WAKE UP PICKERING YOUR CITY COUNCIL Has Been Slowly REMOVING YOUR RIGHTS

For those of you who are not aware of how things work in the city let me explain. City Council(s) are responsible for the management and administration of their city resources. This means that anything that affects the city, taxes, parks, buildings, development, planning, permits, guidelines, by-laws, parking, committees etc. in the City of Pickering is either, or has been, approved or rejected by your City Council. . A Council that is made up of seven (7) people, three (3) City Councillors, three (3) Regional Councillors and (1) Mayor. Note - the current Pickering council, now in their 2nd year, is made up of 4 councillors having up to 30 plus yrs each on council (Hmmm … the old boys club survives) - 3 first time councilors (women, seems like 2 are being mentored by the old boys club?) HMMM … WHAT HAS YOUR PICKERING COUNCIL DONE THIS PAST 1.5 YEARS? April 22, 2024, Councillor Pickles brought a non-agenda URGENT motion 2nd by Councillor Nagy - non Pickering residents can not delegate (speak) at public meetings unless they are Pickering tax payer (e.g. business owner). - and delegates can only speak to matters on the agenda. Motion Passed with a 5-to-1 Vote Hmmm “not on the agenda”… the agenda comes out the Friday prior to the Monday meeting so does this means that you, the residents, the people of Pickering, who voted these 5 in, will no longer be able to speak on, or bring up any of your concerns by submitting a delegation at least 10 days prior to a council meeting? Hmmm … seems another step to silence Pickering Residents doesn’t it? Councillor Pickles said his motion was necessary to ensure safety & because too many non-resident delegations took away from Pickering residents to delegate and too many seats in chambers. Hmmm … With over 20 years on council, Councillor Pickles should know that there is no limit to the number of delegations allowed and rarely has chambers been too full to accommodate Pickering residents should they want to attend. For example this April 22, 2024 council meeting had approximately 10 residents or less, in attendance. March 25, 2024, The Mayor upon opening the meeting, quickly changed the agenda to bring item 12.2 to be the first debated and voted on. This item/topic was in reference to removing the “Open Question Period”. To explain, June 2023 council meeting passed allowing an Open Question Period in the city council meetings, allowing those in attendance to ask questions regarding the items on the agenda, good idea. Apparently it wasn’t being used. Hmmm … I wonder Why? It seems that the city failed to tell the residents they could speak during the Open Question Period to any item on the agenda, without a delegation, instead residents were told if they wanted to speak to the agenda, remember it comes out Friday, they would have to make a delegation prior to noon on Monday. The motion to remove the Open Question Period Passed with a 6-to-1 Vote. Residents are wondering what’s happening in Council Meetings these past several months. Residents rarely attended meeting and only hear gossip, or hear negatives on social media. Remember the agenda comes out Friday prior to the Monday council meeting, which follows two other meetings that Councillors have to attend. Residents see the agenda but not the mounds of paper involved regarding the items on the agenda. Councillors have the weekend, less any personal or city commitments, to review and be informed on the topics for discussion. People wonder Why, why do so many of the items pass with a 6-to-1 vote. Could it be that one Councillor Lisa Robinson, actually takes her duty to the Pickering residents seriously and reviews everything, thereby having many questions and doesn’t just rubber stamp things based on staff recommendations? Councillor Lisa Robinson stands strong for the residents in spite of how the Mayor and fellow Councillors treat her, ousting her, name calling, bullying, pay docking etc. NOTE - Pickles urgent motion; Council didn’t want Robinson or Residents to know Pickering Residents it’s time you support Councillor Lisa Robinson who Fights for YOUR RIGHTS, BEFORE YOU HAVE NONE