Steve Paikin, the host of the long-running TVO public affairs program The Agenda, has been accused by former mayoralty candidate Sarah Thomson of telling her she could appear on his program if she slept with him. The alleged incident occurred in 2010 and, according to Thomson, has been made subsequently in what might be called a jocular or laughing manner. In a statement released by TVO Chief Executive Officer Lisa de Wilde on Monday, the public broadcaster said it became aware of the allegation Saturday when an email from Thomson was sent to Paikin in relation to comments she alleges took place at a lunch. The station said Paikin immediately notified TVO of the email. Thomson referenced the allegation in an online post published on February 2 in which she alleges Paikin asked if he could sleep with her. “My assistant and I met him at Grano’s on Yonge Street, and the three of us ordered our lunch. Not five minutes into the lunch the host asked me if I would sleep with him,” Thomson wrote. Globe and Mail
