The following is a statement from Lisa de Wilde, TVO Chief Executive Officer:

Over the weekend, an allegation of sexual harassment has come to the attention of TVO that we believe we have a responsibility to disclose. TVO became aware of this allegation on Feb. 3 when an email from former Toronto mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson was sent to Steve Paikin, Host of TVO’s The Agenda, relating to comments she alleges took place at a lunch in 2010. Mr. Paikin immediately notified TVO of the email. Ms. Thomson made references to this allegation in two articles on her website and on social media.

TVO does not tolerate sexual harassment. We believe it is important that allegations be fully heard and investigated. Therefore, TVO is appointing an independent third party to investigate Ms. Thomson’s allegation. However, based on the evidence to date, TVO sees no reason to remove Mr. Paikin from his role as Host for The Agenda pending the outcome of the investigation. During the investigation, stories related to this subject matter will be handled by other TVO journalists.