She was Canada's first female plumber

May 6, 2026 · 27 min · Season 4 · Episode 5

About this episode

The episode tells the story of Linda Cymbalisty, Canada's first female plumber, and her challenges in pursuing a career in plumbing.

When Linda Cymbalisty married Joe Skomorowski, they set their sights on leaving Winnipeg and setting up their own plumbing shop in a rural town. And that included quitting university and becoming a plumber herself! As it turned out, that was easier said than done – much, much easier said than done. She was far ahead of her time, and ran into major roadblocks with educators, and even with the plumbers union. But she was not a quitter. She knew what she wanted, and would not, did no...

People in this episode

Host: Dick DeRyk

Guest: Linda Cymbalisty

Topics covered

female empowerment
plumbing
rural life
overcoming obstacles
history of women in trades

Keywords

female plumber
Linda Cymbalisty
plumbing history
women in trades
Winnipeg
obstacles
rural plumbing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: plumbers union

Places: Winnipeg