An independent investigation has cleared a veteran journalist with Ontario鈥檚 public broadcaster of sexual harassment allegations, saying Steve Paikin was more credible than the Toronto woman who made the accusations against him.

In a report released Friday, investigator Rachel Turnpenney said while there is no doubt Sarah Thomson genuinely believes Paikin propositioned her, the evidence brought forward by Thomson and others does not support her account of what happened.

鈥淭he investigator had doubts surrounding Thomson鈥檚 ability to accurately observe and recount the events in question,鈥� the report said.

鈥淪he tended to make leaps without sufficient evidence to do so and she linked evidence together without factual foundation. Thomson鈥檚 evidence also veered towards being exaggerated and untrue.鈥�

Paikin, meanwhile, 鈥渨as consistent in his evidence that he believes nothing of a sexual nature was said (or implied),鈥� the report said.

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The investigation was commissioned by Ontario鈥檚 public broadcaster in February after Thomson, a former Toronto mayoral candidate, made a series of allegations on her website Women鈥檚 Post.

She alleged Paikin, host of TVOntario鈥檚 flagship current events program 鈥淭he Agenda,鈥� made a sexual advance towards her over lunch in 2010 and that she 鈥減olitely鈥� declined the offer. She then suggested that she was barred from appearing on his show as a result of her refusal.

She further alleged that Paikin made a sexualized comment at a political event two years later.

Paikin addressed the issue in a Facebook post a few days after the posts emerged, saying the allegations were 鈥渂ogus鈥� but that he had alerted his employer. He continued to host the show during the investigation, which spanned 11 weeks and involved interviews with 21 witnesses.

He tweeted a brief response to the report Friday and declined to comment further.

鈥淲hile the last 11 weeks have been pretty difficult, I鈥檓 relieved to read this report. My deepest thanks to all who believed me,鈥� he wrote.

Thomson did not immediately respond to a request for comment but posted emails and Facebook messages on her website that she said corroborated her account.

The messages, from Thomson鈥檚 then-assistant who she said was present at the 2010 lunch, were deemed problematic by the investigator, as was the rest of that witness鈥檚 evidence.

Turnpenney said the former assistant could not recall sending the email, and suggested to her that in at least one of the Facebook messages, he was simply trying to 鈥減lay along.鈥�

Messages he sent to others appeared to disprove Thomson鈥檚 account, and he was 鈥渦nable to provide a credible explanation for why he had taken conflicting positions,鈥� Turnpenney said.

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Thomson鈥檚 assertion that she was blocked from appearing on 鈥淭he Agenda鈥� following the lunch was also inaccurate, the investigator said, citing a September 2011 appearance. What鈥檚 more, Turnpenney wrote, Paikin does not determine who comes on the show.

鈥淧aikin is not the ultimate gatekeeper for guests on 鈥楾he Agenda.鈥� Further there is no evidence that Paikin attempted to interfere with or block a producer from booking Thomson on 鈥楾he Agenda,鈥欌�� she wrote.

As for the 2012 allegations, Turnpenney said Thomson could not place herself, Paikin and a person she named as a witness at the same event.

鈥淭he date and location of the event was unclear to the investigator and remained so at the time of drafting this report,鈥� she said. 鈥淭homson could have potentially offered some evidence in the form of hotel receipts or other expenses/records but did not do so.鈥�

TVO鈥檚 CEO, Lisa de Wilde, said in a statement that the broadcaster is proud of Paikin鈥檚 work and the investigation is now closed.

Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press

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