This article was originally published at PoweringCommunities.ca through the Joint Electrical Promotion Plan, which is supported by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Construction Council of Ontario and the Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario.
Sherri Haigh
Special to Niagara Now/The Lake Report
It is hard to know when NOTL's Kim McQuhae sleeps.
When she isn’t managing her farm or making award-winning jams and jellies, she’s out pulling cable – a career she loves.
Speaking from her home in Niagara-on-the-Lake where she raises cattle, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 303 member is proud to talk about her career as a network cable specialist.
“I absolutely love it,” she says.
A network cabling specialist's tasks can involve installing, repairing and maintaining cable lines for voice, video and data transmission. The job also includes work with various types and sizes of cables, including single line, coaxial and fibre optic.
“It’s different from an electrician. We do not deal with live wires. But being able to read a print, using some common sense and having a little bit of strength as sometimes you are pulling cable a long distance,” she says.
McQuhae discovered this opportunity by “fluke” when she was told about a job opening in construction back in 2011. As an emerging new trade, she was excited to be part of something new and exciting. The well-paying position is now in great demand by employers due to the growth in new technology.
“My first day on the job happened the day they were introducing the (distributed antenna system), so I was learning with anyone else,” she says. Distributed antenna systems use a combination of coaxial cable and fibre optic to distribute the signals and are often used by cellular, wifi and emergency services.
That led to an apprenticeship offer and a career that has allowed her to experience different job sites, working everywhere from Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington to the Niagara Falls Entertainment Centre.
“Watching that theatre come to fruition was very cool,” she says.
Mark Cherney, business manager for Local 303, says she is a great asset to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
“Kim is an incredible example of perseverance and success. We are truly grateful to have her as part of our IBEW family,” he said.
While it is still a male-dominated profession, she says she has found her co-workers to be supportive. Other than occasional challenges around washrooms, she says there haven’t been issues being one of only a few women working on job sites.
“I never had any problems personally. I have worked with people with a lot of experience and they have been very supportive and accommodating,” she says. She also stressed that being part of electrical workers union was a great advantage with its high focus on safety and training.
“I’ve had great employers too,” she said.
She admits that people do often seem surprised by her career choice.
“I walked into a grocery store wearing my PPE and was asked if I was a crossing guard. Some people just assume because I am a woman that is all I can do and when you tell them what I actually do they are surprised,” she said.
To describe her days as busy would be an understatement. She rises early each morning, and before she heads to a job site she focuses on her farm. Other than raising and showing cattle at fairs, she also makes 200 different types of jelly and wins awards every year at the Royal Winter Fair.
But her career as a networking cabling specialist is something she is particularly proud of and she enjoys the opportunity to work on different job sites.
“It’s fascinating watching a larger project go from bare-bones to completion and then one day you drive by that building and think to yourself – I was a part of that.”
