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Controversial Host Quits Sun News
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Sun News host Krista Erickson has quit her position at the network.

Erickson has left to pursue foreign correspondence work in London, according to her website.

As the host of mid-day news program Canada Live, Erickson drew a storm of criticism to the station for her 2011 interview with Quebec dancer Margie Gillis (watch below).

Erickson aggressively grilled Gillis about government funding for arts programs. Gillis described it as "an attack."

“I have faced tough questioning about arts funding and my own funding before, but nothing to this degree," said Gillis after the interview. "It was an attack, not journalism. She was not asking me questions, just stating things and not giving me time to respond."

The segment racked up a record 6,676 complaints to the Canadian Radio and Television Commission, who usually only see a couple thousand over a a full year. The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council ruled that the interview was acceptable and that Erickson was "entitled to be aggressive in her questioning and to reveal her personal biases."

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Erickson may be jumping ship at a good time. Sun News has announced an expected loss of $17 million for 2012. The network is petitioning the CRTC to make it a mandatory basic cable station, in order to solve its "clearly unsustainable" financial situation.

Erickson is a Gemini-nominated journalist who started her career at CBC Winnipeg and joined "Fox News North" for its 2011 launch. The "unapologetically patriotic" host posed as a Sunshine Girl in honour of the occasion.

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