Steve Paikin, the popular host of TVO's flagship program 'The Agenda' and the chancellor of Laurentian University, has responded to sexual misconduct allegations levelled against him this past weekend.
Sarah Thomson, a former Toronto mayoral candidate and the publisher of online magazine 'Women's Post,' alleged in an article on her website that a "media personality," who it later emerged was Paikin, invited her to lunch to discuss appearing on his show.
She alleged that within a few minutes of sitting down, he propositioned her for sex, in front of her assistant.
TVO has retained a third-party investigator to look into the allegation. In the meantime, Paikin will stay on as host of 'The Agenda.'
This afternoon, Paikin finally broke his silence about the accusation in a post to his Facebook page entitled "My Turn." In it, he describes how he learned of the allegation, how he responded and how he feels about how TVO is handling it.
Paikin also directly addresses Thomson and her accusation.
"Sarah, you and I both know the incident you described never happened," Paikin writes. "It’s complete fiction. To be clear, I did not have sex, suggest, request, imply, or joke about having sex with you.
"You’ve defamed me Sarah. I have no idea why, but you have. And I simply can’t allow that to stand. The quest to reclaim my reputation, which you’ve tried to destroy, begins now. I look forward to vindication."
The full text of Paikin's post is below:
MY TURN
February 6, 2018
Okay, now it’s my turn.
This is my response, written by me, not a committee of lawyers or spin doctors at 4 o’clock this morning. Yes, I’ve had a bit of trouble sleeping since this all came to light. And this is my statement, not my employer’s.
This past Saturday afternoon, I received an email from Sarah Thomson. I’ve known Ms Thomson for almost a decade, having covered her municipal and provincial political campaigns and seen her at various political events over the years, although I don’t believe I’ve seen or had any contact from her in several years.
To say I was gobsmacked by the allegations in her email is the understatement of my life. Even though I knew the allegations were 100% false, I did what I suspected was the appropriate thing to do and immediately passed the email on to my superiors at TVO. I knew the charges were bogus but I knew I owed it to my employer to be totally transparent about all of it.
The next day, Sunday, I spent two hours with TVO management and its lawyers answering every imaginable question. And I was happy to do it. I wanted to convince them that there’s not a shred of truth to any of this. I also appreciate the times in which we live, and given the seriousness of the allegations, understood that TVO might have to take action to protect its reputation.
To my delight, TVO has left me in the anchor chair of The Agenda. I appreciate that vote of confidence.
They also did the right thing by calling in an independent third party to investigate this mess and I welcome that investigation. Bring it on! I have no doubt but that a thorough and fair analysis of the allegations and the parties involved will point to the truth. I look forward to all parties having their say.
I find so much about this story completely perplexing. I have interviewed probably 20,000 people over the course of my 35 years in journalism.
I’ve moderated six leaders’ debates for federal and provincial elections --- presumably a sign that during key moments in our country’s history, the people seeking the highest offices in our land think I’m impartial and respectable.
The #MeToo movement is too important to be undermined by spurious allegations. The only good thing about this has been receiving the huge number of emails and phone calls from people who believe me, and are prepared to say so publicly.
I’ve spent 35 years building my reputation. In one fell swoop, these lies have prompted outrageous headlines and connected me to a story to which I have no business being connected.
Well, all that ends today. Today, I begin to reclaim my reputation and fight back against these scurrilous allegations.
I mean no harm to Sarah Thomson. But Sarah, you and I both know the incident you described never happened. It’s complete fiction. To be clear, I did not have sex, suggest, request, imply, or joke about having sex with you.
Sadly, in this day and age, too many people are going to believe the lie, especially when it comes to this subject. I am mortified that in many peoples’ eyes, I have lost the presumption of innocence that I’ve previously enjoyed. But I did not do these things. There is simply no truth to these allegations.
You’ve defamed me Sarah. I have no idea why, but you have. And I simply can’t allow that to stand. The quest to reclaim my reputation, which you’ve tried to destroy, begins now. I look forward to vindication.
