Conversations in the Community Page: Hidden Agenda’s and False Narratives.

It appears that the City of Pickering is following a familiar playbook employed by governments to control the narrative surrounding certain discussions. The Corporation of The City of Pickering has recently launched a 'Conversations in the Community' page, presenting it as being the sole destination for information on topics of community interest. However, it is essential to recognize that truth, like a flowing river, cannot be contained. It will always find its way to the surface, shining a light on hidden agendas and false narratives. One of the topics being discussed on this platform is the Changerooms at Pickering’s Chestnut Hill Recreation Centre. While the City is now encouraging us to seek facts exclusively from them, we must not forget that numerous individuals, myself included, have been advocating for months to allow individuals the choice to use a gender-specific change room. In 2022 Pickering decided to use a blanket approach that only members over the age of 18 are allowed to use gender-specific changerooms, while members under the age of 18, or non-members of any age are not allowed to use the gender-specific changeroom, and are forced to use the Universal changeroom which is inclusive to all and families. When did it become ok for a government to decide who does or does not have the right to deserve privacy when using vulnerable personal spaces? Concerns have been raised regarding the safety of such spaces, especially considering the increase in incidents worldwide, towards women and children when using these shared personal spaces. This notion of forcing someone into an environment that elicits discomfort and unease is not an approach I am comfortable with, nor am I comfortable with the excuse that because nothing serious has been reported at the Recreation Centre as of yet, they refuse to pursue the issue any further. So to make it clear, unless something terrible happens to an innocent person, nothing is going to change. And those are the facts, but that conversation is not being discussed on the new Community page. Another topic being discussed in this “only get the facts here page” is the concept of 15 minute and smart cities. It is perplexing that the city now presents themselves as experts on this matter when just a couple of weeks ago, they dismissed my having any discussions on the topic during a council meeting. The fact that both the Mayor and the CAO confirmed that they have never had any conversations or received any information on these topics amongst themselves or with any other level of government, is disheartening as Oshawa signed up to be a 15 minute city, quite some time ago. After inquiring about Pickering’s future, the Mayor yelled at me saying “We are not going down the rabbit hole” and “stop on the crazy street”. I was then silenced and not allowed to speak as the Mayor turned off my mic. I’d like to note however, burried within the budget, Two Hundred Thousand Dollars is going towards Pickering’s Smart City initiative for technology and data collection. So now the question arises, why would one choose to deceive the public in the first place, especially when we as a government are supposed to be open and transparent? Personally, I am of the opinion that if the City cannot engage in truthful transparent communications then how can one expect the people of Pickering to trust “Pickering’s Conversations in the Community” page as the sole destination to get the “facts” on any topic. Thus far, the contents in the community page, have not exhibited a resounding sense of truthfulness. Another interesting subject was how the city continues to speak about the Pickering Integrity Commissioner and their role as an “independent and impartial official”. I think it is worth asking the question of how is it possible for an Integrity Commissioner to truly remain unbiased, impartial, or truly independent when they are being paid by the corporation of the City of Pickering? Does this not raise concerns about the objectivity and independence of the office. Not to mention, it was only recently that the Council passed a bylaw that no one can speak to an Integrity Commissioner report as a delegate. That seems pretty odd in a democratic society. I even found myself in the unfortunate position of experiencing the impact of a biased integrity commissioner firsthand, and it was disheartening to witness the lack of regard for ethical standards in fairness, objectivity, and the pursuit of truth, not only in the report but surrounding the process, again being silenced to ask any questions. While I have merely scratched the surface on a few of the issues raised in Pickering’s new “Conversations in the Community page”, I intend to delve deeper into it in future columns and shed light on hidden agendas and false narratives. Presenting to you the other side, not just the government of Pickering’s sole narrative that they want you to believe. John C. Maxwell said it best when he said “Leaders can see what everybody else sees, but can think differently.” Until then, I invite you to follow me on social media. Twitter -@lifelibertylisa Facebook - Councillor Lisa Robinson, YouTube - Lisa Robinson and subscribe to my newsletter at www.lisarobinsonpolitician.ca for further updates, videos, and discussions, and I will see you back here again next week. Sending hugs I will always continue to seek the truth, challenge narratives, and foster meaningful conversations that truly represent the community's interests. "Strength Does Not Lie In The Absence Of Fear, But In The Courage To Face It Head-On And Rise Above It"