Mar 15, 2017 - treated to a free bus tour of the site. ... âI thought that tour guide had the best job in the world,â
OUR PEOPLE: CHERYL JOHNSTON As a young girl, Cheryl Johnston would ride her bicycle from her home to the nearby Pickering Nuclear Generating Station while it was still under construction in the late 1960s. Visiting the power plant’s information centre, the curious nine-year-old would be treated to a free bus tour of the site. She would just stare in wonderment at the size of the station while having all her questions answered by the tour guide. At the time, it seemed like a dream job. “I thought that tour guide had the best job in the world,” Johnston said. “I swore to my friend that one day I would become the person who did the bus tours.” In 1983, Johnston stayed true to her word when she became the official Pickering Nuclear tour guide, a job that came with a snazzy uniform. Thirty-four years later, Johnston still works at the Pickering Nuclear info centre, serving as the station’s ambassador to the community as the external Senior Communications Advisor. “The plant tweaked my interest at such a young age because it was so new in this little town of Pickering,” the 56-year-old Johnston said. “I think that’s why I’m so passionate about it. We’ve been watching this develop like a neighbour over the years.”
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT CHERYL JOHNSTON Position: Senior Communications Advisor Work location: Pickering Nuclear Generating Station Years of service: 36 Favourite spot to visit in Ontario: Huntsville Favourite movie: "I like to laugh. Anything that's funny." Favourite weekend activity: "Anything to do with my family. It’s either time at the cottage or walking in the conservation authority."
These days, Johnston isn’t leading many public tours. Security concerns after Sept. 11, 2001, forced a change in policy in that area. Instead, she keeps busy engaging with the community and building up the station’s, and OPG’s, reputation. Johnston coordinates and runs several community programs, such as March Break Madness, the area’s Bring Back the Salmon initiative, and Tuesdays on the Trail, a series of fun and free educational activities for kids that take place in Durham every summer. The latter program is especially close to Johnston’s heart as it helps raise children to be stewards of the environment. The mother of two also helps organize the Pickering plant’s annual donations of food, toys and money for the Durham Regional Police Christmas Food and Toy drive. It’s just one of the many community events Johnston takes part in every year on behalf of OPG. “Giving back to the community is very dear to me,” she said. “I’m passionate about the community programs we do for families. Building programs that are fun, free and educational for families is so rewarding.” For Johnston, her whole career has been about adding value back to the community in which she grew up, which makes Pickering Nuclear’s approaching end of service in 2024 all the more melancholy. “I have a long history with the station so it will be bittersweet. It’s kind of sad to see it come to an end,” said Johnston, who plans to retire in a couple of years, before the plant’s decommissioning. “But the station has done its job and it’s done it really well.”
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