[13][14] Although he is not of Indian heritage, he was named Sadhu as a result of his parents' extended stays in India during the 1960s and 1970s where they immersed themselves in alternative spirituality.
[12] He is a dual US and Canadian citizen who spent several summers visiting his father, who worked as a carpenter,[12] and grandmother in Vancouver while growing up.
Johnston has supported the establishment of CityStudio,[18] a first in the world partnership between a city and six universities and colleges to help solve urban challenges.
Johnston highlighted Vancouver's efforts to improve local food infrastructure in a recent city video,[19] which was viewed across the world.
[21] As City Manager he was involved with a wide variety of initiatives at the city, such as the creation of major public space legacies like the Arbutus Greenway and the closure of Robson Street at the Vancouver Art Gallery to create a new plaza; addressing the housing crisis with temporary modular housing, new housing policies to create thousands of new rental units and successfully rolling out the first Empty Homes Tax in North America, which has generated tens of millions of dollars to invest in affordable housing; investments in arts, such as helping the Mural Festival transform many neighborhoods with public art; the implementation of the Greenest City Action Plan with carbon emission reductions, waste diversion programs, separated bike lanes, electric vehicle and car sharing proliferation across the city; and capital projects like the Burrard Bridge, Kilarney seniors centre, new childcare projects being built on parking garages downtown and the replacement of the Evelyne Saller Centre and Roddan Lodge in the DTES.
[2] Johnston has been recognized for his leadership in urban greening, including Crain's Chicago Business 40 under 40[22] and Vancouver Magazine Power 50.