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New Tsawwassen First Nation chief is up for the challenge

Ken Baird has a lot on his plate
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Ken Baird became chief of the Tsawwassen First Nation this spring.

There’s a lot on his plate and he’s looking forward to the challenges ahead.

Ken Baird became chief of the Tsawwassen First Nation this spring, saying he felt the time was right for him to try to serve his people in the important role.

“My priorities have always been our elders and youth as well as the health and well-being of all our members. That’s been my platform,” Baird told the Optimist in a recent interview.

A member of the TFN legislature for the last decade, Baird won the top job in April when he defeated incumbent Bryce Williams 86 to 78. Baird had lost a close race to Williams three years earlier.

 

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Chief Ken Baird stands beside TFN executive council member Steve Stark at the recent swearing in ceremony. - photo by Adrian MacNair

 

A father of six and grandad to four, Baird was born in Vancouver and raised in Langley but moved back to Tsawwassen 25 years ago. He worked in the asphalt business and then as a printer before joining the TFN’s public works department where he most recently served as supervisor.

He describes the TFN community as a very close-knit one.

“I’m related to half the people here and when I married my wife, Cindy, I became related to the other half, pretty much,” he said.

Baird explained one of the top priorities is to make sure all members are ready when tax exempt status is lost within a couple of years, a provision of the First Nation’s 2009 treaty.

“It’s definitely a case of helping them prepare. We’re also looking at ways, if it’s possible, to compensate them.”

Saying it’ll be busy times, Baird noted he’d also like to spend time building relationships with neighbours and outside organizations. He added one of the first calls of congratulation he received was from Delta Mayor George Harvie.

“We’ve come a long way. Our relationship with Delta wasn’t the greatest in the past but that’s changed and we’re focused on making good decisions that affect us both,” Baird said.

Although the TFN is now well known for Tsawwassen Mills, a 200-store destination fashion mall that opened almost three years ago, and the adjacent Tsawwassen Commons, it has other landscape-altering changes in the works.

 

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Tsawwassen Shores is one of the housing developments at the TFN. - file photo

 

After signing a historic urban treaty a decade ago, housing developments are now well underway on both sides of Highway 17. The subdivisions springing up include the Tsawwassen Shores development by Aquilini Development, while Onni Group and Mosaic also plan to build a range of homes.

The TFN land use plan approved by members has over 2,800 homes to be built with Tsawwassen Shores comprising 850 of those units. About 8,000 new residents are expected to eventually call the TFN home.

The TFN is also seeing its industrial lands developed with a new business park aimed at easing the growing demand for warehousing and logistics centres in the Lower Mainland.

The biggest development, so far, is a 23-hectare (57-acre) parcel leased to Great West Life for 1.3 million square feet of logistics warehousing.

Representatives with the e-commerce giant Amazon were at the new Delta iPort warehouse on 41B Street last fall to announce plans to open a 450,000-square-foot fulfillment centre, a facility that will create 700 jobs. It marks the first time the company will open a distribution facility on First Nation land.

 

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Newly elected Tsawwassen First Nation Chief Ken Baird with his wife Cindy and 12-year-old son Quinn. - photo by Adrian MacNair

 

Meanwhile, Canada Border Services Agency’s Tsawwassen Container Inspection Facility opened last fall.

Following a review of the TFN Economic Development Corporation, the First Nation temporarily suspended marketing efforts for the remaining section slated for port-related industrial development.

Baird said it’s an opportunity to start being more selective, ensuring they get the best deal possible for their people.

“When it comes to future developments on TFN lands, the members are very involved. We want to bring the best deal on the table,” he said. “At one time we were in a position where we had to make deals to get money in the coffers.”

Many members don't reside at the First Nation, something Baird hopes will eventually change with new housing to encourage more Tsawwassen people to come home.

A new cultural centre is also on the horizon. He said the TFN, eventually, will have its own elementary school.

“We’re going to get to a point in the next 10 years where our build-out of residents will warrant a school. It’s down the road but definitely something that will happen.”

 

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There has been much activity on TFN lands in recent years, including construction of the Tsawwassen Mills mall. - file photo

 

Baird’s election makes him the third chief in the past seven years as Williams defeated incumbent Kim Baird in 2012.

This year’s election saw a total of 318 eligible to vote out of a population of 491 members. A total of 175 members voted for a turnout of 55 per cent. Almost 70 votes were submitted by mail-in ballot.

“I reached a point in my political career where I was ready for it. I truly want to make a difference,” said Baird.

The Tsawwassen legislature is the highest body of the Tsawwassen government, consisting of 13 Tsawwassen members elected every three years, plus the chief, for a total of 14 members. The top vote getters, plus the chief, form the executive council.

There’s normally two sessions of the legislature each year, taking place in spring and fall. All meetings of the legislature are open to the public.