# City of Canada Bay

The City of Canada Bay is a local government area in the Inner West region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The city was formed on 1 December 2000, following the merger of Concord and Drummoyne councils. The city covers an area of 19.82 square kilometres (7.65 sq mi) and as at the 2021 census had a resident population of 89,177. The city is ultimately named after Canada Bay, a bay and suburb along the Parramatta River.
Councillor Michael Megna was appointed to be mayor on 25 January 2024, and the deputy mayor is Joseph Cordaro.

## Location and topography

The City of Canada Bay is located in the northern part of the Inner West region of Sydney. To the north it is bounded by the Parramatta River, and to the south by Parramatta Road. In the east and west, it is bounded by two large bays: Iron Cove in the east, and Homebush Bay in the west. At its centre is a third large bay, Hen and Chicken Bay. (The eponymous Canada Bay is an inlet of the larger Hen and Chicken Bay.) As a result, the area is largely in the form of two peninsulas, linked by a narrow strip of land at its centre, which is the location of the eponymous suburb of Canada Bay. As a result of its geographical layout, many of the suburbs in the City of Canada Bay enjoy water frontages onto one of the bays of Parramatta River.

## Suburbs and localities in the local government area

Suburbs in the City of Canada Bay are:
* Abbotsford
* Breakfast Point
* Cabarita
* Canada Bay
* Chiswick
* Concord
* Concord West
* Drummoyne
* Five Dock
* Liberty Grove
* Mortlake
* North Strathfield
* Rhodes
* Rodd Point
* Russell Lea
* Strathfield (minor, with most of the suburb within Strathfield and other parts in Burwood)
* Wareemba
Some of the localities in the City of Canada Bay are:
* Birkenhead Point
* Concord Repatriation General Hospital
* Concord Oval

## Demographics

At the 2021 census there were approximately 89,177 people in the Canada Bay Local Government Area; of these 48.2 per cent identified as male and 51.8 per cent identified as female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 0.6 per cent of the population. The median age of people in the City of Canada Bay was 39 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 15.8 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 17.0 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 49.9 per cent were married and 10.3 per cent were either divorced or separated.
Population growth in the City of Canada Bay between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 10.73 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census, population growth was 15.24 per cent. At the 2016 Census, the population in the City of Canada Bay increased by 16.17 per cent. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same period, being 8.8 per cent, population growth in Canada Bay Local Government Area was nearly double the national average.
The median weekly income for residents within the City of Canada Bay was higher than the national average, this upwards trend could also be seen across family and personal incomes.
Selected historical Census data for Canada Bay Local Government Area :
| Census year | Census year | Census year | 2001 | 2006 | 2011 | 2016 | 2021 |
| Population | Population | Estimated residents on census night | 59,371 | 65,742 | 75,763 | 88,015 | 89,177 |
| Population | Population | LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales | | | 28th | 27th | |
| Population | Population | % of New South Wales population | | | 1.10% | 1.17% | 1.10% |
| Population | Population | % of Australian population | 0.32% | 0.33% | 0.35% | 0.38% | 0.35% |
| Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | | | | |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | English | | | 16.5% | 15.4% | 19.0% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Australian | | | 16.3% | 13.8% | 17.6% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Chinese | | | 9.1% | 13.3% | 16.2% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Italian | | | 12.8% | 12.6% | 15.2% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Irish | | | 7.5% | 7.1% | 8.6% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Mandarin | 1.7% | 2.7% | 5.1% | 9.8% | 8.6% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Italian | 12.2% | 10.1% | 8.8% | 7.1% | 6.0% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Korean | n/c | 2.2% | 3.1% | 4.0% | 3.2% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Cantonese | 2.7% | 3.3% | 3.7% | 3.9% | 3.9% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Greek | 3.3% | 2.9% | 2.8% | 2.2% | 2.1% |
| Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | | | | |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Catholic | 43.4% | 41.7% | 39.2% | 33.9% | 33.7% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | No religion, so described | 11.1% | 13.4% | 18.6% | 27.7% | 31.5% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Not stated | n/c | n/c | n/c | 8.7% | 5.3% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Anglican | 15.8% | 13.4% | 11.2% | 7.9% | 6.4% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Eastern Orthodox | 5.1% | 5.1% | 7.2% | 4.2% | 4.4% |
| Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | | | | |
| Personal income | Personal income | Median weekly personal income | | $664 | $782 | $882 | $1,107 |
| Personal income | Personal income | % of Australian median income | | 142.5% | 135.5% | 133.2% | 137.5% |
| Family income | Family income | Median weekly family income | | $1,510 | $2,152 | $2,361 | $2,870 |
| Family income | Family income | % of Australian median income | | 147.0% | 145.3% | 136.2% | 135.3% |
| Household income | Household income | Median weekly household income | | $1,773 | $1,817 | $2,061 | $2,371 |
| Household income | Household income | % of Australian median income | | 151.4% | 147.2% | 143.3% | 135.7% |
| Dwelling structure | Dwelling structure | Dwelling structure | Dwelling structure | | | | |
| Dwelling type | Dwelling type | Separate house | | 51.2% | 45.5% | 38.6% | 37.0% |
| Dwelling type | Dwelling type | Semi-detached, terrace or townhouse | | 10.6% | 12.0% | 9.3% | 9.6% |
| Dwelling type | Dwelling type | Flat or apartment | | 37.6% | 41.8% | 50.7% | 52.2% |

