Cornwall’s first female snowplow driver
FRANCIS RACINE francis.racine@eap.on.ca
While many people would feel intimidated sitting behind the steering wheel of large trucks or other behemoths, Elizabeth “Liz” Wilkenson is quite accustomed to them, having spent her career driving and operat- ing large machinery. Born in Nova Scotia, she moved to British Columbia when she was four and then Yukon when she was 19. There, she worked in a mine, alongside several men… and women. “There are a lot more women in the mines than people think,” she said, smiling. “It was a dangerous job though.” There, she drove a 170-ton piece of equip- ment.This in turn led her to be quite at ease around heavy machinery. “The tires on it were much bigger than I am,” she recalled. But likemany other mines, the one where the woman worked at eventually closed. “It happens to a lot of mines,” she said. So how did Wilkenson end up driving snowplows in Cornwall? “My husband and I used to work for MarathonDrilling in Greely, so we had to move and we wanted to get a place close to our work, but not too close,” she said. “At the time, I worked in Toronto and drove back and forth,” added her husband. “I used to always stop in Cornwall. It’s a great town and I always loved it.” Wilkenson started working for the City in the summer with the hot asphalt. “It’s hard, hot work, but I like it,” she explained. Coincidently, she also might very well be the first woman to hold the job. “I’m not sure about that,” she said laughing. “But I haven’t seen any other women.” From there, Wilkenson decided to try her chance with snowplowing. “They welcomed me with open arms,” she said. “They were very nice during my training and they con- tinue to be supportive.” During her training, she had to sit next to another snowplow operator in order to learn the ropes of the job. Finally, she was given her chance to shine. “On my very first run, I was nervous,” she admitted. “But later on, it got easier.” Considering it’s Wilkenson’s first winter behind the wheel of the snowplow, she’s been tasked with cleaning the streets over- night. “The shifts are from 11 at night to
Elizabeth “Liz” Wilkenson is Cornwall’s first-ever female snowplow driver. The Nova Scotia native, who worked in a Yukon mine for countless years, isn’t scared of heavy machinery. — photo Francis Racine
Le Journal, Cornwall
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Le mercredi 18 janvier 2017
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