The mayor of an eastern Ontario town and five of six municipal councillors are condemning the group’s latest member for appearing on an online show they say promotes hate speech and extremist views, arguing that their increasingly controversial story has “created a climate of fear and intimidation” in the council.
In a scathing press release issued Wednesday, Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe and Lisa Robinson’s fellow council members raised the alarm about her recent appearance on the Kevin J. Johnston Show on Rumble, which they describe as “a far-right video platform.”
They said the show’s host called the council members “pedophiles” and “Nazis” and said they “deserved a baseball bat to the face,” among other barbed remarks, and claimed Robinson smiled or nodded instead of refuting Johnston’s comments.
“It was hateful, misogynistic and racist,” Mayor Kevin Ashe said in a telephone interview. “For many of us on the City Council, this is really the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
The statement from the mayor and five city councilors said Robinson’s participation in the show was “irresponsible, unethical and dangerous” and implied her support of extremist views that contradicted the city’s values of inclusivity and respect.
“When you think it can’t go any lower, it goes even lower,” Ashe said.
The mayor said participating in the show was just the latest controversial action by Robinson, who was elected to Pickering City Council in 2022. Robinson’s appearance on the online show was part of a “troubling pattern,” he said, citing her opposition to Pride events and her condemnation of Black History Month in an opinion piece published earlier this year.
“These actions have not only disrupted our community’s businesses, but have created a climate of fear and intimidation that has been exacerbated by their participation in this podcast,” the joint statement said.
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Ashe said Robinson’s controversies have caused unrest at City Hall since she took office, noting that her supporters have disrupted the council’s agenda to the point that the chambers have had to be evacuated several times.
“Councilman Robinson’s actions have made our council chamber an unsafe place… we now have police at all of our meetings, we have increased security,” Ashe said, adding that council members have received threats of violence and murder and some have been followed to their cars and offices.
“We are deeply concerned that their actions have weakened democracy. We are deeply concerned that their actions have compromised debate and civility in our council chambers.”
When asked for her response to the council members’ statement, Robinson provided links to two videos, one of which accuses the council of trying to “silence her dissent.”
“This council has a long history of petty, personal attacks on anyone who disagrees,” Robinson said in the video.
Ashe said he had lodged complaints against her for several breaches of the council’s code of conduct, as had staff, the union that represents her and a number of residents.
He said the city’s integrity commissioners’ total budget for the four-year term before 2022 is about $5,000. In the two years since Robinson’s election, that amount has risen to more than $100,000 “almost entirely due to her actions,” he said.
Ashe said the only consequences Robinson could face would be a sanction from the integrity commissioner or a salary reduction of up to 90 days, which would then be approved by the council.
Ashe said he and the other council members had the option to file a defamation suit privately, but he chose not to do so to ensure that any action taken against them would be a public record.
Robinson’s pay was suspended for 30 days last year after social media posts identifying some Pickering residents sparked an Integrity Commissioner investigation into cyberbullying and intimidation. Robinson was subsequently condemned by the council for calling herself a “modern-day slave”, prompting the suspension of pay.
Robinson was also given a 60-day pay suspension by the Commissioner for making homophobic and transphobic comments.
In light of the numerous controversies surrounding Robinson, Ashe and the five councillors have written a letter to Premier Doug Ford and Municipal Affairs Minister Paul Calandra. The letter calls on the provincial government to close the “glaring loophole” in the Municipal Act and increase sanctions against councillors who engage in harmful behaviour.
Ashe said there is currently no mechanism to remove a politician from local office unless there is a conviction, prison sentence, bankruptcy or health problem.
In April, Calandra said the province was in the process of drafting a bill to combat harassment by local politicians, but the complexity of the issue prevented him from submitting the bill by a self-imposed June deadline.
In an emailed statement, spokeswoman for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Bianca Meta said the province was 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 premier in the coming weeks, ahead of the Ontario Association of Municipalities conference in Ottawa later this month.
Ashe said he would like to see the province consider more stringent sanctions, including allowing politicians to be removed and giving the integrity commissioner the power to recommend removal. He also said there should be a mechanism independent of individual councils, such as a judicial body or court, to administer sanctions.
“I am confident that the government will develop greater awareness of this and make it a legislative priority,” Ashe said.
