Photo: Tyeman200 · CC BY-SA 3.0Tillsonburg spends less per resident than 77% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities
Deb Gilvesy was elected mayor of Tillsonburg in October 2022, on a council of 7 seats. The council shown is the one elected in 2022, since Ontario voted again on 26 October 2026 and no open file of the new councils exists yet. Tillsonburg is in Oxford 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. Federally Tillsonburg votes in Oxford, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP); its sitting MP isn’t on the open record.
What stands out in how Tillsonburg is governed
Many residents per seat
Tillsonburg 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 Tillsonburg council below 77% 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
Tillsonburg, a town 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.
Two councils serve Tillsonburg: its own, and that of Oxford County, the upper tier.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Tillsonburg, from the most recent elections.
- 1Tillsonburg councilelected October 2022Deb Gilvesy
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioOxford
- 3House of CommonsOxford
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 Tillsonburg council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Deb Gilvesy
- Dave Beres
- Pete Luciani
- Chris Parker
- Chris Rosehart
- Bob Parsons
- Kelly Spencer
7 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deb Gilvesy | Mayor | 2,934 | 55% | Yes |
| Dave Beres | Councillor | 3,279 | 12% | Yes |
| Pete Luciani | Councillor | 2,674 | 10% | Yes |
| Chris Parker | Councillor | 3,161 | 12% | Yes |
| Chris Rosehart | Councillor | 2,336 | 9% | Yes |
| Bob Parsons | Councillor | 2,410 | 9% | No |
| Kelly Spencer | Councillor | 2,958 | 11% | No |
No seat on Tillsonburg council belongs to a ward; the mayor and every councillor face the whole municipality. Deb Gilvesy won 55% of the votes cast for mayor.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Tillsonburg voted more than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
Tillsonburg council was elected on 24 October 2022 with 38% of electors voting, above the provincial middle.
How Tillsonburg voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Tillsonburg votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Tillsonburg council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Counts from April 2025 can’t appear here, since Elections Canada allows only non-commercial reuse of them. Voters last chose the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on 27 February 2025 and the House of Commons on 28 April 2025. Councils are elected on the fourth Monday in October every four years, says the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, so Tillsonburg votes next on 28 October 2030.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Tillsonburg votes in Oxford 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 is Oxford: it sends one MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and Tillsonburg votes in it. 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
Oxford: no current MP on record
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Oxford
ourcommons.ca ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
The MP’s record
Mapped onto today’s Oxford, the 2021 vote favoured the Conservative Party of Canada with 47%, 26.1 points clear of the runner-up (Liberal Party of Canada).
Member of Parliament: same source as Who represents Tillsonburg, above.
Dave MacKenzie kept Oxford for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021
Results in Oxford as drawn in 2013, the boundaries of the 2019 and 2021 elections; the riding was redrawn for 2025.
65% of electors in Oxford voted in 2021, above the 63% turnout across Canada. In 2021, Oxford went to Dave MacKenzie (Conservative Party of Canada) on 47%; Elizabeth Quinto (Liberal Party of Canada) finished 16,426 votes behind. Back in 2019, Dave MacKenzie took the riding on 48%.
All 6 candidates in Oxford, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dave MacKenzie | Conservative Party of Canada | 29,146 | 47.1% |
| Elizabeth Quinto | Liberal Party of Canada | 12,720 | 20.5% |
| Matthew Chambers | New Democratic Party | 11,325 | 18.3% |
| Wendy Martin | People's Party of Canada | 6,595 | 10.7% |
| Bob Reid | Green Party of Canada | 1,683 | 2.7% |
| Allen Scovil | Christian Heritage Party of Canada | 479 | 0.8% |
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
Tillsonburg 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.
Debt Tillsonburg council owes over the long term came to $11.2M, $574 a resident, higher than the median of $440. Local taxpayers carry a bigger share than elsewhere: 61% of revenue, where the province’s returns show 42%. The return counts 142 full-time positions, 7.3 for every thousand residents. More goes to police, fire and protection than to anything else: $421 a resident, 29% of all spending. Spending by Tillsonburg council came to $1,470 a resident in 2024, under the $1,901 median of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities. The upper tier, Oxford County, adds $2,483 per resident of its own, mostly for social services and child care.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police, fire and protection | $8.2M | $421 | 29% |
| Roads and transit | $7.5M | $383 | 26% |
| Recreation and culture | $7.1M | $364 | 25% |
| General government | $4M | $207 | 14% |
| Planning and development | $1.1M | $54 | 4% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $471K | $24 | 2% |
| Public health and paramedics | $349K | $18 | 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 3,060 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
3,060 residents share each seat on Tillsonburg council, more than in 75% of Ontario municipalities.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Tillsonburg 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. For residents per seat, the head of council is counted as a seat, and the population is the 2021 Census figure.
- 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.
- 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.
- Not on this page. Party control (most Canadian councils sit without parties, and the open lists record none) and band councils.
- Election results. The 2019 and 2021 figures are Elections Canada’s official counts on the ridings drawn in 2013; the “today’s boundaries” figures are its transposition of the 2021 vote onto the 2023 ridings, an estimate built from polling divisions.
- Which riding. The 2021 Census homes of a place’s residents fix its ridings, and one is shown once it holds 5% of them.
Questions about how Tillsonburg is run
Who is the MP for Tillsonburg?
Tillsonburg is in Oxford, whose current MP isn’t on the open record yet; the House of Commons lists every member.
Which party won Tillsonburg in the 2021 federal election?
Dave MacKenzie won Oxford for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021; the riding today is Oxford.
Who is the MPP for Tillsonburg?
Oxford is the riding; its sitting MPP is on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s own list of members for Tillsonburg and its neighbours.
Who heads the council in Tillsonburg?
For the 2022–26 term, Tillsonburg council was led by Deb Gilvesy, elected mayor in October 2022.
How much does Tillsonburg council spend?
Tillsonburg council spent $28.8M in 2024 for about 19,557 residents; its largest service line was police, fire and protection, at $8.2M.
Which regional body is Tillsonburg part of?
The council of Oxford County, made up of members from its municipalities, Tillsonburg among them, is the upper tier.
How is Tillsonburg council elected?
At large: every voter helps fill all of Tillsonburg council, the mayor too.
What was the turnout in Tillsonburg?
It was 37.6% for Tillsonburg council in 2022, with Ontario’s municipalities at a median of 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. 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).