Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0Each seat on Bristol’s council speaks for just 160 residents, fewer than in 92% of Quebec municipalities
Valerie Twolan-Graham leads Bristol as mayor, alongside 6 councillors. Bristol sends one MNA (Member of the National Assembly, Québec’s legislature) to the National Assembly of Québec from Pontiac, though no open record we can reuse gives the name. Federally, Bristol sits in Pontiac—Kitigan Zibi, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP), held by Sophie Chatel of the Liberal Party of Canada.
What stands out in how Bristol is governed
Few residents per seat
Bristol council spreads its seats over a small population; the typical municipality in Quebec has one seat per 380 residents. Council size ↓
High spending per resident
Bristol council spent more per resident in 2024 than 77% of Québec’s local 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
Bristol, a municipality in Quebec, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
bristolmunicipality.qc.ca ↗Land-use, waste and fire-cover plans.
Schools, health care, highways, municipal law.
assnat.qc.ca ↗Passports, pensions, EI, defence, immigration.
ourcommons.ca ↗Who to ask
Green: municipal. Gold: provincial. Grey: federal.
With its neighbours, Bristol forms MRC Pontiac, a regional county municipality whose mayors draw up the regional land-use plan.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Bristol, from the most recent elections.
- 1Bristol councilelected November 2025Valerie Twolan-Graham
- 2National Assembly of QuébecPontiac
- 3House of CommonsPontiac—Kitigan Zibi
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 sits on Bristol council
Everyone elected in 2025, seat by seat, with their team and votes.
- Valerie Twolan-Graham
- Steven Gray
- Archie Greer
- Meaghan McConnell
- Greg Graham
- Nancy Crain
- Remo Pasteris
7 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Team | Votes | Share | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valerie Twolan-Graham | Mayor | Independent | 312 | 53% | Yes, another seat |
| Steven Gray | Councillor | Independent | 317 | 55% | No |
| Archie Greer | Councillor | Independent | 406 | 70% | Yes |
| Meaghan McConnell | Councillor | Independent | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Greg Graham | Councillor | Independent | – | acclaimed | Yes |
| Nancy Crain | Councillor | Independent | 314 | 54% | No |
| Remo Pasteris | Councillor | Independent | 332 | 57% | No |
There are no wards on Bristol council: the whole electorate votes for every seat, the mayor too. All the seats on Bristol council went to candidates with no team.
Every other candidate (6)
| Seat | Candidate | Team | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor | Brent Orr | Independent | 276 | 47% |
| Councillor | Alex Mahon | Independent | 265 | 46% |
| Councillor | Angela Davis | Independent | 140 | 24% |
| Councillor | Christine Rybak | Independent | 33 | 6% |
| Councillor | Kim Crawford | Independent | 273 | 47% |
| Councillor | Randy Chabot | Independent | 247 | 43% |
Councils and results: Résultats des élections municipales générales de 2025, MAMH (CC BY 4.0)
The 2025 race for mayor of Bristol
Votes for each candidate for mayor in 2025.
Brent Orr finished 36 votes behind Valerie Twolan-Graham, who took 53% in the race for mayor. With 52% of electors taking part, the vote for mayor beat the Québec median of 51% for contested mayoral races. The outgoing mayor, Brent Orr, lost the seat to Valerie Twolan-Graham.
How Bristol voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Bristol votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol council | 2 November 2025 | 4 November 2029 |
| National Assembly of Québec | 5 October 2026 | – |
| 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. Provincially the last general election was on 5 October 2026, for the National Assembly of Québec; federally, on 28 April 2025. Bristol votes next on 4 November 2029: the Act respecting elections and referendums in municipalities sets municipal elections on the first Sunday in November every four years.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Bristol votes in Pontiac for the National Assembly of Québec
Provinces and territories run schools, health care and municipal law; each riding elects one MNA.
MNA: see the legislature’s list
assnat.qc.ca ↗Bristol is in Pontiac, one of the ridings that each elect a MNA to the National Assembly of Québec.
Québec ridings: Répertoire des municipalités, MAMH (CC BY 4.0)
Sophie Chatel represents Pontiac—Kitigan Zibi in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Pontiac—Kitigan Zibi · Liberal Party of Canada · first elected 2021
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada44
- Bloc Québécois22
- Conservative Party of Canada11
- New Democratic Party1
As Wikidata records them.
Sophie Chatel is one of 44 Liberal Party of Canada MPs among the 78 from Quebec.
