Police investigate after users shout racial slurs, draw swastika during online City of Pickering meeting

Durham police are asking the public for information after unidentified participants in an online City of Pickering meeting shouted racial slurs, drew a swastika and exposed themselves on Wednesday. 

The incident happened during a public open house about Pickering's climate adaptation plan, said Mark Guinto, the city's division head of public affairs and corporate communications. The meeting had been moved online onto Zoom because the city was anticipating a winter storm. 

It was shut down early after it was "hijacked" by unknown participants, Guinto said. 

Guinto said the meeting was hosted by city staff and moderated by a third-party consultant. He did not say whether the Zoom call was password protected, but said the platform's security controls were tested prior to the incident and were "functioning properly." 

The consultant had also used Zoom multiple times without incident, he said. 

The meeting was not broadcast or livestreamed to any of the city's public platforms, Guinto said. It was recorded, but he said the video cannot be shared because of the ongoing police investigation. 

Corporate security and IT teams are also conducting an internal investigation, he said. 

"The city recognizes the impact this disruption has had on those affected and appreciates their patience as we await the results of the [police] investigation," Guinto said. 

City needs to do more about security, councillor says

This is the latest incident in a series of security concerns involving the City of Pickering — many of which Mayor Kevin Ashe and Pickering councillors have been linking to fellow councillor Lisa Robinson and her supporters. 

In January, Ashe said city council was moving its meetings online due to ongoing security threats posted by Robinson's supporters. The same month, the mayor and the rest of council submitted a joint criminal harassment complaint against Robinson, which is being investigated by the Ontario Provincial Police. 

But Robinson said Wednesday's incident had nothing to do with her or her supporters. She was the only councillor who attended the Zoom meeting, she and Coun. Maurice Brenner told CBC Toronto. 

Robinson said city staff failed in their security measures. She said it's unclear how many people caused the disruption, but it appeared to come from three separate users logged into the Zoom. 

They shouted racial slurs, drew a swastika on the slides being presented and showed pornography, she said, before the meeting was shut down. 

"Nobody's mics were muted, nobody's cameras were disabled. It clearly wasn't hacked," Robinson said. "The city failed to secure the meeting, plain and simple." 

She said the meeting was not password protected.

Robinson said she is traumatized by the incident. 

"I sent a long letter to the [chief administrative officer] saying, 'Why the hell have we not had a public apology? Why have I not received a public apology?'" 

In an email to CBC Toronto, Brenner said it would be "inappropriate" for him to draw conclusions about who the disruptors were while the incident is being investigated. 

CBC Toronto has reached out to other Pickering councillors for comment. A Durham police spokesperson was not able to answer additional questions about the case, citing the ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information or who witnessed the incident is asked to contact Durham police or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers.