A Pickering city councillor who has been embroiled in multiple misconduct complaints and pay suspensions has announced she is running for mayor in this year’s municipal elections.
Councillor Lisa Robinson made the announcement in a video posted on Sunday, setting up a contest against incumbent Mayor Kevin Ashe in the elections scheduled for October 26. Robinson was first elected to Pickering council in 2022.
Robinson has been at the centre of multiple integrity commissioner investigations over the past two years, facing accusations of homophobia and racism, along with repeated appearances on right-wing media platforms. She has been sanctioned with several pay suspensions ranging from 30 to 90 days as a result of these investigations.
At one point, the controversies prompted Pickering council to move its meetings online. Some of the sanctions came after Robinson made comments criticizing Black History Month and LGBTQ+ advocacy. Her first pay suspension was handed down in 2023 after she made social media posts identifying local residents, triggering an integrity commissioner investigation for cyberbullying and intimidation.
Robinson has previously denied all allegations against her and applied for judicial reviews of her penalties. An Ontario court upheld the integrity commissioner’s findings and the city’s decisions to suspend her pay.
The ongoing situation with Robinson prompted the remaining Pickering council members and other municipal officials across Ontario to begin publicly petitioning the provincial government in 2024 for legislation that would establish a standard code of conduct for all municipalities. The proposed bill would include penalties up to the removal and disqualification of a council member found in serious violation of the code.
That bill was passed last month, and Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack has said he hopes to have the new rules in place ahead of the October municipal elections.
Neither Councillor Robinson nor Mayor Ashe responded to requests for comment on Tuesday.
The upcoming election will be closely watched across Durham Region as voters head to the polls in what promises to be one of the most contentious municipal races in Pickering’s recent history.
