Pickering City Councillor Lisa Robinson

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

Pickering City Councillor Lisa Robinson could be ‘on the hook for over $20,000 in legal fees, and possibly $50,000 more if she loses’ her legal battle.

An Ontario city councillor who opposed the LGBT agenda was in court last Wednesday, when she was told she faces the possibility of being on the hook for more than $20,000 in legal fees and another $50,000 if she is not successful in her case against the against the Pickering City Council.

As noted in a legal update sent to LifeSiteNews by one of her advocates, former Conservative Party of Canada MP Derek Sloan, a judge required Pickering City Councillor Lisa Robinson and the “other side to settle on costs during the day” in court.

As noted by Sloan, “While Lisa made a reasonable offer, the other side — even though enough trial had passed to know their case is certainly not a slam dunk, they stuck to their claim for $50,000 in costs — if they win.”

“It could be they have instructions to stick it to Lisa, even if it means losing more on their side if they lose. It’s only taxpayer money after all,” he added.

Robinson is under two judicial reviews because of two integrity commissioner reports against her along with sanctions made to her from her city council.

She had applied for the judicial reviews earlier in the year. One was against the City of Pickering and the other against Principles Integrity, which investigated her after complaints were made and then said she needed disciplinary measures. Robinson is looking to have the court toss out the report and penalties that were brought against her.

Both reviews are now combined and are being overseen by three superior court judges in an Oshawa divisional court. The judges have yet to present their full findings.

LifeSiteNews reported last year that Robinson, who is a single mother, was given a 60-day pay suspension after an investigation into allegations that she advocated for “homophobic” and “transphobic” motions.

On October 23, 2023, the Pickering City Council unanimously voted to suspend Robinson’s pay over her motions opposing LGBT ideology.

Robinson came under fire after a May 15, 2023, meeting at the Durham District School Board during which she announced that she intended to propose motions banning drag queen shows and pride parades if children were present and forbidding flying the “Pride” flag on city premises.

Robinson had advocated for separate washrooms and change rooms for both men and women while having a universal space for both genders to use, citing safety concerns from the community over the situation.

Sloan noted that Robinson could be “on the hook for over $20,000 in legal fees, and possibly $50,000 more if she loses.”

Councillor’s lawyer says city trying to censor her

Robinson’s lawyer, Michael Alexander, noted as per Sloan that “all of this is clearly an attempt just to censor Lisa, and handcuff her ability to do her job.”

Sloan noted that Alexander in court made the main arguments regarding freedom of expression.

“He argued that we have a fundamental right in this country to express a minority or dissenting opinion on any issue, especially on matters of public importance that relate to government,” Sloan said.

Sloan pointed out that Alexander said, “Look what they’re doing here is saying we get a right to penalize you because we find your motions disagreeable, or offensive or they don’t jive with our own opinions and views.”

“That is clearly forbidden in Canada and I’m trying to get legal recognition for that fact.”

Sloan noted that Alexander has observed that “all of this is clearly an attempt just to censor Lisa and handcuff her ability to do her job. Many people have told me this is just a way to punish her for standing up for her beliefs.”