‘Nonsense’: Warring Ontario councillors trade accusations, while police watch meetings

The emails betwixt bickering councillors successful Pickering began to alert backmost and distant arsenic nan workday was ending 1 Wednesday successful June.

Around 5:30 p.m. connected June 12, Coun. Lisa Robinson sent a connection complaining astir nan city’s mayor, copying almost 100 section officials, journalists and nan wide inboxes for various authorities ministers.

Robinson claimed Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe had a “temper” and alleged she had chosen not to be his yearly gala because she believed it was “particularly directed towards women.”

The replies that followed flew successful heavy and fast.

Pickering Coun. Linda Cook told her workfellow nan allegations were “slanderous” and said Robinson’s determination to transcript 95 group who don’t activity for nan City of Pickering “reveals your character.”

“I respect nan agency of Mayor, I respect Kevin. He’s nary misogynist,” Cook wrote. “Everyone connected assembly is done pinch your behaviour.”

Another personnel of nan Pickering council, David Pickles, besides voiced his annoyance pinch nan writer of nan original email.

“The disruption, vexation and delirium astatine Council is caused by Councillor Robinson and her followers,” he wrote.

One of nan slew of section Durham Region councillors copied connected nan thread was confused, asking what Robinson was hoping to summation from her lengthy, late-night emails.

“Councillor, I’m not judge what you’re trying to execute here, but I consciousness definite that a group email to each councillor successful Durham isn’t nan measurement to do it,” Coun. Lloyd Rang from Clarington, Ont., wrote.

“Please adhd maine to nan chorus of your colleagues and return maine disconnected this list.”

The email concatenation is nan latest denotation of a profoundly fractured assembly successful Pickering, to nan eastbound of Toronto.

The issues — which astatine slightest 1 councillor and advocator reason Robinson is astatine nan centre of — person spiralled successful Pickering, pinch nan metropolis saying constabulary now “consistently” be assembly meetings and concerns nan legislative schedule is successful threat of stalling.

Abdullah Mir, a Ward 1 resident and an advocate, has watched nan chaos connected Pickering assembly unfold for much than a year.

He said he believes nan problem stems from Robinson — his section typical — and says they person slow developed since nan municipal ballot successful October 2022.

“I deliberation successful nan background, it’s been going connected since soon aft nan election,” Mir told Global News.

“But nan flashpoint erstwhile it started to derail a small was past year, I would opportunity astir this time, possibly a small spot earlier, erstwhile she started pinch these wholly nonsensical and illogical motions” that she planned to bring earlier council.

Robinson has caused contention pinch a number of motions she planned to bring guardant and comments she has made during assembly meetings.

In May 2023, Robinson publication retired “several motions” astatine a section schoolhouse committee gathering utilizing a megaphone that she intended to bring earlier council, according to nan town’s integrity commissioner. The planned motions “would person had nan effect” of removing Pickering’s support for resistance queen communicative clip and for flying either nan Pride aliases nan trans flags.

Specifically, according to nan integrity commissioner, nan planned motions said: “only ‘federal, provincial and municipal flags to beryllium permitted to beryllium raised successful each nationalist spaces,’ pinch an objection to besides let nan Poppy emblem and Veterans flag.”

The projected mobility claimed that flying non-government flags would mean nan metropolis was “favouring 1 group complete another,” nan integrity commissioner said.

The 2nd planned mobility considered resistance shows and pridefulness parades, calling some “adult unrecorded performances,” according to nan integrity commissioner. It asked Pickering to extremity “a personification from knowingly admitting a child” to either event.

Another projected mobility related to changing rooms astatine a metropolis facility, nan Chestnut Hill Reactional Complex. The planned mobility looked to restrict antheral and female rooms to beryllium utilized only “individuals of nan corresponding genders” but besides allowed for a co-ed changing room to beryllium utilized by “all genders and/or families,” nan integrity commissioner said.

Robinson told Global News she “unequivocally” rejected nan thought nan planned motions were nonsensical and said, arsenic portion of a lengthy answer, that “children must beryllium protected from adult-themed entertainment, and this measurement strikes a captious equilibrium betwixt inclusivity and safeguarding young audiences.”

