Photo: JFVoll · CC BY-SA 3.0Waterloo has one council seat for every 17,810 residents, more than 95% of municipalities in Ontario
Voters in Waterloo chose Dorothy McCabe as mayor in October 2022, for a 8-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. For the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Waterloo votes in the riding of the same name; open data doesn’t yet say who its MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) is. Waterloo has a riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) of its own name, and Bardish Chagger (Liberal Party of Canada) holds it.
What stands out in how Waterloo is governed
Many residents per seat
Waterloo council has more people behind each seat than most of Ontario, where the middle figure is 1,540 residents a seat. Council size ↓
Turnout below the norm
In Ontario’s 2022 municipal elections, the middle municipality saw 35% of electors vote; Waterloo council fell short of that. How Waterloo voted ↓
Low spending per resident
Per resident, Waterloo council’s 2024 spending sits under 81% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities. Council money ↓
High federal turnout
At the 2021 federal election, Waterloo out-voted 84% of the country’s ridings. The 2021 turnout ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
Waterloo, a city 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 roads and transit (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.
Above Waterloo’s council sits Waterloo Region, the upper tier, which runs services across all its municipalities.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Waterloo, from the most recent elections.
- 1Waterloo councilelected October 2022Dorothy McCabe
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioWaterloo
- 3House of CommonsWaterloo
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 Waterloo council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Dorothy McCabe
- Royce Bodaly
- Diane Freeman
- Sandra Hanmer
- Jen Vasic
- Hans Roach
- Mary Lou Roe
- Julie Wright
8 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorothy McCabe | Mayor | 9,543 | 43% | No |
| Royce Bodaly | Councillor | 1,568 | 62% | Yes |
| Diane Freeman | Councillor | 2,647 | 78% | Yes |
| Sandra Hanmer | Councillor | 1,675 | 54% | Yes |
| Jen Vasic | Councillor | 2,194 | 60% | Yes |
| Hans Roach | Councillor | 1,404 | 51% | No |
| Mary Lou Roe | Councillor | 896 | 30% | No |
| Julie Wright | Councillor | 3,041 | 76% | No |
Voters pick a mayor for the whole municipality and the rest of Waterloo council ward by ward. Dorothy McCabe won 43% of the votes cast for mayor.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Waterloo 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 Waterloo council on 24 October 2022 was 27% of electors, lower than the Ontario norm.
How Waterloo voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Waterloo votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Waterloo council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Elections Canada’s open records end with the 2021 election; its 2025 results are under terms that rule out commercial use. The next council election in Waterloo falls on 28 October 2030, the fourth Monday in October every four years under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. Provincially the last general election was on 27 February 2025, for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario; federally, on 28 April 2025.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Waterloo votes in the riding of the same name 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 the riding of the same name: it sends one MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and Waterloo votes in it. Southern Ontario’s ridings are the 2013 federal ones by statute, which is how this page places the town.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Bardish Chagger represents Waterloo in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Waterloo · Liberal Party of Canada · first elected 2015
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
Bardish Chagger sits with the Liberal Party of Canada, which holds 71 of the 122 seats from Ontario.
The MP’s record
The current Parliament is Bardish Chagger’s 4th, counting from a first win in 2015. On today’s boundaries, the 2021 vote in Waterloo would have gone to the Liberal Party of Canada with 45%, and Bardish Chagger kept it for them in 2025. In Ottawa, Bardish Chagger has been Minister of Multiculturalism and Citizenship (2019–2021), Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (2016–2019) and Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development (2015–2018).
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
Waterloo returned Bardish Chagger (Liberal Party of Canada) in 2021
Waterloo as it stood from 2013: the 2019 and 2021 counts, before the riding was redrawn for 2025.
In 2021, Waterloo went to Bardish Chagger (Liberal Party of Canada) on 45%; Meghan Shannon (Conservative Party of Canada) finished 10,398 votes behind. Bardish Chagger already held it after the 2019 election, won with 49%.
All 5 candidates in Waterloo, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bardish Chagger | Liberal Party of Canada | 26,926 | 45.1% |
| Meghan Shannon | Conservative Party of Canada | 16,528 | 27.7% |
| Jonathan Cassels | New Democratic Party | 11,360 | 19.0% |
| Patrick Doucette | People's Party of Canada | 2,802 | 4.7% |
| Karla Villagomez Fajardo | Green Party of Canada | 2,038 | 3.4% |
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
Waterloo 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.
Long-term debt at Waterloo council stood at $34.8M, or $223 a resident, below the $440 median. Local taxpayers carry a bigger share than elsewhere: 43% of revenue, where the province’s returns show 42%. Water, sewers and waste takes the biggest share, 30%, or $415 per resident. Full-time staff number 676, about 4.3 to every thousand residents. On top of that comes Waterloo Region: $2,285 a resident across its area, led by social services and child care. Spending by Waterloo council came to $1,389 a resident in 2024, under the $1,901 median of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water, sewers and waste | $64.6M | $415 | 30% |
| Recreation and culture | $57.6M | $370 | 27% |
| Police, fire and protection | $33.8M | $218 | 16% |
| Roads and transit | $29.9M | $192 | 14% |
| General government | $12.8M | $82 | 6% |
| Planning and development | $11M | $71 | 5% |
| Social services and child care | $2.5M | $16 | 1% |
| Public health and paramedics | $2.4M | $16 | 1% |
| Other | $1.5M | $10 | 1% |
Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
Waterloo council beside its neighbours
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
The headline above gives the figure; the bars set Waterloo council beside nearby councils, with the provincial median as the tick.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Waterloo 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. Every seat counts, the head of council’s too, against the population of the 2021 Census.
- Council money. Figures are the 2024 Financial Information Return’s totals after adjustments, per resident on the return’s population. Lower tiers stand beside lower tiers only: their county or region spends on top.
- 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. Wikidata, edited by volunteers, is the source for each MP, and it can trail a change of seat by a little.
- 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. Elections Canada redrew the ridings in 2023 and re-tallied the 2021 ballots onto the new map from polling divisions; that estimate, and the official 2019 and 2021 counts on the old map, are what you see.
Questions about how Waterloo is run
Who is the MP for Waterloo?
Bardish Chagger (Liberal Party of Canada) sits for the riding of the same name, the riding Waterloo is in.
Which party won Waterloo in the 2021 federal election?
The Liberal Party of Canada: Bardish Chagger won Waterloo in 2021 and still holds it.
Who is the MPP for Waterloo?
Waterloo votes in the riding of the same name; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s members page gives its current MPP.
Who heads the council in Waterloo?
For the 2022–26 term, Waterloo council was led by Dorothy McCabe, elected mayor in October 2022.
How much does Waterloo council spend?
Waterloo council spent $216.1M in 2024 for about 155,550 residents; its largest service line was water, sewers and waste, at $64.6M.
Which regional body is Waterloo part of?
Waterloo is part of Waterloo Region, the upper tier, whose regional council runs services such as water and policing.
How is Waterloo council elected?
Waterloo council: the mayor is chosen by the whole municipality, the councillors ward by ward.
What was the turnout in Waterloo?
It was 27.2% for Waterloo 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 · 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).