Speaker Biography
The anchor and senior editor of The Agenda on TVO, Steve Paikin has moderated leaders’ debates for three federal and five provincial elections, has written multiple books, and has created several documentaries. He co-hosts the weekly provincial affairs #onpoli podcast offering a deeper understanding of how politics touches our day to day lives.
Whether in front of the camera or a live audience, Paikin always brings his intelligent analysis to top, headlining stories—be them local, national, or international.
In 2025, he’ll be the moderator for the English-language federal leaders’ debate for the next Federal election.
For twelve years prior to The Agenda, Paikin co-hosted TVO’s Studio 2. He also hosted TVO’s weekly foreign affairs series, Diplomatic Immunity.
His book, Paikin and the Premiers: Personal Reflections on a Half-Century of Ontario Leaders, examines a half century of Ontario’s leaders. In his book The New Game Paikin looked at the history of hockey, and the changes that shaped the game. He’s also penned Public Triumph, Private Tragedy: The Double Life of John P. Robarts, which analyzed the impact of the former Ontario Premier John Robarts on Ontario. Paikin also wrote The Life: The Seductive Call of Politics and The Dark Side: The Personal Price of a Political Life.
His documentary Return to The Warsaw Ghetto won the “Silver Screen Award” at the U.S. International Film and Video Festival, as well as awards at Canada’s Yorkton Film Festival and China’s Shanghai Film Festival. In June 2013 Laurentian University named Steve Paikin their second Chancellor.
His roles have also included that of distinguished visiting professor in The RTA School of Media and School of Journalism at Ryerson University, and Laurentian University named Steve Paikin their second Chancellor. He’s an Officer of the Order of Canada and invested into the Order of Ontario.
Steve is originally from Hamilton, was educated at the University of Toronto and Boston University, which we believe explains his love of the Hamilton Tiger Cats and Boston Red Sox. He has spent more than 25 years in journalism.
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