About the Host
Deep roots. Broad perspective.
Ken Baerg is a social entrepreneur, community activist, and labour relations practitioner with three decades of experience across the private, public, and community sectors. Among his most cherished initiatives, Ken founded the Run for Water Society in 2008 — a non-profit that has raised over $6 million to support communities in Ethiopia through Abbotsford's largest local run and associated fundraising events.
He is also the founder of — and continues to be operationally involved with — Canadian Work Strategies, an organization dedicated to working collaboratively with labour and management to develop progressive labour relations frameworks customized to workplaces across the country.
Ken has also served as Director of Economic Development for the City of Abbotsford, where he was charged with cultivating the conditions for a robust and diversified tax base — fostering a healthy business climate that attracted investment, supported business growth, and created meaningful employment opportunities for residents.
He has served on numerous Fraser Valley community boards over the years, published widely on labour and community policy, and remains deeply embedded in the region's civic life. He holds graduate and undergraduate credentials in Strategic Management and Business and Political Science.