City council Zoom meeting hacked in ‘racist, pornographic nightmare'
A Zoom meeting held by a Canadian city to address its climate adaptation plan was hijacked by demonstrators spewing racial slurs and drawing swastikas.
The incident happened on February 11 in a virtual open house hosted by the city of Pickering in southern Ontario.
It's unclear how many demonstrators took part in the disruption, but a city spokesperson said 'one or more unknown external' participants introduced inappropriate and offensive graphics and audio.
The meeting was prematurely shut down and city officials are conducting an internal investigation.
The Independent has emailed a city spokesperson for comment and Durham Regional Police, which is conducting a separate investigation.
City Councillor Lisa Robinson, who represents Ward 1, was in the Zoom meeting when the attack occurred.
'What was supposed to be a public forum quickly turned into an explicit, racist and pornographic nightmare that I cannot unsee,' Robinson said in a YouTube video.
'A participant repeatedly shouted a vile racial slur. This was then followed by someone drawing a swastika on the presentation screen, an unmistakable symbol of hate. And just when I thought it couldn't get worse, graphic pornographic content was displayed for all participants to see, featuring explicit and grotesque imagery.'
Robinson said city staff initially did nothing to address the issue.
'They failed to immediately shut down the meeting, remove the offenders, or take swift action to protect participants,' Robinson said, adding the content remained on screen for an unacceptable amount of time.
Due to the city's alleged lack of swift action, Robinson claimed officials could be seen as willingly facilitating in the distribution of the materials, in addition to the willful promotion of hatred.
'Their reckless disregard for the safety of others shows criminal negligence and possibly child endangerment if minors were in the meeting,' the councillor continued, noting she is demanding answers from city officials.
A formal report into the incident has been filed with Durham Regional Police and Zoom's trust and safety team are fully co-operating, according to DurhamRegion.com. The meeting was only accessible to people logged into their Zoom accounts.
A city spokesperson said Pickering 'maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward unlawful, hateful, or inappropriate conduct and is committed to fostering a respectful, harassment-free environment.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
How to watch President Donald Trump's announcement to the nation at 10 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump is expected to make an address to the nation Saturday night after announcing a "very successful attack" on three nuclear sites in Iran, including its critical underground facility, Fordo. In a posting on Truth Social announcing the bombing, Trump said three sites were targeted and that, "all planes are safely on their way home." Live updates: Trump says US launches strike on three nuclear sites in Iran The conflict began a week ago when Israel started conducting airstrikes against Iranian nuclear and military sites, primarily targeting uranium enrichment facilities to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The two countries have been engaged in aerial strikes and Trump had been pondering U.S. involvement for the past week. Trump ended his posting saying, "Now is the time for peace." What time is President Donald Trump's address? The Republican president said he will deliver a televised Oval Office address at 10 p.m. ET How to watch Trump's address on bombing of Iran: Watch the address live on USA TODAY's YouTube channel here. Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@ and on X @KathrynPlmr.
Hamilton Spectator
8 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Rejecting Trump's rhetoric, Maine's governor heads to Maritimes to build ties
HALIFAX - Maine's governor is heading to the Maritimes next week with hopes a charm offensive will slow the rapid drop in Canadian tourist visits to her state. In a release issued Friday, Janet Mills says she's aware the historically close relationship between New England and its northern neighbours has been challenged by U.S. president Donald Trump's tariffs and his rhetoric about Canada becoming the 51st state. According to U.S. federal border crossing data released Friday, 85,000 fewer Canadians entered Maine in May than in the same month a year ago, a drop of about 27 per cent. The governor says she will spend three days meeting with premiers, appearing in local media and visiting businesses in hope of sending a message that Maritimers remain 'welcome in Maine' despite Trump's trade policies. On Monday, the governor will stop in Saint John, N.B., where she intends to visit businesses with links to Maine and she then will travel to Fredericton to hold talks with New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt. On Wednesday, Mills will meet with Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston in Halifax and tour a marine technology centre. Last month, the governor unveiled new, bilingual signs welcoming Canadian visitors, which are being placed in windows around the state. On June 13, in her weekly radio address, Mills said she wants to ensure the 'historic friendship and deeply intertwined economies last for generations to come.' 'It's not just our economies – we are connected so deeply by mutual economic advantages and on centuries-old familial, cuisine, language, and cultural bonds that far supersede politics,' she told her listeners, reminding them that Canada is the United States' closest and most important trading partner. The Democratic Party member said Trump's 'roller coaster tariffs' are unsettling business in her state and 'making our Canadian neighbors feel unwelcome in the United States.' In 2024, nearly 800,000 Canadian visitors spent approximately US$498 million in Maine, according to the state's Office of Tourism. Overall, the data showed Maine welcomed 14.8 million visitors, who spent more than US$9.2 billion, supporting 115,900 jobs and generating US$5.4 billion in wages. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Business Insider
8 hours ago
- Business Insider
Does Canada have UBI? Everything you need to know about the country's basic income programs.
