‘Toxic’ environment in Whitby must stop as candidates gear up for municipal election: mayor

“Respect must be the foundation of public service,” said Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy during a news conference at Town Hall on Tuesday, calling for an end to “toxic” behaviour at council as voters prepare for the upcoming municipal election.

“We can and should have strong, passionate debates about the issues that matter to our residents. But there is absolutely no place in Whitby for intentional misinformation or tactics that seek to divide, outrage, and erode public trust. Whitby is a strong, engaged, and caring community and we are better than this.”

A “pattern of misinformation” in recent months leading up to the May 1 official opening of nominations for this fall’s elections prompted the joint news conference, with Roy joined at the podium by East Ward Councillor Victoria Bozenovski and supported by several other elected representatives.

Roy cited recent “coordinated efforts to spread misinformation designed to spark outrage,” including:

• Rebel News vehicle driving around town displaying signs encouraging Whitby residents to sign a petition to ‘Fire Victoria Bozinovski’
• A ruling from the town’s Integrity Commissioner released Tuesday, affirming that councillor Chris Leahy twice breached council’s Code of Conduct by publicly disrespecting staff
• A series of robocalls in November that spread “intentional misinformation” about Roy and asked residents whether they would vote for her or Leahy in a race for mayor
• $100,000 spent by the town investigating “unfounded” allegations targeting Roy, with Leahy dropping a lawsuit he had filed in late 2024
• An “escalation” of harassment, all coinciding with the nominations for the 2026 Municipal Election opening on May 1

Roy said it is “essential” that members of council and town staff feel safe while carrying out their work.

“If we allow this to take hold we will lose the foundation of our democracy.”

Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy

The mayor said she just received a cancellation from a local Girl Guides troop that was supposed to attend a council event due to safety concerns, and fears the environment at the council will scare qualified candidates from taking a shot at a council seat.

“We are just days away from a municipal election campaign and this toxic political environment is discouraging good people from coming forward to run for office,” she said. “This is about discouraging people from public life and that should concern every single one of us.”

For Bozinovski, the rage-filled social media directed at her stems from a motion by Leahy to not award town contracts to companies employing foreign workers that was ruled out of order and a potential human rights violation.

Leahy, who is rumoured to be preparing a bid for the mayor’s job (he has yet to declare and did not respond to requests for comment) had a new motion on the next agenda asking for a staff report on the local impacts of the federal foreign workers program, which fellow councillor Bozinovski called “illegal, racist, xenophobic, and garbage.”

It would also cost local taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend in court, she added. “You talk about wanting your opinions on immigration reform heard, take them to your … local MP. Understanding the law and jurisdiction is an essential life skill,” she said on her socials.

Her response drew plenty of hate to her channels and attracted the attention of Rebel News, with reporter David Menzies showing up at a committee meeting to “scrum a public official” or exhibit behaviour to “provoke, intimidate, or harass,” (depending on who you ask).

Police had to be called to Town Hall after the confrontation between Bozinovski and Menzies, who is shown trying to follow the councillor after the meeting, only to be intercepted by security and told to leave the building.

Menzies, who has been arrested multiple times for alleged harassment of public officials, insisted “there was no harassment whatsoever” and called Roy a “liar” for making the claim.

Whitby councillors Victoria Bozinovski and Chris Leahy

Bozinovski spoke to the personal impact of these incidents and the importance of setting a higher standard in local politics.

“It’s okay to disagree – different perspectives make better leaders. But what we are seeing here goes far beyond disagreement,” she said. “This behaviour undermines public trust and discourages participation in local democracy. We all have a role to play in ensuring that Whitby remains a place where people feel safe to contribute and lead.”

“We can have strong debate – we should have strong debate – but they should be grounded in truth, respect and the rule of law.”

The representatives on hand also reaffirmed their commitment to the Elect Respect pledge, which was unanimously endorsed in October. The pledge calls on elected officials, candidates, and community members to uphold respectful conduct in public discourse and throughout election campaigns.

Roy did not single out Leahy or any other councillor in response to questions from the media, but only said there has been a “pattern of behaviour” that has been present at council in the past couple of years.

Roy and Bozinovski are calling on residents to expect – and demand – respectful behaviour from all members of council, prospective candidates and “all those involved” in their campaigns in the upcoming municipal election.