A city councillor from Pickering Ont., has received her third suspension in the past year, and it’s her longest punishment yet.
Lisa Robinson has been suspended for 90 days without pay after an investigation was sparked out of public concern for her recent actions and remarks.
The suspension comes after Robinson was condemned last month for appearing on the Kevin J. Johnston podcast hosted on Rumble, which promoted hate speech and extremist views. This is one event in a string of transphobic, homophobic, and racist remarks and behaviours she has been condemned for in the last year.
According to the municipality’s integrity commissioner, her actions demonstrate a continued pattern of “unacceptable behaviour” that risks hurting marginalized members of society.
Robinson responded to the suspension in a lengthy post on X, writing that the decision is “a blatant, targeted attack to punish me for daring to stand up for my constituents.”
The councillor, who was elected in 2022, was first suspended for 30 days in September 2023 after her social media posts led to an investigation for cyber bullying and intimidation towards some Pickering residents. After referring to herself as a “modern day slave” for being docked pay, she was condemned by council.
The following month, Robinson received another 60-day pay suspension for homophobic and transphobic remarks she made about drag queen story time events, universal washrooms and the raising of Pride flags. She also said that the inclusion of an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization at the 2023 Santa Claus Parade would be inappropriate for children
In February 2024, she wrote an opinion piece denouncing Black History Month in which she argued that “the race to equality is not the celebration of one race over another.”
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These remarks were included in the latest complaint made to the integrity commissioner detailing allegations of Robinson’s breaches of the council’s code of conduct.
In August, Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe and council members wrote a letter to Premier Doug Ford to strengthen sanctions that can be used against councillors who engage in harmful actions, including the potential of being removed from office as punishment.
“I’m hopeful that the minister and the government will, in short order, do something so that councils have a stronger tool to deal with this egregious behaviour,” Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe told CP24 on Sept. 27.
While another user shared a link to a GiveSendGo fund page that was created to accept financial donations to support Robinson during her time of no pay.
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