Province mourns first woman hired as Manitoba Infrastructure engineer

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This article was published 04/10/2021 (1471 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The first woman engineer hired by Manitoba Infrastructure has died.

Manitoba Infrastructure announced the sudden death Monday of assistant deputy minister Ruth Eden.

“It is with a heavy heart that we must say goodbye to a beloved member of our staff,” Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler said in a news release.

It did not say how Eden died, nor her age.

In 1988, she joined the department’s technical services and operations division, and was involved in the design and construction of bridges and structures throughout the province for more than 30 years.

“Her dedication to her work can be seen throughout the province and she leaves a lasting legacy through the many lives she touched,” Schuler said. “As minister, I know I speak for all of Manitoba Infrastructure that Ruth Eden will be sadly missed but fondly remembered.”

She was one of five women to graduate from the civil engineering program at the University of Manitoba in 1988.

In 2019, to mark the 30th anniversary of the murders of 14 women, almost all of whom were engineering students, at what is now Polytechnique Montreal, women who were engineering students across Canada around the time of the massacre and pursued their careers were honoured, including Eden.

“On days like today, I can’t help but wonder what the 14 women would’ve accomplished with their careers and the difference they would’ve made,” Eden said in a UM Today story.

“I made the choice to stay in engineering even after what happened because I love what I do. To all the women here today, follow your heart, even if it’s sometimes difficult.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca