You don’t have to go back too far in Lloydminster’s history to find the impacts Kenneth Baker had on Lloyd. He left quite the mark in his half century of residency in the Border City.
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I’m sure you and many others already know Baker quite well. He was a long-time politician and generally a bringer of positive change for Lloydminster. That’s exactly why I’m interested in talking about him today.
Baker was born in Melfort, Sask., before his family moved to Turtleford early in his life. He played baseball and hockey and was a member of the Turtleford army cadets. Getting his first taste of leadership, Baker held many leadership positions with the cadets, even being commanding officer of his home corps.
He developed a hard-work ethic at a young age. Still in the single digits, roughly eight or nine years old, he took an after-school job as a delivery boy for Fletcher’s Fine Foods. He delivered groceries to homemakers by wagon in the summer and sled in the winter, bringing in about $5 per week, big money for him at the time, I’m sure.
Fast forward to 1965, he married Jean Rennie, and in 1966, they moved to Lloydminster, where Ken accepted a position with Nelson Lumber.
During his time with Nelson Lumber, he worked his way through the system, from a position in sales to transportation manager and then construction manager. He took on countless responsibilities through his various positions.
Baker’s career feels like a footnote to his story. He was involved with Kinsmen and K40 for 45 years, well over half his life.
Another interesting note I learned about Baker, he was a member of the Busher’s Club for 25 years. If you haven’t heard of this club, don’t worry, neither had I. They’re a group who got together on weekdays for coffee at the Wayside Inn.
He attended 4,383 times and paid for the group’s coffee a total of 517 times. They decided who would pay for the coffee through a game they created of guessing and elimination.
I’m notoriously bad at math, but that’s about 12 per cent of the time he footed the bill when attending his coffee group.
It would be in 1994, my birth year, when Baker took up the mantle of public service. He was first elected as a city councillor in 1994. In 2000, he successfully ran for the mayor’s seat and would sit on until 2009. One of the most notable ideas Baker had, was to not raise taxes. It was something he stood by and believed in so strongly that the week before he passed away, he was lecturing the sitting council about holding the line on taxes.
In his time serving as mayor for nine years, he oversaw some major projects. The opening of the Servus Sports Centre and the Vic Juba Theatre being top of the list. He teared up at the opening of the theatre, a very important moment for him.
He stepped away briefly before landing a seat on council in 2014 and again in 2016.
Baker received his 20-year recognition in 2019, from both Urban Municipal Associations in Alberta and Saskatchewan. It wouldn’t be the only award he would receive. In 2002, he received the Queen Elizabath II’s Golden Jubilee Medal.
While serving as mayor or councillor, he always had the public’s interest in mind and how any decision they make around that table would impact the people that call Lloyd home.
He was a man who understood the position he was in. Baker praised the city management team for the work they do supporting council.
“The best asset that council has is their city management team and the staff at city hall,” he said.
He knew from the jump he wouldn’t have all the answers but was willing to learn.
“I’ve said it before, when you get elected, sometimes you think you got all the answers, well that’s not true,” said Baker.
There’s plenty of ways to remember Baker. He was a hard worker who loved his community and wanted to better the place he lived. He served tirelessly hoping to make change, always fighting for the people most affected by the city’s decisions.
What I’m sure most people remember him for, is his kindness. He touched the lives of so many people in the Border City. What sparked my interest in Baker was seeing him greeting Prince Edward for the royal visit in 2003. He was beaming ear to ear and was thrilled to see the prince touch down in Lloyd.
There’s something I read that I think speaks to Baker’s character.
It took him some time, but he figured out how to text. Remember the first time you picked up a phone? It wasn’t such an easy task having to learn those pesky keyboards. Baker used texting as a means to talk to his kids. Every message began with a howdy and ended ‘love papa.’ It was when he discovered emojis the messages became personally tailored to whoever he was sending them to. It may not seem like a lot, but he always put all his effort into everything, even if that was just personalizing emoji strings for the people he was texting.
Baker died in 2020, and his memory and legacy would be permanently etched into the Border City with the Ken Baker Park. He’s remembered today as a kind, compassionate individual who was fully committed to making the community better.
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