Controversial councillor ‘created an environment of fear’: Pickering, Ontario council

The mayor of an eastern Ontario city and five out of six municipal councillors are condemning the last member of the group for appearing on an online show they say promotes hate speech and extremist views, arguing her increasingly controversial history has “created an environment of fear and intimidation” on council.

In a scathing press release published on Wednesday, Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe and the rest of Coun. Lisa Robinson’s fellow council members sounded the alarm over her recent appearance on the Kevin J. Johnston show hosted on Rumble, which they call “a far-right video platform.”

They said the show host called the council members “pedophiles” and “Nazis” and said they “deserve a baseball bat to the face” among other pointed remarks, asserting Robinson smiled or nodded instead of refuting Johnston’s comments.

“It was hateful, it was misogynist, it was racist,” said Mayor Kevin Ashe in a phone interview. “For many of us on council, this is really the final straw.”

The statement from the mayor and the five councillors said Robinson’s participation in the show is “irresponsible, unethical, and dangerous,” and implies her support for extremist views they say are at odds with the city’s values of inclusivity and respect.

“When you think she can’t go lower, she goes lower,” Ashe said.

The mayor said participating in the show is only the latest controversial action by Robinson, who was elected to Pickering council in 2022. He said Robinson’s appearance on the online show is part of what he called a “troubling pattern,” citing her opposition to Pride events and her denunciation of Black History Month in an opinion piece published earlier this year.

“These actions have not only disrupted the business of our municipality, but have also created an environment of fear and intimidation, which has been intensified by her participation in this podcast,” the joint statement reads.

Ashe said Robinson’s controversies have prompted unrest at city hall since she took office, noting her supporters have interrupted the council’s agenda to the point where the chambers have had to be cleared out multiple times.

“Councillor Robinson’s actions have made our council chamber an unsafe place … we now have police at all our meetings, we have heightened security,” Ashe said, adding councillors have received threats of violence and death, and some have been followed to their cars and offices.

“We’re very concerned that her actions have lessened democracy. We’re very troubled that her actions have lessened the debate and the decorum in our council chambers.”

When asked for her response to the council members’ statement, Robinson provided links to two videos, including one in which she accuses the council of attempting to “silence her dissenting voice.”

“This council has a history of indulging in petty, personal attacks with anyone who disagrees with them,” Robinson said in the video.

Ashe said he has filed a complaint against her for several infractions of the council’s code of conduct, adding staff, the union representing them and a number of residents have done so as well.

He said the city’s integrity commissioner’s total budget for the four year term prior to 2022 was about $5,000. In the two years since Robinson was elected, that number has soared to more than $100,000 “almost entirely because of her actions,” he said.

Ashe said the only consequences Robinson could face are a sanction from the integrity commissioner or a pay suspension of up to 90 days, which council would then decide to approve.

Ashe said he and other council members have the option to pursue private legal action for libel, but he has chosen not to do so to ensure any action taken against her become part of the public record.

Robinson’s pay was suspended for 30 days last year after social media posts identifying some Pickering residents triggered an Integrity commissioner investigation for cyberbullying and intimidation. Robinson was then condemned by the council for referring to herself as a “modern-day slave” as a result of the pay suspension.

Robinson was also subjected to a 60-day pay suspension from the commissioner for homophobic and transphobic remarks.

In light of Robinson’s string of controversies, Ashe and the five councillors have penned a letter to Premier Doug Ford and Municipal Affairs Minister Paul Calandra. The letter urges the provincial government to close the “glaring loophole” in the Municipal Act and strengthen sanctions against councillors who engage in harmful actions.

Ashe said there are currently no mechanisms to remove a politician from municipal office unless they face a conviction, imprisonment, bankruptcy or a health issue.

In April, Calandra said while the province was currently drafting a bill to address harassment by municipal politicians, the complexity of the issue prevented him from tabling it by the self-imposed June deadline.

In an emailed statement, municipal affairs and housing minister spokesperson Bianca Meta said the province is “exploring options to strengthen the municipal code of conduct framework” in consultation with municipalities, the provincial integrity commissioner, and the attorney general’s office.

Ashe said he hopes to discuss the issue with the minister and the premier in the coming weeks, ahead of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference later this month in Ottawa.

Ashe said he’d like the province to consider making sanctions stricter, including making it possible to remove a politician and granting the integrity commissioner the power to recommend removal. He also said there should be a mechanism independent of individual municipal councils, such as a judiciary body or tribunal, to manage sanctions.

“I’m hopeful the government will get some heightened awareness of this and make it a legislative priority,” Ashe said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2024.

Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press