The MP’s record
The current Parliament is Sophie Chatel’s 2nd, counting from a first win in 2021. Elections Canada’s transposition of the 2021 vote onto today’s Pontiac—Kitigan Zibi puts the Liberal Party of Canada first at 44%; Sophie Chatel held it for the party 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
The Liberal Party of Canada kept Pontiac in 2021 with Sophie Chatel
Before the 2023 redistribution, Bristol voted in Pontiac; these are its 2019 and 2021 results, and Pontiac—Kitigan Zibi is its riding today.
Turnout in Pontiac reached 65% in 2021, against 63% nationally. 14,095 votes separated Sophie Chatel (Liberal Party of Canada) from Michel Gauthier (Conservative Party of Canada) in Pontiac in 2021, when the winner took 43%. 49% had won it for William Amos (Liberal Party of Canada) in 2019.
All 8 candidates in Pontiac, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sophie Chatel | Liberal Party of Canada | 26,899 | 43.4% |
| Michel Gauthier | Conservative Party of Canada | 12,804 | 20.7% |
| Gabrielle Desjardins | Bloc Québécois | 10,424 | 16.8% |
| Denise Giroux | New Democratic Party | 6,824 | 11.0% |
| David Bruce Gottfred | People's Party of Canada | 2,813 | 4.5% |
| Shaughn McArthur | Green Party of Canada | 1,711 | 2.8% |
| Geneviève Labonté-Chartrand | Free Party Canada | 480 | 0.8% |
| James McNair | Canada's Fourth Front | 52 | 0.1% |
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
Bristol council spends more per resident than most
The 2024 financial return: spending by service and revenue by source, per resident, compared only with Québec’s local municipalities.
Spending per resident by service, 2024
What pays for it
Shares of revenue, town and province.
Taxes on property make up 74% of what comes in, more than the province-wide 63%. Staff pay and benefits account for 22% of spending. No service costs more than roads and transit, at $1,370 per resident and 47% of the total. In 2024 the median among Québec’s local municipalities was $2,394 a resident; Bristol council spent $2,907.
Spending per resident nearby
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $1.6M | $1,370 | 47% |
| General government | $839K | $740 | 25% |
| Police, fire and protection | $381K | $336 | 12% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $301K | $266 | 9% |
| Recreation and culture | $193K | $171 | 6% |
| Planning and development | $27K | $24 | 1% |
Money: rapport financier and profil financier 2024, ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Habitation (CC BY 4.0)
Bristol council beside its neighbours
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
The bars put the headline’s figure for Bristol council next to nearby councils, the tick marking the provincial median.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Bristol is run
Check or update the federal list.
elections.ca ↗Every MP lists an office.
ourcommons.ca ↗Ridings, registration and voting dates.
electionsquebec.qc.ca ↗Council meetings, agendas and services.
bristolmunicipality.qc.ca ↗What this data can and can’t tell you
- Council size. Seats count the head of council and the councillors, and residents are the 2021 Census count; a neighbourhood shows its city’s.
- Council money. MAMH’s 2024 financial report, consolidated: charges by service, with revenue, debt and reserves from the financial profile, per resident with MAMH’s own population.
- Not on this page. How councillors voted once in office, and band councils, are beyond the open record.
- Who holds each seat. A member who resigned or switched parties last week may still show here: the names are Wikidata’s.
- 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.
Questions about how Bristol is run
Who is the MP for Bristol?
Bristol is in Pontiac—Kitigan Zibi, represented by Sophie Chatel (Liberal Party of Canada).
Which party won Bristol in the 2021 federal election?
Sophie Chatel (Liberal Party of Canada) took Pontiac in 2021, and still holds the seat, now Pontiac—Kitigan Zibi.
Who is the MNA for Bristol?
The riding for Bristol is Pontiac, and the National Assembly of Québec lists the MNA who holds it.
Who heads the council in Bristol?
The mayor is Valerie Twolan-Graham, who chairs Bristol council.
How much does Bristol council spend?
In 2024, Bristol council spent $3.3M in all, for some 1,133 residents, of which $1.6M went on roads and transit, the biggest line.
Which regional body is Bristol part of?
Its regional county municipality: MRC Pontiac, where Bristol’s mayor sits with the other mayors.
How is Bristol council elected?
At large: every voter helps fill all of Bristol council, the mayor too.
Sources: MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · Québec ridings: Répertoire des municipalités, MAMH (CC BY 4.0) · Councils: Répertoire des municipalités du Québec, MAMH (CC BY 4.0) · Money: rapport financier and profil financier 2024, ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Habitation (CC BY 4.0) · Councils and results: Résultats des élections municipales générales de 2025, MAMH (CC BY 4.0) · 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).