A controversial city councillor in Pickering, Ontario has set what is likely a new record after being suspended without pay for the seventh time. Lisa Robinson, Pickering’s Ward 1 councillor, has been the source of numerous controversies in recent years and the subject of multiple complaints to the city’s integrity commissioner, resulting in a remarkable streak of unpaid suspensions since September 2023. In total, Robinson has been suspended a total of 490 days without pay since she took office in 2022. Robinson, a former realtor and federal Conservative candidate, also has an active presence on social media. Her content on various platforms, which has been characterized as homophobic, transphobic and racist, have been referenced in multiple integrity commissioner reports. Robinson’s behaviour, both online and in the city council chamber, has put her at odds with her colleagues, who say they’ve been targeted and harassed by her supporters. During the council meeting discussing her third suspension, city council explored alternative avenues they could take beyond repeatedly suspending Robinson. A representative from “Principles Integrity,” a firm retained by Pickering and dozens of other Ontario municipalities to serve as their local integrity commissioners, stated that enabling the removal of councillors through integrity commissioners runs the risk of weaponizing their position. Exasperation over the behaviour of Robinson and her supporters has led to calls from city councillors in Pickering and other Ontario municipalities for greater powers to respond to disruptive personalities on local councils. In December 2024, former Municipal Affairs Minister Paul Calandra tabled Bill 241 which would have given integrity commissioners the power to remove councillors from office in exceptional circumstances, though that legislation died after the provincial election was called earlier this year. New legislation, Bill 9, was tabled after the election, though it has faced criticism over whether it would actually work. Here is a running tally of Robinson’s numerous suspensions:
First Suspension – September 25, 2023
Length of suspension: 30 days Robinson’s first suspension occurred in September 2023 after social media posts publicly naming Pickering residents prompted an integrity commissioner investigation into complaints about cyberbullying and intimidation. Principles Integrity’s report said Robinson posted the following message on her Facebook page sarcastically thanking three local residents for cancelling her annual “Halloween Haunt”: “Tonight It is with great sadness that I announce that this year’s 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.” It is not clear why Robinson blamed the residents for causing the cancellation of her annual Robinson family Halloween Haunt and corn maze. Robinson defended her actions prior to the council meeting by explaining the original post was intended to be “sarcastic.” Lisa Robinson Facebook post (Principles Integrity report)Second Suspension – October 23, 2023
Length of suspension: 60 days (90 total) Lisa Robinson was again suspended without pay for 60 days following complaints by several other city councillors, a school board trustee and other members of the community. The complaints centred on Robinson’s conduct on May 15, 2023 in front of the Durham District School Board office. An integrity report said Robinson brought a bullhorn to a school board meeting and read several motions she planned on introducing to Pickering Council the following week to a crowd of her supporters. These motions involved ending city support for drag queen story time, flying pride and trans flags at city-owned buildings, removing gender-neutral washrooms and change rooms from city buildings, and ending any events or activities related to Pickering’s 2sLGBTQ+ community. Robinson then invited the crowd, which according to the integrity commissioner included people from out-of-town, to attend the council meeting where she would introduce the motions. After discovering she was again under investigation by the integrity commissioner, “it was alleged Councillor Robinson engaged in reprisals against Pickering Councillors who had complained against her.” Robinson also filed several counter-complaints against her colleagues – those complaints were dismissed.
Lisa Robinson at DDSB meeting in May 2023 (Durham Freedom Fighters, Facebook)
Third Suspension – September 23, 2024
Length of suspension: 90 days (180 days total) Robinson’s third suspension was the first 90 day suspension she received, though it would not be the last. The suspension was prompted by a lengthy complaint filed by the mayor of Pickering. The integrity report said the complaint alleged Robinson had breached the city’s code of conduct several times. The complaint alleged Robinson publicly denounced Black History Month, equated her loss of pay from previous suspensions with being a “modern day slave,” attended an event with an islamophobic Member of the European Parliament affiliated with German far-right ultra-nationalist Alternative für Deutschland party, criticized the mayor for attending church, made various controversial social media posts, disparaged city staff, volunteer committee members, councillors, and also attacked the reputation of the CAO.
