Controversial Pickering Councilor Lisa Robinson yesterday claimed that the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario has found that the City of Pickering violated provincial privacy laws by unlawfully using surveillance footage in a taxpayer-funded propaganda video.
Robinson alleged that the said video was created to smear her and residents who attended her November 2024 Town Hall.
The city had not responded to yesterday’s allegations by early this morning.
The video was used to justify the mayor and council’s decision to cancel all in-person council, executive, and planning & development committee meetings.
“There was no safety threat. There was no justification,” said Robinson. “There was only a calculated political stunt to silence opposition and deceive the people of Pickering.”
She alleged that the IPC’s findings confirm the city broke the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) by using surveillance footage, without consent, for political purposes, not for public safety.
Robinson also alleged that internal communications between staff reveal they discussed how to blur or remove certain attendees’ faces based on political optics, not privacy law. “In one message, staff suggested blurring or cutting out a participant who was standing next to an ‘outsider’, to prevent the public from mistakenly assuming that person was affiliated with them. This wasn’t about protecting identities – this was about protecting the city’s political spin,” Lisa said.
She said the propaganda video was only taken down after the IPC launched a formal investigation and confirmed a legal violation had occurred.
Robinson is now calling for:
• A full public apology from the mayor and senior staff
• An independent investigation into the conduct of those involved
• Disciplinary action or formal sanctions for any employee who violated the law
• A permanent ban on using surveillance footage for political messaging
• The immediate reinstatement of in-person public meetings in Pickering
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