“Don’t be afraid to say yes to new and interesting opportunities—if you can, go for it!”
Take it from somebody who’s been there—been, in fact, to a lot of places: Ottawa, Fredericton, Windsor, Brockville, Kingston, and London (UK).
For Kimberley Johnson, each location was a step on the ladder to her current position: Multi-Skilled Journalist at CTV News Ottawa, the flagship station of her native city. It’s her third job on home soil and her deepest stick in the ground so far: six rewarding years and counting. And while Johnson’s vibe and work stand out, she’s quick to define herself as a team player, grateful to spend each day in the company of her equally hardworking and inspiring colleagues.
From the get-go, the fresh-faced blonde has been immersed in dynamic, supportive milieus that have dictated her career path. “There were always political and social discussions happening at home,” Johnson says of her formative years in the East End of Ottawa. “Big topics were never avoided, and even when opinions differed, everything was done respectfully. It exposed me to different perspectives. I still love hearing others’ viewpoints, considering new ideas, and learning things I didn’t know.”
High school, particularly her Grade 12 World Studies course, was another nudge in her current direction. That said, she also shared a passion for fashion, which she explored as a model at the respected Barrett-Palmer Agency.
Then came her first taste of travel: St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick. There, Johnson took courses in human rights, environmental studies, economics, and, yes, journalism. She learned more about the latter upon returning to Ottawa, as a volunteer at Rogers’ community television. “It taught me about working behind the camera and helped me build my on-camera presence,” she explains. “I quickly realized how much I loved TV.”
Inspired, Johnson went on to earn a master’s degree in broadcast journalism in London (UK), largely through experiential learning. “Part of the program involved producing a full 6 p.m. news broadcast each week. We did everything ourselves: reporting, filming, editing, and producing. I spoke with people at protests, refugees, residents dealing with flooding, and artists putting on plays.”
After a brief internship at the CBC’s UK bureau, Johnson fell into that industry inevitability, the peripatetic life of the freelancer. She returned to her roots to serve as a traffic reporter for The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll; moved on to do some on-the-street reporting at AM800 in Windsor; then, co-hosted a morning show out of Brockville. “Morning radio is fun and fast-paced,” Johnson reflects, “but also exhausting! I’ll leave the early mornings to my husband”—namely, Gord St. Denis of The Morning Pickup on Pure Country 94, with whom she shares a daughter.
Finally, Johnson transitioned to television, the next stage of her ten-year tenure and counting with Bell Media, cracking CTV in the job that would lead to her current position. “I started in 2020 as the Kingston-based reporter—right as the pandemic began. It was a challenging time to launch a TV career: reporting in a new city, often from a distance, when many people weren’t even in the office.”
In September 2024, Johnson was called to Ottawa for stop number three. After having paid her dues at so many different locations, finding herself at CTV News Ottawa was like Dorothy returning to the comfort and excitement of home, even if, to movie-lover Johnson, it was closer to Oz than Kansas. “I still haven’t gotten over the excitement of walking into that studio that first time.” Six years later, she’s lost none of her appreciation for it, happy to apply its bells and whistles to the craft of connecting with the public, often by incorporating their own perspectives. “That’s what drives me every day.”
And the job, in turn, drives her, shaping her as a reporter day in, day out. By her own admission, she’s learned to ask tougher questions and to dig deeper, talents she’s absorbed from the exemplary professionals with whom she works.
While covering everything from breaking news to community events keeps Johnson sufficiently stimulated, one has to play reporter themselves and ask: Is it enough to keep her in the nation’s capital for good, or might the multi-talented Johnson answer the call of opportunity yet again?
“This industry is evolving quickly,” she cites, “and there are so many exciting areas to explore. That said, Ottawa will always be my home base. Being close to family, my husband, and raising my daughter with strong connections to her extended circle is incredibly important to me.”
For now, then, Johnson’s best story is her own.