Controversial Pickering councillor Lisa Robinson has officially declared her candidacy for mayor in the upcoming fall election. The announcement, made via a video posted on social media, positions Robinson as a challenger to incumbent Mayor Kevin Ashe, who has been a vocal critic of her past conduct.
"This campaign is not powered by insiders; it is powered by you, the people, and when ordinary people stand together, nothing is stronger," Robinson stated in her video. "If you believe Pickering deserves honest leadership, if you believe taxpayers deserve respect, if you believe questions should never be punished, then stand with me." She added, "Together, we are taking back our city. It is time to return city hall to the people." As of Wednesday morning, the video had garnered 139 likes, 29 comments, and over 1,000 views.
A History of Controversy
Robinson and Mayor Ashe have engaged in a public feud over her views on contemporary Canadian issues. In April, Ashe filed a formal complaint with the city's integrity commissioner after Robinson posted a video questioning the findings related to the Kamloops Residential School. Ashe subsequently apologized to Indigenous community members, survivors, and families affected by the councillor's remarks, though he did not name Robinson directly.
Robinson has faced multiple disciplinary actions. She was suspended without pay in August and October 2023 and ordered to pay $30,000 in legal fees to the City of Pickering. According to Press Progress, she has been suspended without pay at least seven times. Additionally, she has been penalized for misconduct and placed under investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police for her ties to far-right political figures.
In her two-and-a-half-minute campaign video, Robinson addressed these punishments. "They sanctioned me and took away my pay, they isolated me and they tried to wear me down and disappear, but I refused to back down because somebody had to fight for the people of this city," she said. "And now I am asking you to fight with me because Pickering does not belong to the insiders, it does not belong to political gatekeepers, developers or a system that punishes people for speaking up. Pickering belongs to the people who built it."
Campaign Platform
Robinson outlined key issues she intends to focus on, including supporting seniors struggling to stay in their homes, helping parents raise families in an increasingly unaffordable city, and addressing residents' concerns about being ignored by city hall. She also emphasized protecting farmland from urban sprawl and ensuring a real future for children. "No more closed-door politics, no more silencing debate, no more residents treated like an inconvenience in their own city," she declared.
The nomination deadline is August 21, with the election scheduled for October 26. According to the city's website, Ashe and Robinson are currently the only two candidates for mayor. Robinson concluded, "I am running to return city hall back to the people, to restore transparency, to restore accountability and restore open debate and to make sure that residents and not the insiders at city hall, the politicians, senior staff and connected friends who have been running things behind closed doors for so long, that you have the final say once again."
The Toronto Sun reached out to both Robinson and Ashe but did not receive an immediate response from either candidate.