## Council
### Current composition and election method

Canada Bay City Council is composed of nine councillors, including the mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor has been directly elected since 2004 while the eight other Councillors are elected proportionally as one ward. The most recent election was held on 14 September 2024.
Michael Megna was appointed Mayor of the City of Canada Bay by the NSW Governor on 25 January 2024, following his nomination by fellow Councillors in December 2023.
| Party | Councillors |
| Liberal | 5 |
| Labor | 3 |
| Greens | 1 |
| Total | 9 |
The current Council, elected in 2024, in order of election, is:
| Councillor | Party | Notes |
| Michael Megna | Liberal | Mayor 2024–present |
| Charles Jago | Greens |
| Andrew Ferguson | Labor | |
| Anthony Bazouni | Liberal | |
| Hugo Robinson | Liberal | |
| Maria Cirillo | Labor | |
| Sylvia Lee | Liberal | |
| David Mansford | Labor | |
| Mastourah Meuross | Liberal | |

### Mayors
## Election results
### 2024

2024 New South Wales local elections: Canada Bay :
| Party | Party | Candidate |
| | Greens | 1. Charles Jago 2. Tailoi Ling 3. Neil Smith 4. Pauline Tyrrell 5. Tony Adams |
| | Labor | 1. Andrew Ferguson 2. Maria Cirillo 3. David Mansford 4. Vivek Goyal 5. Kathryn Zerk 6. Jessica Handley 7. Xiaojun Li |
| | Liberal | 1. Michael Megna 2. Anthony Bazouni 3. Hugo Robinson 4. Eunbong (Sylvia) Lee 5. Mastourah Meuross 6. Chris Burt 7. Samantha Andreacchio |
| | Libertarian | Kurt Pudniks |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout |

### 2021

| Elected councillor | Party |
| Michael Megna | Liberal |
| Stephanie Di Pasqua | Liberal |
| Anthony Bazouni | Liberal |
| Julia Little | Labor |
| Andrew Ferguson | Labor |
| Joseph Cordaro | OLC |
| Carmela Ruggeri | OLC |
| Charles Jago | Greens |
2021 New South Wales local elections: Canada Bay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Liberal | 14,126 | 29.8 | −8.8 |
| | Labor | Labor | 13,917 | 29.3 | −6.1 |
| | Our Local Community | Our Local Community | 12,867 | 27.1 | +27.1 |
| | Greens | Greens | 4,653 | 9.8 | −1.5 |
| | Independent | Independent | 1,909 | 4.0 | −4.2 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 47,472 | 95.4 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 2,312 | 4.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,784 | 85.6 | |
| Party total seats | Party total seats | Party total seats | Party total seats | Seats | ± |
| | Liberal | Liberal | Liberal | 3 | |
| | Labor | Labor | Labor | 2 | 1 |
| | Our Local Community | Our Local Community | Our Local Community | 2 | 2 |
| | Greens | Greens | Greens | 1 | |
| | Independent | Independent | Independent | 0 | 1 |

### 2017

| Elected councillor | Party |
| Michael Megna | Liberal |
| Julia Little | Labor |
| Charles Jago | Greens |
| Stephanie Di Pasqua | Liberal |
| Andrew Ferguson | Labor |
| Nicholas Yap | Liberal |
| Marian Parnaby | Labor |
| Daniela Ramondino | Independent (Group C) |
2017 New South Wales local elections: Canada Bay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Liberal | 16,756 | 38.6 | −5.9 |
| | Labor | Labor | 15,383 | 35.4 | −8.1 |
| | Greens | Greens | 49,11 | 11.3 | +0.8 |
| | Independent (Group C) | Independent (Group C) | 3,565 | 8.2 | +8.2 |
| | Independent (Group B) | Independent (Group B) | 2,697 | 6.2 | +6.2 |
| | Independent | Max Gergis | 140 | 0.3 | +0.3 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 43,452 | 93.79 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 2,878 | 6.21 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,330 | 80.67 | |

## History

A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the City of Canada Bay merge with adjoining councils. The government proposed a merger of the Burwood, Canada Bay, and Strathfield Councils to form a new council with an area of 41 square kilometres (16 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 163,000. In May 2016 Strathfield Council challenged the proposed merger between Strathfield, Burwood and Canada Bay and commenced proceedings in the New South Wales Land and Environment Court. After the Court heard that there were legal flaws in the report from the state government-appointed delegate who examined the proposal for merging the councils, the NSW Government withdrew from the case and the merger proposal stalled. In July 2017, the Berejiklian government decided to abandon the forced merger of the Strathfield, Burwood and Canada Bay local government areas, along with several other proposed forced mergers.