Ken Saik, retired social studies teacher with the Edmonton Public School Board, was once a member of the executive of the Alberta Teacher's Association. During that time, he became a member of the Greater Edmonton Association, a local pressure group working to improve housing for the poor. He enrolled in their training on "engaging people for political action." In his latest book, The Caretaker, Ken Saik uses the lessons he learned to arm Steve, the story's protagonist, to stop Walter Kohlberg, a developer, from converting a public park into a housing development for the rich.