Embattled Pickering Councillor claps back at council and ‘unfair’ process

Embattled Pickering Councillor Lisa Robinson has declared she will not be “intimidated into silence” after a closed-doors session of council Monday morning upheld a workplace harassment complaint filed by city staff and limited the Ward 1 councillor’s participating going forward to virtual only.

“No one, not me, not council, not the public, has ever seen the evidence or the investigation report,” Robinson claimed, adding she was not allowed to question the process, challenge the allegations, “or defend myself in any way. “

Robinson said months before the complaint was filed last year she sent cease-and-desist letters to human resources and the Integrity Commissioner regarding “unacceptable conduct” directed at her.  “Instead of addressing those concerns, the city launched a one-sided investigation. When I was denied the right to representation, I chose not to participate.”

Robinson, who has been sanctioned by council eight times over code of conduct violations (with a potential ninth violation coming over comments made about residential schools) – losing nearly two years pay in the process – insisted she has never threatened city staff

“I have never encouraged violence. I have never directed anyone to act against any employee. What I have done is criticize government decisions, wasteful spending, policies, and the conduct of public officials. That is not harassment. It is democratic accountability.”

Pickering Councillor Lisa Robinson

The city retained an independent external legal firm, Turnpenney Milne LLP, to investigate a process that involved a comprehensive review of evidence, including emails, letters, meeting recordings, published social media posts, videos recorded and shared by Robinson, Integrity Commissioner reports and witness evidence.

A statement from Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe said the investigators also assessed the “broader pattern, repetition, tone, platform and foreseeable impact” of the councillor’s public communications in the workplace context, including the “effect on psychological safety and the risk of reputational harm” directed at staff.

The investigation took several months and determined the allegations were “substantiated,” finding that the cumulative effect of Robinson’s statements and actions directed at staff “constituted workplace harassment and created a poisoned work environment.”

The findings were then referred to Toronto law firm Aird & Berlis to recommend “corrective actions to better protect staff” while upholding the city’s obligations to provide a harassment-free workplace.

Robinson, however, took a different slant to the allegations.

“After three years of complaints from the CAO and the mayor, pay suspensions, restrictions, and what I believe is a clear pattern of intimidation and unfair treatment, I remain committed to the job I was elected to do: asking the tough questions, holding government accountable, and speaking up for the residents of Pickering.”

“I strongly disagree with council’s decision and the unfair process that produced it.”