Statement from Norman Hardie: I have known Heather for some time and had a friendly relationship with her. She returned to our Winery for 3 summers. She worked at the winery at the time when the atmosphere was casual and informal. I thought at the time we had a good relationship, but hearing Heather’s side of the story made me realize that some of my comments crossed the line. I realize that my behavior made her feel terrible. The fact that I denied some of the allegations made against me by the Globe and Mail does not diminish my respect for Heather or the fact that she interpreted what I thought was an innocent hug as inappropriate. It is true that I never called her to apologize after reading her description of our interactions in the Globe and Mail. I assumed that I would be the last person in the world that Heather would want to hear from. As I said in the spring, I apologize to any employee who I made uncomfortable or who felt diminished by my conduct. My attempt to keep the winery going is not intended to challenge Heather’s feelings or those of other former employees. Over the last year, I have done a lot of very frank, uncomfortable self-reflection about my actions and in particular how I spoke to and interacted with women. I will not go into the details of the steps I have personally taken, other than to say I am working extremely hard and am committed to becoming a better person, realizing I still have a long way to go. My attempt to keep the winery and its jobs alive does not mean I am finished this work. The Winery hired an independent advisor earlier this year to conduct a comprehensive review and assessment of our workplace and culture. They carried out personal and confidential interviews with all of our employees and reviewed our policies, procedures and communications within the work place. The independent review did not find any instances of sexual harassment in the workplace. The advisor did recommend enhancements to our organizational structure, policies, procedures, job clarifications and performance management tools and an updated code of conduct. My team has worked hard to implement these recommendations over the last several months. My focus now is exclusively on re-earning the trust of those I have let down and continuing to provide a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for the numerous staff and employees at the Winery. Thank you, Norman Hardie