A Pickering city councillor is once again the subject of a 90-day pay suspension as she clashes with the mayor and other councillors, while the city’s integrity commissioner has brought a police complaint.
Councillor Lisa Robinson was recently sanctioned by her colleagues following a third integrity commissioner’s report over her comments alleging corruption in city hall. It was the fourth time the council voted to sanction Robinson.
Meanwhile, as Mayor Kevin Ashe accuses Robinson’s supporters of trespassing upon city council meetings, the integrity commissioner brought a police complaint that Robinson may be aiding and abetting criminal harassment with participation in “far right” media.
Robinson says she is being unfairly targeted, and maintains what is being done to her as an elected representative is undemocratic. She has also rejected the past decisions of the integrity commissioner, saying she has done nothing wrong, while she has been denied payment for extended periods of time which she says as a single mother is hard on her.
The 90-day penalty is the “most severe” sanction council can impose under the Ontario Municipal Act.
“Corruption starts at the top,” she said during the podcast.
The integrity commissioner’s report said Robinson’s actions are a breach of the Code of Conduct. It says that a councillor is obliged to work with staff in a “conscientious and respectful manner” and not engage in bullying, intimidation, or abuse.
Following the suspension, the city said it would be taking enhanced security measures after it said it has become a target of the “alt right” over the past two years.
“City of Pickering has witnessed a growing infiltration of alt-right individuals, ideologies, and influences that have created an atmosphere of uncertainty, fear, and intimidation over our council, our staff, our residents, and indeed the broader community,” Mayor Ashe said at the start of the video.
The video includes footage and audio of alleged threats the city has received since Feb. 2023. It also notes that some non-residents have been showing up at council meetings and trying to record the proceedings.
Ashe said at the end that all official meetings will take place in a virtual format starting in January.
“The business of our city must and will continue, we will not expose ourselves to further harassment by these external actors nor allow them to disrupt our work,” he said.
The mayor told The Epoch Times that the move is to protect the council, staff, and residents.
“While we value differences of opinion and encourage respectful debate as essential components of a thriving democracy, we draw the line when it comes to behaviour that threatens or undermines our collective safety,” Ashe said in an emailed statement.
“By transitioning to virtual Council meetings, we are ensuring that the democratic process continues transparently and effectively while eliminating the potential for disruption by outside actors who are not even Pickering residents.”
In the video, she notes that the mayor had previously told Global News that the city was planning to move to virtual meetings for a year as the chamber undergoes renovations.
“Yet in the same breath, the city releases a propaganda video claiming that the shift to virtual meetings is necessary because of threats and fear for their safety,” she said.
She also accused the city of trying to eliminate political competition.
“Pickering Council has been tirelessly lobbying Premier [Doug] Ford and Minister [Municipal Affairs, Paul] Calandra to amend the Municipal Act giving them the power to remove an elected official and bar them from running a subsequent election,” she said.”
“Let’s call this what it is, election tampering. It’s an attempt to eliminate the liberal opponents and rig the democratic process to maintain their grip on power.”
2023 Sanctions
The initial sanction on Robinson occurred in September 2023 because of social media posts she had made that identified some residents. An integrity commissioner investigation was launched at the time over claims she engaged in cyberbullying and intimidation.The residents named had participated in a city committee meeting about Robinson’s application to have a shipping container on her property.
Robinson’s social media post read (names have been redacted by The Epoch Times): “Tonight It is with great sadness that I announce that this years Robinsons Charity Halloween Haunt and corn maze will have to be cancelled. A big Thank you to [redacted], [redacted], and [redacted] for your neighbourly kindness.”
The integrity commissioner said in the report that Robinson’s post “incites her supporters to attack these residents on social media.”
This sanction involved Robinson telling a crowd outside a meeting of the Durham District School Board on May 15, 2023, about three motions she planned to bring to council.
The motions included banning drag shows and pride parades wherever children would be present, restricting flags raised in public spaces, and changing the universal changing room policy at the Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex in Pickering. The existing policy allowed members to use gender-specific change rooms. Robinson said she wanted the policy to allow non-members to use gendered change rooms as well.
Complaints were brought from other councillors, as well as a Durham District School Board trustee.
2024 Sanction
The third sanction came after an investigation into Robinson that concluded she had a pattern of “unacceptable behaviour.” A report by the integrity commissioner says the investigation was prompted by a “lengthy complaint” against Robinson filed by Mayor Ashe.Robinson rejected the report, saying in an interview with The Epoch Times that there “were so many things in the report that were untrue.”
In addition to complaints from the mayor, the report noted there were some individual public complaints regarding a commentary by Robinson published in a local newspaper on Feb. 6, 2024.
The integrity commissioner said Robinson’s use of the word “slave” was “provocative.”
The report noted Robinson has used that term for herself “because of the sanctions imposed for her breaches of the Code of Conduct.”
“The language Councillor Robinson chose to use in describing the sanctions imposed by Council is clearly intended to be provocative,” the report said.
Robinson has also been accused of associating with German politician Christine Anderson, allegedly “known for racist and Islamophobic views,” in connection to her appearance at an event at which Anderson also appeared. Robinson says she simply spoke at the event where Anderson was also a speaker.
“While I have spoken at events alongside various politicians, including Ms. Anderson, this does not equate to association. I have never had her cellphone number or engaged in conversation with her outside of public events,” she said. “These accusations are unfounded and simply misleading.”
