Photo: Joe Mabel (on Flickr as Joe Mabel from Seattle, US) · CC BY-SA 3.0Turnout in Wasaga Beach reached 49% in 2022, higher than in 91% of Ontario’s municipalities
Terry Dowdall (Conservative Party of Canada) is the MP for Simcoe—Grey, the riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) that takes in Wasaga Beach. Simcoe—Grey is the riding Wasaga Beach votes in for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and its MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) isn’t named here because no open list records the members. In October 2022, Wasaga Beach elected Brian Smith as mayor, with a council of 7. 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 Wasaga Beach is governed
Many residents per seat
Across Ontario the median is one seat per 1,540 residents, well under the ratio on Wasaga Beach council. Council size ↓
Turnout above the norm
The 2022 vote for Wasaga Beach council pulled in more electors than Ontario’s median of 35%. How Wasaga Beach voted ↓
High spending per resident
Only a minority of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spent more per resident in 2024 than Wasaga Beach council: it is ahead of 74%. 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
Wasaga Beach, 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 Wasaga Beach: its own, and that of Simcoe County, the upper tier.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Wasaga Beach, from the most recent elections.
- 1Wasaga Beach councilelected October 2022Brian Smith
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioSimcoe—Grey
- 3House of CommonsSimcoe—Grey
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 Wasaga Beach council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Brian Smith
- Tanya Snell
- Joe Belanger
- Sasha-Rose Dileo
- Faye Ego
- Ellen Timms
- Richard White
7 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Smith | Mayor | 4,477 | 39% | No |
| Tanya Snell | Deputy Mayor | 6,217 | 55% | No |
| Joe Belanger | Councillor | 2,580 | 6% | Yes |
| Sasha-Rose Dileo | Councillor | 4,988 | 11% | No |
| Faye Ego | Councillor | 4,884 | 11% | No |
| Ellen Timms | Councillor | 5,462 | 12% | No |
| Richard White | Councillor | 4,779 | 10% | No |
With 38% of the votes, Brian Smith carried the vote for mayor. Every seat on Wasaga Beach council, the mayor’s included, is chosen by the whole municipality.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Wasaga Beach voted more than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
49% of those on the list cast a ballot for Wasaga Beach council on 24 October 2022, more than in a typical municipality.
How Wasaga Beach voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Wasaga Beach votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Wasaga Beach council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
No open copy of the 2025 counts exists, and Elections Canada’s own terms rule out commercial reuse, so 2021 is the last vote shown. Under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, Wasaga Beach’s next municipal vote is on 28 October 2030, the fourth Monday in October every four years. Parliament was last elected on 28 April 2025, and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on 27 February 2025.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Wasaga Beach votes in Simcoe—Grey 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 ↗Southern Ontario’s ridings are the 2013 federal ones by statute, which is how this page places the town. Wasaga Beach is in Simcoe—Grey, 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
Terry Dowdall represents Simcoe—Grey in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Simcoe—Grey · Conservative Party of Canada · first elected 2019
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
The Liberal Party of Canada leads Ontario with 71 of 122 seats; Terry Dowdall is among the 50 from the Conservative Party of Canada.
The MP’s record
Elections Canada’s transposition of the 2021 vote onto today’s Simcoe—Grey puts the Conservative Party of Canada first at 47%; Terry Dowdall held it for the party in 2025. Terry Dowdall was first elected in 2019; the current Parliament is Terry Dowdall’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
Terry Dowdall kept Simcoe—Grey for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021
Simcoe—Grey as it stood from 2013: the 2019 and 2021 counts, before the riding was redrawn for 2025.
Terry Dowdall already held it after the 2019 election, won with 43%. 14,929 votes separated Terry Dowdall (Conservative Party of Canada) from Bren Munro (Liberal Party of Canada) in Simcoe—Grey in 2021, when the winner took 47%. At 64%, more of Simcoe—Grey voted in 2021 than Canada as a whole (63%).
All 6 candidates in Simcoe—Grey, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terry Dowdall | Conservative Party of Canada | 36,249 | 47.3% |
| Bren Munro | Liberal Party of Canada | 21,320 | 27.8% |
| Lucas Gillies | New Democratic Party | 10,140 | 13.2% |
| Adam Minatel | People's Party of Canada | 5,550 | 7.2% |
| Nicholas Clayton | Green Party of Canada | 2,969 | 3.9% |
| Ken Stouffer | Christian Heritage Party of Canada | 382 | 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
Wasaga Beach 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.
Each resident’s share of Wasaga Beach council’s 2024 spending came to $2,397, where the middle of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities sat at $1,901. On top of that comes Simcoe County: $1,228 a resident across its area, led by social services and child care. Full-time staff number 185, about 7.4 to every thousand residents. More goes to police, fire and protection than to anything else: $578 a resident, 24% of all spending. Property taxes and payments in lieu brought in 47% of revenue, against 42% across the province’s returns. Debt Wasaga Beach council owes over the long term came to $11.3M, $454 a resident, higher than the median of $440.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police, fire and protection | $14.4M | $578 | 24% |
| Recreation and culture | $13.5M | $545 | 23% |
| Roads and transit | $12M | $485 | 20% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $10.6M | $427 | 18% |
| General government | $5.2M | $209 | 9% |
| Planning and development | $3.2M | $127 | 5% |
| Public health and paramedics | $438K | $18 | 1% |
| Social services and child care | $236K | $10 | 0% |
| Social housing | $8K | $0 | 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 4,110 residents
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
At 4,110 residents a seat, Wasaga Beach council is more thinly spread than 81% of Ontario municipalities.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Wasaga Beach 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. Official counts for 2019 and 2021 are by the 2013 ridings; Elections Canada also re-counted the 2021 ballots onto the 2023 ridings by polling division, and that estimate is what “today’s boundaries” means here.
- 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. 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. Seats count the head of council and the councillors, and residents are the 2021 Census count; a neighbourhood shows its city’s.
Questions about how Wasaga Beach is run
Who is the MP for Wasaga Beach?
Simcoe—Grey’s MP, Terry Dowdall of the Conservative Party of Canada, represents Wasaga Beach.
Which party won Wasaga Beach in the 2021 federal election?
Terry Dowdall (Conservative Party of Canada) took Simcoe—Grey in 2021 and is its MP today.
Who is the MPP for Wasaga Beach?
The riding for Wasaga Beach is Simcoe—Grey, and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario lists the MPP who holds it.
Who heads the council in Wasaga Beach?
The open record gives Brian Smith, elected mayor of Wasaga Beach council in October 2022.
How much does Wasaga Beach council spend?
In 2024, Wasaga Beach council spent $59.6M in all, for some 24,860 residents, of which $14.4M went on police, fire and protection, the biggest line.
Which regional body is Wasaga Beach part of?
The council of Simcoe County, made up of members from its municipalities, Wasaga Beach among them, is the upper tier.
How is Wasaga Beach council elected?
At large: every voter helps fill all of Wasaga Beach council, the mayor too.
What was the turnout in Wasaga Beach?
Turnout for Wasaga Beach council reached 49.0% 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).