The mayor of a southern Ontario metropolis and 5 out of six municipal councillors are condemning the final member of the group for showing on a web based present they are saying promotes hate speech and extremist views, arguing her more and more controversial historical past has “created an environment of fear and intimidation” on council.
In a scathing press launch revealed on Wednesday, Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe and the remainder of Coun. Lisa Robinson’s fellow council members sounded the alarm over her latest look on the Kevin J. Johnston present hosted on Rumble, which they name “a far-right video platform.”
They mentioned the present host referred to as the council members “pedophiles” and “Nazis” and mentioned they “deserve a baseball bat to the face” amongst different pointed remarks, asserting Robinson smiled or nodded as a substitute of refuting Johnston’s feedback.
“It was hateful, it was misogynist, it was racist,” mentioned Mayor Kevin Ashe in a telephone interview. “For many of us on council, this is really the final straw.”
The assertion from the mayor and the 5 councillors mentioned Robinson’s participation within the present is “irresponsible, unethical, and dangerous” and implies her help for extremist views they are saying are at odds with town’s values of inclusivity and respect.
“When you think she can’t go lower, she goes lower,” Ashe mentioned.
Controversies inflicting unrest at metropolis corridor
The mayor mentioned collaborating within the present is barely the most recent controversial motion by Robinson, who was elected to Pickering council in 2022. He mentioned Robinson’s look on the web present is a part of what he referred to as a “troubling pattern,” citing her opposition to Delight occasions and her denunciation of Black Historical past Month in an opinion piece revealed earlier this 12 months.
“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 assertion reads.
Ashe mentioned Robinson’s controversies have prompted unrest at metropolis corridor since she took workplace, noting her supporters have interrupted the council’s agenda to the purpose the place the chambers have needed to be cleared out a number of occasions.
“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 mentioned, including councillors have obtained threats of violence and loss of life, and a few have been adopted to their vehicles and places of work.
“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 requested for her response to the council members’ assertion, Robinson supplied hyperlinks to 2 movies, together with one wherein she accuses the council of trying to “silence her dissenting voice.”
“This council has a history of indulging in petty, personal attacks with anyone who disagrees with them,” Robinson mentioned within the video.
Councillor may face sanction as punishment
Ashe mentioned he has filed a criticism in opposition to her for a number of infractions of the council’s code of conduct, including workers, the union representing them and plenty of residents have performed in order properly.
He mentioned town’s integrity commissioner’s whole price range for the four-year time period previous to 2022 was about $5,000. Within the two years since Robinson was elected, that quantity has soared to greater than $100,000 “almost entirely because of her actions,” he mentioned.
Ashe mentioned the one penalties Robinson may face are a sanction from the integrity commissioner or a pay suspension of as much as 90 days, which council would then determine to approve.
Ashe mentioned he and different council members have the choice to pursue non-public authorized motion for libel, however he has chosen not to take action to make sure any motion taken in opposition to her change into a part of the general public file.
Robinson’s pay was suspended for 30 days final 12 months after social media posts figuring out 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” because of the pay suspension.
Robinson was additionally subjected to a 60-day pay suspension from the commissioner for homophobic and transphobic remarks.
In gentle of Robinson’s string of controversies, Ashe and the 5 councillors have penned a letter to Premier Doug Ford and Municipal Affairs Minister Paul Calandra. The letter urges the provincial authorities to shut the “glaring loophole” within the Municipal Act and strengthen sanctions in opposition to councillors who interact in dangerous actions.
Ashe mentioned there are at present no mechanisms to take away a politician from municipal workplace except they face a conviction, imprisonment, chapter or a well being subject.
In April, Calandra mentioned whereas the province was at present drafting a invoice to handle harassment by municipal politicians, the complexity of the problem prevented him from tabling it by the self-imposed June deadline.
In an emailed assertion, municipal affairs and housing minister spokesperson Bianca Meta mentioned the province is “exploring options to strengthen the municipal code of conduct framework” in session with municipalities, the provincial integrity commissioner, and the lawyer common’s workplace.
Ashe mentioned he hopes to debate the problem with the minister and the premier within the coming weeks, forward of the Affiliation of Municipalities of Ontario convention later this month in Ottawa.
Ashe mentioned he’d just like the province to think about making sanctions stricter, together with making it attainable to take away a politician and granting the integrity commissioner the ability to suggest elimination. He additionally mentioned there must be a mechanism unbiased of particular person municipal councils, reminiscent of a judiciary physique or tribunal, to handle sanctions.
“I’m hopeful the government will get some heightened awareness of this and make it a legislative priority,” Ashe mentioned.