Excerpt from integrity report (Principles Integrity, City of Pickering)
Fourth Suspension – December 16, 2024
Length of suspension: 90 days (270 days total) Robinson was suspended for another 90 days in December 2024 following comments made in a lengthy interview with a convoy podcast on the right-wing video platform Rumble suggesting Pickering city staff were corrupt: “I would, honestly, I’d get rid of our CAO because, you know, the corruption’s at the top. Get rid of the CAO. Get rid of the City Solicitor, get rid of a bunch of the directors, especially the ones, like, you know … were in cahoots…” That council meeting was held virtually due to safety concerns for council members. City staff released a 13 minute video detailing why there were safety concerns for council and staff.
Lisa Robinson on convoy video podcast (Rumble)
Fifth Suspension – June 23, 2025
Length of suspension: 90 days (360 days total) Robinson’s fifth suspension followed statements Robinson made in a November 2024 town hall. The integrity report said Robinson made statements that were “flagrantly misleading and categorically untrue”, including comments saying the city had spent over $20 million on consultants, that city staff “skewed survey results to achieve desired results”, and that “council’s gift policy allows members to accept ‘generous gifts’ from developers” as long as they are passed on to other people. This suspension was supposed to be in effect until September 21, however, Robinson was suspended for a sixth time before her fifth suspension elapsed.
Excerpt from integrity report (Principles Integrity, City of Pickering)
Sixth Suspension – August 12, 2025
Length of suspension: 90 days (430 days total) Robinson’s sixth suspension came after the integrity commissioner investigated a series of complaints about statements Robinson made on multiple YouTube videos as well as in an op-ed in the Oshawa/Durham Central newspaper accusing city staff of corruption, collusion and “perceived bribery.” In these YouTube videos, Robinson maligns the CAO, city solicitor, fire chief, director of economic development, city councillors, as well as the mayor. “We find that the Councillor has repeatedly made false claims that City staff have lied and that staff are corrupt,” the integrity report stated.
Lisa Robinson (YouTube)
Seventh Suspension – September 29, 2025
Length of suspension: 60 days (490 days total)
Robinson’s most recent suspension centres on a complaint about Robinson’s appearance on a highly controversial far-right video podcast in July 2024. The integrity report found Robinson made “disparaging, defamatory, profane and homophobic statements” and that the host of the podcast, Kevin J. Johnston, doxxed and encouraged members of the public to commit acts of violence against city councillors.
“Johnston posts a photograph of each of the six other Members of Council, including their personal cell phone numbers, and then berates, insults the physical appearance of, and criticizes each of them individually … Councillor Robinson is present and smiling throughout.”
Kevin J. Johnston, who purports his middle initial stands for “Jackal,” is a failed Mississauga and Calgary mayoral candidate who lost a $2.5 million defamation lawsuit against a prominent Canadian Muslim businessperson and later faced 18 months in prison for contempt of court.
In January 2022, Johnston was arrested by American border agents after illegally entering the United States in an attempt to flee Canada. The fugitive was found “wandering on foot” near the Montana – North Dakota state line.
Johnston broadcasted his interview with Robinson live from a location somewhere in Panama where he now resides.
Promo for Lisa Robinson appearance on Kevin J. Johnston show (YouTube)
The integrity commissioner’s recommendation for a 60-day suspension without pay was the result of what they described as a “pattern of behaviour” from Councillor Robinson.
As of 2023, the salary for a city councillor in Pickering was $50,293.00.
Given her 490 days suspended without pay, Robinson has already had approximately $67,000 in salary docked. If Robinson completes her term as councillor without another suspension, she will have worked without pay for one-third of her time in office.
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