She said her projected motions were astir ensuring nan authorities was neutral, referencing a 2015 Supreme Court decision. Robinson said it was “not astir devaluing immoderate group’s value but astir preventing a level of beliefs.”

She said nan purpose of nan motions was to foster “an situation of respect, safety, and neutrality” wrong nan City of Pickering.

Robinson sent a 1,100-word archive successful consequence to questions from Global News, requesting her answers beryllium printed successful afloat and not summarized. Relevant extracts person been included successful this story.

In October 2023, Robinson’s assembly colleagues decided to suspend her salary complete nan motions she had planned to bring. It was nan 2nd clip her salary had been suspended successful arsenic galore months, aft a abstracted integrity commissioner investigation into a Facebook station successful which section residents were named found she had breached nan codification of conduct.

Robinson is seeking two judicial reviews for nan integrity commissioner rulings and nan salary suspensions, saying nan investigation was “severely lacking.”

“This has each arisen from 1 councillor,” Cook, who brought 1 of nan motions to suspend Robinson’s pay, told Global News.

At nan commencement of nan year, Robinson revenge for a judicial review, arguing nan integrity commissioner successful investigations “failed to meet nan standards of a thorough broad inquiry.”

Robinson said nan problems connected Pickering assembly were not her fault. She said residents were “waking up” to really authorities money was being spent and nan rules that govern really members of nan nationalist speak astatine assembly meetings.

“The Mayor and Council is uncomfortable not because of my voice, but because nan group are yet opinionated up and speaking retired against this misuse of power,” she said.

Cook told Global News nan spot she and her colleagues now find themselves successful is some different and unsustainable.

“The business we’ve arrived astatine now is not normal,” she said. “It is not modular for immoderate council, I should think, successful immoderate municipality to run that way. But this is nan level of wherever things person presently escalated to and nan business we find ourselves successful — which is unique.”

The late-night emails successful June were conscionable 1 of nan examples of nan mistrust and bickering that is taking spot astir nan assembly table.

In nan emails, Robinson laid retired a bid of problems she said she had pinch her colleagues.

The email concatenation was titled “Mayor Kevin Ashe’s behaviour astatine Executive Meeting connected Monday.”

She accused nan politician of an “evident fondness for alcohol” — a declare called “false” by different councillor successful nan email concatenation — and said her assembly colleagues did not travel nan rules astatine assembly meetings.

“May I propose anger guidance classes Mr. Mayor,” Robinson wrote.

A spokesperson for nan politician said Cook had “aptly responded” to Robinson’s claims and did not remark further erstwhile asked by Global News.

Cook told Global News she had advised nan politician to see ineligible action against Robinson aft nan attacks.

“The individual allegations and attacks that are being made — astatine coming our politician has chosen not to record defamation aliases accusation suits against Coun. Robinson, moreover though respective of america person urged him to do so, myself being one,” she said.

“I do deliberation it behooves him to astatine slightest activity ineligible assembly and understand what his options are because this is simply a continuing shape that we’re seeing.”

Robinson said Cook’s mentation that she said nan politician had an rumor pinch intoxicant was “misguided” and accused nan politician of “relentless bullying and intimidation towards maine successful nationalist astatine assembly meetings.”

Ward 1 advocator Mir told Global News he had seen nan move successful assembly chambers alteration since nan issues appeared connected council, pinch immoderate “aggressive and benignant of conflict-loving people” being attracted to nan metropolis to make presentations to councillors.

Robinson said she was “tired” of group “branding my supporters arsenic unloving, disruptive, aliases racist.”

“Not everyone who criticizes assembly is simply a protagonist of mine, but moreover if they are, what’s incorrect pinch that? Is it because I don’t travel nan communicative aliases nan position quo? Because I deliberation for myself and speak nan truth?” she said.

Tense scenes astatine nationalist meetings — which person dragged precocious into nan nighttime — person besides meant constabulary are being stationed astatine Pickering assembly meetings.

A spokesperson for nan metropolis told Global News that, betwixt January and July, Pickering spent conscionable complete $18,000 connected constabulary officers to thief negociate its assembly meetings. Before nan past election, nan metropolis said location were only a “handful of times” constabulary had attended meetings, thing which is now happening “consistently.”

