Juno News - City Councillor suspended WITHOUT PAY for being conservative

00:00:00.000 We're joined now by Pickering City Councilor Lisa Robinson and we spoke with Councilor Robinson at the end of 2023 after she had been handed a 60-day pay suspension after introducing three motions, one regarding the flying of the transgender flag, another regarding protecting girls' bathrooms at city facilities.

00:00:25.000 We're going to get into some of that, Councilor. Thank you for joining us, but I understand after watching this very bizarre video from the mayor that you are now under fire for another pay suspension. What's going on here?

00:00:39.200 Yes, good morning and thank you for having me again. I am under fire for another pay suspension. I actually just got sanctioned on December the 16th.

00:00:48.540 And this time for a comment that I made, if you want me to tell you what that is, is because I said, if I was to become mayor, I would use a strong mayor powers for good.

00:01:00.380 I would get rid of the city solicitor, the CAO and a few of the directors.

00:01:05.720 I would tear down city hall and build it back up from the bottom and give it back to the people.

00:01:11.300 So I lost a three months pay for that.

00:01:14.240 For that?

00:01:15.340 For that. Just for that.

00:01:16.700 Okay. So let me ask you, because I came across this video, an official city of Pickering video where the mayor is sitting, sitting at his desk and looking very serious.

00:01:27.140 And there's, I think there's some ominous music playing in the background, Councilor, where he begins to explain how dangerous you are to Council.

00:01:35.400 How, how, how your comments, the comments of random social media accounts, and your appearances on other podcasts has created a situation at Council that I guess the mayor thinks is, is unacceptable.

00:01:48.680 What, what, how is this taking place where you are being accused of basically, of hate speech for your appearances on podcasts?

00:02:00.120 Are Councilors not allowed to speak to the media anymore?

00:02:02.380 Well, apparently only this councillor is not allowed to, to speak to the media that they feel is unfavorable.

00:02:10.780 But the thing is, is, you know, you got to remember is that our mayor calls everybody who says anything negative towards him or a council, he calls them alt-rights.

00:02:20.780 Every single one of them, they could be alt-right, they could just be regular citizens, they could be just plain old conservatives, just as myself, but he's now taking that, that stand that everybody who disagrees with him or council is now alt-right.

00:02:38.720 And I mean, there's a lot of people that disagree, disagree with them because of all the draconian measures that they have put in place, even since the last time you and I spoke.

00:02:48.140 And you are not the only councillor to be facing these consistent threats of pay suspensions for your social media posts, your use of, of your own social media platforms, and for speaking up on behalf of your constituents.

00:03:03.800 I understand that the integrity commissioner, which is some sort of external integrity commission group, has been going after another councillor in London who we spoke to last year, at the end of last year, councillor Susan Stevenson.

00:03:17.260 Take us through this, this group.

00:03:20.420 I view it as an integrity commissioner for higher practice that are based, these, these people are basically coming in and silencing councillors' rights to free speech.

00:03:29.600 Who are these people?

00:03:30.780 And just how dangerous is this for free speech and democracy?

00:03:35.660 Yes, I agree.

00:03:37.000 This is a very dangerous, slippery slope that we have entered into with these integrity commissioners.

00:03:42.260 And they only came in for us around 2017.

00:03:46.200 But principles integrity, which is who we use, it also seems to be the same integrity commissioner that the councillor Stevenson in London also uses, with also approximately another 60 municipalities.

00:04:00.660 So, with that, they are basically going around and silencing anybody who is speaking against what is happening at their city councils and who are, you know, uncovering or, you know, talking about, you know, the corruption that we're seeing or anything else like that.

00:04:20.760 They're trying to silence us so the best way that they can do it, the only way they can do it at this time, is through the Municipal Act, which allows them to suspend our pay up to three months.

00:04:31.780 But that's only supposed to be for egregious matters, which, as you can see, none of this really is.

00:04:37.580 And the thing about that is when I was watching your show and I saw that you had councillor Stevenson on it, my name came up.

00:04:46.400 And I found that very, very odd that, you know, here we are now.

