City of Pickering Councillor Lisa Robinson has urged Ontario Premier Doug Ford to intervene in council sanctions against her.
She also raised an alarm over what she described as “a growing threat to democracy” under the proposed Bill 9, which, she said, could allow elected officials to be voted out by city councils.
Late June, the City of Pickering announced a decision from the divisional court that it says fully supports how the city and its integrity commissioner handled two significant code of conduct complaints involving councillor Lisa Robinson (see below).
The councillor describes the sanctions as ongoing political punishment and financial retaliation being carried out against her by Pickering Council.
This is not the first time Councillor Robinson has reached out for help. Previous letters to both Premier Ford and former Minister of Municipal Affairs Paul Calandra, received no reply. With the recent appointment of Rob Flack as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, she is once again demanding action to stop what she calls “a clear abuse of power and process.”
In a formal letter sent this week to the Premier’s Office, Councillor Robinson detailed how she has now gone one full year without pay for speaking out against waste, dishonesty, and backroom politics at Pickering City Hall.
“I’ve been called the ‘Rob Ford of Pickering’ more times than I can count,” Robinson said. “Not because of scandal, but because I speak up, I challenge corruption, and I fight for the people. And now I’m being financially strangled for doing exactly what I was elected to do.”
Removal of elected officials by a vote of council
Robinson is also requesting to speak as a delegate at the Standing Committee of The Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy, regarding the newly proposed Bill 9, which would allow elected officials to be removed by a vote of council.
“If what’s happening to me in Pickering is allowed to continue – and if Bill 9 passes – we are handing political elites the power to erase their opponents,” Robinson said. “Unless we’re talking about criminal acts like sexual assault or fraud, it is the voters – not council insiders – who should decide who stays or goes. Anything else is undemocratic, and it sets a terrifying precedent for every municipality in Ontario.”
“Let’s be honest,” Robinson added. “The City of Pickering has worked hard to manufacture a false narrative of fear, not just about me, but about the public. People started speaking out against what council was doing to me, and instead of facing that backlash with transparency, they moved meetings online and shut the doors. That wasn’t about safety – it was about control. They’re not afraid of threats. They’re afraid of the truth.”
Tool weaponized to silence dissent
Robinson is calling on the Premier and the Minister of Municipal Affairs to review the conduct of Integrity Commissioners across Ontario and examine how Code of Conduct tools are being weaponized to silence dissent.
“A full year without pay for standing up and telling the truth – that’s not democracy. That’s political punishment,” said Robinson. “This isn’t just about me anymore. This is about every councillor, every town, and every voter in Ontario. If they can do it to me, they can do it to anyone.”
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This woman is unwell and needs support from the healthcare system. Aside from this drama and her constant distractions and theatrics, just peruse her twitter account and you can get an understanding of what is swirling around in her mind.
This has gone on long enough. Get her out and get on with business.