Steve Paikin
The thoughtful, steady voice of Ontario's public affairs conversation, hosting Canada's most substantive nightly current affairs program for over two decades.
Born 1960 (age 66)·Canadian media personality and author·Birthday: June 9·Baby Boomers
Biography
Steve Paikin has been the intellectual anchor of TVOntario's public affairs programming for decades, a journalist who prizes depth over soundbites. Starting his career in print and radio, he found his home at TVO, where his calm, inquisitive style set the tone. For years, he helmed 'Studio 2' before launching 'The Agenda with Steve Paikin' in 2006, a program built on the radical premise that audiences would engage with hour-long, multi-segment discussions on complex policy, politics, and ideas. Paikin's preparation is meticulous, his interviews more conversational than combative, designed to draw out nuance rather than create conflict. Beyond the studio, he is a dedicated chronicler of Canadian political history, having authored books on subjects from Ontario premiers to the constitutional accords. His work has established a vital, ad-free space for civic discourse in the Canadian media landscape.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Steve was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Steve Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Steve's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the permanent host of TVO's flagship current affairs program 'The Agenda' from its 2006 launch for over 17 years.
- Authored multiple books on Canadian politics, including 'The Life: The Seductive Call of Politics' and biographies of Bill Davis and John Robarts.
- Received the Gemini Award for Best Host in a News or Talk Program in 2008.
- Moderated several televised leaders' debates for Ontario provincial elections.
Did You Know?
He is a member of the Order of Ontario and the Order of Canada.
Before joining TVO, he worked as a national reporter for CBC Television's 'The National.'
He is a graduate of the University of Toronto and holds a master's degree from the University of Western Ontario.
He is known for his extensive collection of neckties, often commented on by viewers.
“My job is to ask the question the viewer would ask if they were in the chair.”