00:04:51.260 We have our principal's integrity, our own integrity commissioner, who is copying and pasting, which is like a template that they're using for other councils because it had my name on it when it should have had her name on it.

00:05:05.300 Yeah, so you're basically, you quite literally are being made an example out of and used as a way to silence other councillors.

00:05:14.760 I understand that the mayor, after that bizarre video that he posted out, he has since gone even further to try to silence you.

00:05:22.680 What else is going on there?

00:05:23.940 He's trying to take away your internet bills and that sort of thing?

00:05:29.080 Yes, that's exactly what they're doing.

00:05:30.760 After they censored me on the 16th, first of all, they got an email from the CAO, Marissa Carpino, and she said that she was going to eliminate access to my office at City Hall if I kept on posting videos from there.

00:05:49.860 And then she also told me that she was going to remove access from me from holding my town hall meetings using my city budget for any of my town halls.

00:06:02.740 So now I can't even access, like, you know, the recreation centre and have a meeting place for my constituents and I to meet.

00:06:09.360 But since then, just yesterday, yes, an email came out across to all of us, all of us being the rest of the councillors, saying that they want to change our compensation policy

00:06:22.720 and remove any member who is under suspension of their budgets for use for their cell phones, for their internet services, for their security systems.

00:06:38.380 They also want to take away our budget for our car allowance.

00:06:43.760 So, in fact, he is now just targeting me directly.

00:06:47.860 Well, he's always been targeting me directly, but now he's really honing in and trying to remove all of this stuff from me, even though he sits there and he speaks about, you know, the safety of us councillors.

00:06:59.880 And now he wants to remove my internet and my security system from my home.

00:07:05.280 Are they going to try to remove you entirely from office, regardless of if that's democratic or even legal?

00:07:12.580 Well, they're trying to push me out right now.

00:07:14.660 They think that if they take everything away from me, I'm going to stop speaking the truth.

00:07:18.580 I'm going to stop speaking up for the people.

00:07:21.320 And the only way they can do that right now is if they change the Municipal Act.

00:07:26.500 Now, Pickering City Council and the mayor have been very, very big contributors, lobbyists to the provincial government,

00:07:34.660 asking them to change the Municipal Act, which will allow them to remove an elected official.

00:07:40.340 And not only that, it will also stop that elected official from running into subsequent election.

00:07:48.060 So basically, they want a means to control everything, to have power over everything and remove an elected official who doesn't have the same views as them,

00:08:00.180 who might have opposing views, who's not just a yes-notter.

00:08:03.400 They will now be able to have that person removed and subsequently, you know, tampering with elections,

00:08:10.400 because that will become tampering fraud if the people cannot vote in who they want them to represent them.

00:08:17.360 And again, what's the point of a city council if the mayor or even perhaps bureaucrats that aren't even known to the voters are able to just decide,

00:08:27.200 well, we don't actually like the politics of this one councillor that was elected by the people, so we're going to just remove her from office? 0.80

00:08:34.820 What's even the point of municipal politics in the first place?

00:08:38.060 Is the mayor trying to basically anoint himself the king of Pickering?

00:08:41.800 Well, he's pretty much controlling his own little kingdom now.

00:08:46.480 You know, he makes comments like, you know, about outsiders and, you know, people that live in Durham,

00:08:53.340 if they come into Pickering or if they say that they support me and if they don't live in Pickering,

00:08:57.480 he's like, you know, now ousting them as outsiders.

00:09:01.100 And even though he sits on the Durham region board, right, but yet he talks about everybody throughout Durham,

00:09:11.540 if they're not right from Pickering, they're called outsiders.

00:09:16.060 So, yes, he is treating it like his own little, being a king of his own kingdom.

00:09:21.300 Quite obviously he has an inflated sense of self, obviously, and outrageous ego.

00:09:27.440 And I find it interesting that this mayor, Kevin Nash, he previously ran for the Conservative Provincial nomination

00:09:34.300 back, I believe, in the early 2000s, hardly acting like a Conservative.