Trouble astir nan assembly array goes beyond late-night emails and bickering during debates, according to Mir and Cook, and threatens to upend nan process of governance itself.

Mir is astatine pains to constituent retired that galore things “are working” successful Pickering and nan metropolis assembly has a batch of achievements it tin constituent to complete nan past 2 years.

“While nan item of nan communicative is this individual who’s been making antagonistic ray of this situation, Pickering assembly is moving for nan astir part,” he said. “That’s nan beauty of populist … it’s not conscionable 1 personification who tin needfully derail everything.”

It is hard, however, to disregard nan impacts of disruption connected nan assembly process arsenic well.

Meetings which mostly commencement successful nan evening person dragged connected longer and longer, sometimes crossing into nan adjacent day, Cook said. Council sessions are besides being paused astatine times for nan enclosure to beryllium cleared, further delaying things.

Cook said it was a “growing trend” that meetings were having to extremity earlier everything had been addressed, pushing nan schedule to nan adjacent session. That is delaying immoderate important decisions, for illustration purchasing contracts, she said.

“Chambers are being cleared, we now person constabulary that travel into our chambers and are issuing trespass notices,” Cook said. “It descends into chaos and this is not really municipal procedures should work; there’s a deficiency of decorum, there’s a deficiency of respect.”

Mir agreed that an “unbelievable” magnitude of payer money was being wasted done delays and disruption.

Robinson said it was “flat-out wrong” to propose business had been delayed by issues connected council.

“If our meetings tally a small agelong — which has only happened a mates of times — truthful beryllium it. That’s our job, and nary metropolis business has ever been delayed because of it,” she said.

“We person a work to our constituents to afloat statement and mobility nan issues astatine hand. People person a correct to participate successful our meetings and perceive america debate, not conscionable spot america rubber-stamp decisions without immoderate scrutiny aliases discussion.”

Both Mir and Cook said they hoped things could beryllium resolved and activity could travel amended moving forward.

“I americium an eternal optimist, I consciousness for illustration we tin repair and rebuild,” Cook said. “I deliberation nan astir pressing thing, speech from our council, is rebuilding nationalist confidence.”

With a determination successful Robinson’s judicial reappraisal expected astir September and nan adjacent predetermination erstwhile each councillors will person to recontest their seats scheduled for 2026, location are fewer contiguous options to lick nan dysfunction.

At Queen’s Park, guidance parties person agelong been calling for nan creation of a rule to summation accountability for municipal councillors and fortify nan accountability measures erstwhile they are seen to person surgery nan rules.

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra said successful April that activity connected specified a measure was “complex” but was still underway, a committedness from nan provincial authorities that dates backmost to Calandra’s predecessor, Steve Clark.

“Even nan authorities surrounding nan integrity acts passim municipalities crossed nan state of Ontario, each of them operates successful a different fashion,” Calandra said successful April aft being asked astir advancement connected nan projected law.

“There is simply a batch much activity to do connected this because nan much I look into it, nan much disjointed and fragmented nan process is and I want to make judge that immoderate we do, it is effective, it meets nan goals that we’re trying to accomplish.”

The authorities has rejected guidance suggestions and drafted bills successful favour of crafting its own, a process that has already taken years.

In Pickering, Cook believes that a stricter municipal behaviour rule is important — and urgent. Pointing retired that almost each different occupation has a quality resources section and rules for those recovered to beryllium breaking workplace codes, Cook said that protection is missing successful nan municipal sector.

“Why would it beryllium different because I’m a politician? Why would that aforesaid curen not beryllium applicable astatine immoderate level of government?” she said.

“So to me, it is benignant of for illustration playing catch-up that we request this successful place, that this is not aimed astatine immoderate 1 leader successful particular. It’s aimed to protect those that support america successful our roles.”

Robinson, connected nan different hand, disagreed and said politicians calling for “more measures” to protect them and their unit are “misguided and retired of touch.”

She suggested that politicians “are elected to service nan people, and portion of that occupation is listening to their concerns, moreover erstwhile they are uncomfortable aliases inconvenient for us.”

— pinch files from The Canadian Press