As more basic income pilots and programs launch in the United States, Canada is following suit. Recently, politicians in Canada have considered how to implement no-strings-attached money initiatives, especially as many citizens lost jobs during the pandemic and the cost of living has increased. These discussions have drawn on studies and trials dating back nearly a century. As dozens of basic income programs in the United States spread, some leading policy experts have discussed whether these initiatives could be extended to a universal level. Other countries with basic income programs and experiments include Brazil, China, Germany, and India. Advocates for universal basic income — which offers recurring cash payments to all individuals in a population, regardless of their socioeconomic status — say Canada has the resources to create a program that covers every citizen. While universal income would be on a universal scale across a population, basic income programs typically target lower-income or vulnerable populations. Organizations in some provinces are testing what basic income could look like on a local level through guaranteed basic income pilots — recurring cash payments geared toward specific groups, like vulnerable populations. While many Canadian politicians across the political spectrum support basic income, some argue that these programs are costly to the local economy. Support from residents, meanwhile, varies. About 60% of Canadians support guaranteed basic income, while 37% support universal basic income, according to a poll published in 2022 by the market research firm Narrative Research. To be sure, cash payments can't replace full-time income or lift everyone out of poverty, but it can give many lower-income residents more opportunities to engage with the economy, said Sheila Regehr, a founding member and chairperson of the Basic Income Canada Network, an organization working to expand basic income access across the country. "From a fiscally conservative perspective, that little bit of investment could save a ton of money down the road and get better results for everything," Regehr told Business Insider, referring to the initial expense and potential benefits of basic income. "This idea we had several generations ago to get a good job, stay in a company for life, that doesn't happen anymore." Shortly after the pandemic began, talks about the efficacy of basic income in Canada accelerated. In 2020, 50 senators sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, and Finance Minister Bill Morneau commending them for their actions and calling for a minimum basic income. And in the last federal election in 2021, 189 candidates — representing 46% of Canada's electoral districts — pledged to support basic income. Canada's Parliamentary Budget Officer found that between 2022 and 2023, a universal basic income would cost $87.6 billion but would cut poverty by at least 40% in nearly every province; the cost of poverty totals about $80 billion each year, the PBO estimates. "We certainly have the capacity, there is no question that we do," Regehr said. In 2021, Ontario Sen. Kim Pate introduced Bill S-233 and Winnipeg MP Leah Gazan introduced Bill C-233, creating the country's first national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income for people over the age of 17. Both bills are now under consideration in the Senate. Canada, which has an Old Age Security pension, already has a version of basic income for older residents called the Guaranteed Income Supplement. The GIS is a monthly payment distributed to low-income pensioners aged 65 and older. The maximum monthly payment is $1,087 for someone who is single, divorced, or widowed. "Getting a government check has no stigma to it here; it's just something that happens," Regehr said. Canada's experiments with basic income Basic income experiments in Canada are not new. Talk of implementing a basic income dates back to the 1930s in Alberta, though the first major experiment took place in Manitoba starting in 1974. That project, called Mincome, was studied after completion, and researchers found that participants — who received $3,800, $4,800, or $5,800 a year through 1979 — on the whole continued to work and had higher secondary school graduation rates. Researchers also found that there was an 8.5% drop in hospitalizations for participants at the program's completion. Four decades later, Ontario launched one of the biggest pilots in Canadian history, the Ontario Basic Income Pilot Project. The pilot, whose participants were mostly employed and lower-income, gave up to $16,989 annually for single participants aged 18 to 64 and $24,027 for couples. Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government canceled the pilot just 10 months after payments were first distributed. Reasons for the cancellation included high costs and indications that the program didn't help people contribute enough to the economy. Still, interviews with participants after the pilot found that basic income helped them better afford necessities than traditional welfare payments and assisted in long-term financial planning. A 2020 Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis study determined that a basic income could create 600,000 jobs and contribute $80 billion to Canada's economy in five years, potentially generating $400 billion in additional GDP during that period. Current basic income programs in Canada Various basic income and cash transfer pilots are ongoing, including in Newfoundland and Labrador for people between the ages of 60 and 64. Quebec has a basic income of $1,309 monthly for people with limited income, according to Quebec's government website. Prince Edward Island, which recently hosted a conference on basic income, started its T-BIG pilot — the Targeted Basic Income Guarantee — in 2021 for over 600 people. The program gives cash to participants to bring them within 85% of the federal poverty level. Meanwhile, a few provinces, including Saskatchewan, have debated adopting a sovereign wealth fund that pays dividends similar to the Alaska Permanent Fund. In 2021, the British Columbia Basic Income Panel created 65 recommendations for implementing targeted basic income programs for people with disabilities, young Canadians aging out of government care, and women escaping violence. However, the panel recommended overhauling certain social programs and suggested against a general basic income. "We have concluded that moving to a system around a basic income for all as its main pillar is not the most just policy option," the report reads. "The needs of people in this society are too diverse to be effectively answered simply with a cheque from the government." The province's New Leaf Experiment has seen promising results. In New Leaf's first rendition, launched in 2018, which gave $7,500 total upfront to 50 people experiencing homelessness with a control group of 65 people, participants did not increase spending on goods like drugs or alcohol and spent 99 fewer days unhoused, according to a research note on the pilot's outcomes. The pilot also helped participants with financial literacy and getting them proper IDs and paperwork. Results are forthcoming for another iteration, which started in 2022. "The findings are that they work more hours, they get paid more per hour, and a lot of the individuals we're working with are accessing training," said Amber Dyce, CEO of Foundations For Social Change, a charitable organization that runs the New Leaf pilot. "By getting the cash transfer, they have more breathing room. They're trying to empower themselves to become more financially stable through employment."