00:09:39.380 You know, the thing that I think about when I hear these stories of city councillors being under attack

00:09:44.560 for doing their jobs, for speaking up on behalf of their constituents,

00:09:48.560 and I said this to Councillor Stevenson in London,

00:09:51.440 you know, it doesn't even matter if you agree with what you have said, Councillor Robinson.

00:09:56.120 It doesn't really matter if the people think, you know, agree with you.

00:10:00.560 It matters that you should have the right to say it,

00:10:03.740 and that you are given the responsibility to speak up,

00:10:06.420 and if you are voted in, then you are given that right.

00:10:09.620 And, you know, do you feel like left-wing councillors ever think about what would happen

00:10:16.080 if the shoe was on the other foot?

00:10:17.460 That if they were the only left-wing progressive voice in a council dominated by Conservatives,

00:10:25.700 and that councillor, for doing her job, was kicked out of council,

00:10:29.860 or had her pay suspended for being the only left-wing councillor there, 0.99

00:10:33.460 do you get the sense that anyone is concerned about what might happen

00:10:36.960 if the powers were used against them?

00:10:38.700 Absolutely not.

00:10:40.820 Not one of them are concerned about it whatsoever.

00:10:44.080 Nope.

00:10:44.820 Nope.

00:10:45.180 And then, you know, they, or else they wouldn't be going along

00:10:48.520 and voting for these type of draconian measures.

00:10:51.780 You know, even as of late,

00:10:53.640 I have tried to bring forward notices of motions

00:10:56.580 that would play our national anthem before our council meetings,

00:11:01.440 and nobody would second it.

00:11:03.160 I tried to bring forward a notice of motion that would prohibit any staff member,

00:11:10.220 any employee, the mayor, and any councillor and their families

00:11:16.340 from accepting any kinds of gifts and benefits.

00:11:20.240 And, of course, they wouldn't second that either.

00:11:22.920 So, I mean, right there, it just shows to the type of people that they are.

00:11:28.080 They enjoy getting the gifts and the benefits.

00:11:30.200 And, you know, it shows to their character.

00:11:34.560 So, no, they will, they don't care.

00:11:37.320 So, when you read the news articles,

00:11:39.220 and there's plenty of them about your situation,

00:11:41.700 because it is starting to get a lot more attention,

00:11:44.380 people are starting to think to themselves,

00:11:45.760 well, what's going on here in Pickering?

00:11:47.280 Why am I reading about this in CTV and CB24?

00:11:50.360 They make it seem as though you are a far right-wing councillor, right?

00:11:57.600 They make it, they're not going to do you any favours.

00:12:00.420 They're going to basically, and they already have been saying that you are almost,

00:12:04.500 almost, they're almost calling you a radical.

00:12:06.700 But you've just explained some of the ideas you've been proposing.

00:12:09.580 What about just kind of laying out to us what exactly you are trying to accomplish at City Council,

00:12:16.260 the ideas you're trying to champion,

00:12:18.340 to perhaps, you know, give the audience who are watching now

00:12:21.020 a better understanding of what you represent and who you are?

00:12:24.660 Okay, perfect.

00:12:26.040 Well, I believe in neutrality.

00:12:28.220 So, I believe that government officials need to remain neutral.

00:12:31.440 I don't believe in this whole entire EDI strategy that they're trying to bring into the City of Pickering

00:12:37.760 because I think that nobody should be judged by the colour of their skin,

00:12:41.340 their religious beliefs, or their sexual preferences.

00:12:44.520 I don't believe that we should be accepting any kinds of gifts and benefits.

00:12:49.460 I believe that every man, woman, boy, and girl deserves the right to either choose

00:12:55.400 to use a bathroom change room of their biological choice,

00:13:00.760 or they have the choice to use an inclusive washroom

00:13:04.820 that would be inclusive of all genders and our families.

00:13:09.360 I believe that, you know, we need to stop this reckless misuse of our taxpayers' dollars,

00:13:16.220 which is absolutely insane right now,

00:13:19.260 the millions of dollars that we pay on consultants.

00:13:23.400 It's all kinds of things like that,

00:13:26.120 stopping the development from happening in people's backyards

00:13:29.580 where people will no longer have any kind of privacy.

