ontario’s median of 35%. How St. Thomas voted ↓
High spending per resident
Per resident, St. Thomas council’s 2024 spending tops 68% of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities. 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
St. Thomas, a city 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.
The census places St. Thomas in Elgin, but the city is single-tier, with no county or regional council above it.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for St. Thomas, from the most recent elections.
- 1St. Thomas councilelected October 2022Joe Preston
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioElgin—Middlesex—London
- 3House of CommonsElgin—St. Thomas—London South
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. Thomas council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Joe Preston
- Steve Wookey
- Lori Baldwin-Sands
- Gary Clarke
- Jim Herbert
- Jeff Kohler
- Steve Peters
- Rose Gibson
- Tara McCaulley
9 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Preston | Mayor | 5,526 | 59% | Yes |
| Steve Wookey | Councillor | 5,564 | – | Yes |
| Lori Baldwin-Sands | Councillor | 5,057 | – | Yes |
| Gary Clarke | Councillor | 4,811 | – | Yes |
| Jim Herbert | Councillor | 3,521 | – | Yes |
| Jeff Kohler | Councillor | 5,253 | – | Yes |
| Steve Peters | Councillor | 7,385 | – | Yes |
| Rose Gibson | Councillor | 3,266 | – | No |
| Tara McCaulley | Councillor | 3,101 | – | No |
For mayor, Joe Preston drew 59% of the votes. All of St. Thomas council is elected at large, with each voter helping fill every seat, the mayor’s as well.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
St. Thomas voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
31% of those on the list cast a ballot for St. Thomas council on 24 October 2022, fewer than in a typical municipality.
How St. Thomas voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When St. Thomas votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| St. Thomas council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Parliament was last elected on 28 April 2025, and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on 27 February 2025. Councils are elected on the fourth Monday in October every four years, says the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, so St. Thomas votes next on 28 October 2030. There are no 2025 counts here: Elections Canada’s terms bar their commercial reuse, so 2021 is the latest open result.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
St. Thomas votes in Elgin—Middlesex—London 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. Elgin—Middlesex—London takes in St. Thomas and elects its MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Andrew Lawton represents Elgin—St. Thomas—London South in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Elgin—St. Thomas—London South · Conservative Party of Canada
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
The Conservative Party of Canada, Andrew Lawton’s party, takes 50 of the 122 seats from Ontario; the Liberal Party of Canada takes 71.
The MP’s record
April 2025 was Andrew Lawton’s first election to the House of Commons. Had the 2021 ballots been cast in today’s Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, the Conservative Party of Canada would have led with 49%; Andrew Lawton 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
Karen Vecchio kept Elgin—Middlesex—London for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021
Before the 2023 redistribution, St. Thomas voted in Elgin—Middlesex—London; these are its 2019 and 2021 results, and Elgin—St. Thomas—London South is its riding today.
In 2021, Elgin—Middlesex—London went to Karen Vecchio (Conservative Party of Canada) on 50%; Afeez Ajibowu (Liberal Party of Canada) finished 19,146 votes behind. The 2019 result had favoured Karen Vecchio as well, at 50%. 65% of electors in Elgin—Middlesex—London voted in 2021, above the 63% turnout across Canada.
All 6 candidates in Elgin—Middlesex—London, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karen Vecchio | Conservative Party of Canada | 31,472 | 49.9% |
| Afeez Ajibowu | Liberal Party of Canada | 12,326 | 19.6% |
| Katelyn Cody | New Democratic Party | 10,086 | 16.0% |
| Chelsea Hillier | People's Party of Canada | 7,429 | 11.8% |
| Amanda Stark | Green Party of Canada | 1,417 | 2.3% |
| Michael Hopkins | Christian Heritage Party of Canada | 328 | 0.5% |
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. Thomas 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 single-tier municipalities.
Spending per resident by service, 2024
What pays for it
Shares of revenue, town and province.
The largest line is social services and child care: 31% of the total, $1,344 a resident. Each resident’s share of St. Thomas council’s 2024 spending came to $4,330, where the middle of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities sat at $3,796. The return counts 546 full-time positions, 12.7 for every thousand residents. At $935 per resident, St. Thomas council’s $40.1M of long-term debt is less than the $971 median. At 26%, property taxes count for less 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 | $57.6M | $1,344 | 31% |
| Police, fire and protection | $40.4M | $943 | 22% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $26.3M | $614 | 14% |
| Roads and transit | $17.8M | $415 | 10% |
| Social housing | $16.1M | $376 | 9% |
| Recreation and culture | $12.9M | $301 | 7% |
| Public health and paramedics | $8.1M | $189 | 4% |
| Planning and development | $4.5M | $106 | 2% |
| General government | $1.8M | $43 | 1% |
Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
St. Thomas council beside its neighbours
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
Beside its neighbours, St. Thomas council is the bar in colour; the headline above has the comparison with the province.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how St. Thomas 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
- 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. The members named here are Wikidata’s, kept up by volunteers; a by-election or a floor crossing may take a few days to show.
- Which riding. Ridings are assigned from the 2021 Census: the one with most residents first, then any holding 5% or more.
- 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.
- Council size. The 2021 Census population is shared over all council seats, including the head of council’s, for this ratio.
- 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.
Questions about how St. Thomas is run
Who is the MP for St. Thomas?
For St. Thomas, it’s Andrew Lawton (Conservative Party of Canada), who holds Elgin—St. Thomas—London South.
Which party won St. Thomas in the 2021 federal election?
Elgin—Middlesex—London went to Karen Vecchio (Conservative Party of Canada) in 2021. Since 2025, Andrew Lawton has been the MP for Elgin—St. Thomas—London South.
Who is the MPP for St. Thomas?
St. Thomas votes in Elgin—Middlesex—London; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s members page gives its current MPP.
Who heads the council in St. Thomas?
For the 2022–26 term, St. Thomas council was led by Joe Preston, elected mayor in October 2022.
How much does St. Thomas council spend?
The 2024 return of St. Thomas council shows $185.5M of spending for roughly 42,840 residents, $57.6M of it on social services and child care.
How is St. Thomas council elected?
At large: every voter helps fill all of St. Thomas council, the mayor too.
What was the turnout in St. Thomas?
In October 2022, turnout for St. Thomas council was 30.6%, 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).