00:13:33.280 I've tried to bring motions forward

00:13:35.620 where instead of buying all these silly little pieces of art

00:13:39.160 and putting them on the corners that are horrible

00:13:41.740 and give it to, and use that money to fund our food banks,

00:13:47.480 and they want absolutely nothing to do with anything that I have to say.

00:13:52.020 They're too busy, you know.

00:13:53.560 They enjoy the limelight that they're in.

00:13:58.340 They enjoy going out and getting their free basketball tickets

00:14:01.600 or free hockey tickets, going out to dinners and concerts,

00:14:04.700 and they don't want to give up any of that

00:14:07.440 and actually start working for the people.

00:14:10.520 And now they claim that everywhere they go,

00:14:12.660 they get accosted by the people.

00:14:15.060 Well, then you know what?

00:14:16.160 I think they should start looking in the mirror

00:14:18.000 and see what they're bringing to the table

00:14:20.040 because they are not, right now,

00:14:22.840 they care only about themselves

00:14:24.460 and, you know, special interest groups.

00:14:27.860 And, I mean, everywhere I go,

00:14:29.560 and you can tell by all of those newspaper articles

00:14:33.040 or all of those shows that have gone up,

00:14:35.860 like you mentioned, like, you know, CTV, CP24, Toronto Sun,

00:14:39.280 if you go and you look through all the comments

00:14:42.620 after all of those clickbait titles that they have been using,

00:14:46.880 you will see that 99% of the support is for me

00:14:51.100 and for what I'm standing for,

00:14:52.960 or you could say is against the mayor

00:14:55.700 and how they are running and ruining the city of Pickering.

00:15:01.600 So how many days have you now been left without pay

00:15:05.560 as a counselor?

00:15:07.320 As a counselor, I am now nine months without pay.

00:15:12.540 Unbelievable.

00:15:13.520 Nine months.

00:15:13.680 And is there any way for your supporters and the public

00:15:18.920 to assist in challenges,

00:15:22.620 to help you to raise money on your behalf,

00:15:26.540 to mount some sort of challenge to this?

00:15:29.900 I ask that because I think people are just looking at this

00:15:32.160 and saying, okay, well,

00:15:33.980 is there any recourse for the public here

00:15:35.960 who do support you?

00:15:36.980 I do have a Give, Send, Go page

00:15:40.640 that was set up for me,

00:15:41.760 which, you know, would be greatly appreciated

00:15:43.720 for anyone that can help

00:15:45.440 because no amount is too small

00:15:47.060 because now on top of taking away my pay,

00:15:50.740 they're also taking away my ability

00:15:52.460 now to pay my car payment

00:15:54.500 because now my car allowance

00:15:56.320 is now also being taken away from me,

00:15:58.440 plus my internet, plus my phone.

00:16:00.820 So, I mean, I thought it was hard then.

00:16:02.520 It's going to be even harder now.

00:16:04.180 I absolutely, I understand that.

00:16:07.740 And I think that as you've indicated,

00:16:10.160 you've got a lot of supporters

00:16:11.180 and people just want to see councillors

00:16:14.400 be given the right to speak

00:16:15.940 on their constituents' behalf,

00:16:17.780 regardless of what it is,

00:16:19.000 regardless of what they say.

00:16:20.220 That should be fundamental.

00:16:22.200 And it doesn't appear as though

00:16:23.200 that's the case anymore.

00:16:25.120 Councillor, we really appreciate you giving us the time.

00:16:27.640 We'd like to keep reporting on this story

00:16:29.720 and have you back.

00:16:30.380 If you do manage to get a breakthrough

00:16:32.920 or if the Pickering Council

00:16:34.660 tries to go one more time

00:16:35.860 and perhaps take that pay suspension up to a year.

00:16:38.480 I mean, I wouldn't put it past them at this point.

00:16:41.180 Councillor Lisa Robinson,

00:16:42.340 thank you so much for joining us.

00:16:44.160 Thank you so much for having me again

00:16:45.540 and happy new year.

00:16:46.760 Of course, thank you.

00:16:47.540 Thank you.

Juno News - January 14, 2025

City Councillor suspended WITHOUT PAY for being conservative

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