THE ADVOCATE 575
VOL. 80 PART 4 JULY 2022
Kenneth William Antifaev, Q.C.
He was a man stout of heart and strong in character.
Ken was born into a farming family in Saskatchewan
in a time when droves of small farmers were being
forced off the land due to poor economic conditions.
His parents responded to this challenge by moving
the family, including Ken and his younger sister
Elaine, to Regina. There, the economic outlook was
nearly as grim for the family due to the poor economy and their lack of marketable
skills suitable for a city. His parents pulled themselves up by their
bootstraps, enduring a lot of hardship. Eventually, their hard work and perseverance
resulted in a measure of economic security, but the need to work
hard remained a constant.
Ken acquired his strong work ethic in this environment. From a young
age, he was familiar with the family ethos. As a small boy, he helped his
uncle sell honey, going door to door. When he earned enough to buy a bicycle,
he got a newspaper route and could be found delivering the newspaper
before school in all the extremes of a Prairie climate. As a young teenager,
he got a job selling ice cream for Dickie Dee, a company whose business
model depended on the efforts of boys riding bicycles fitted with a freezer
for the ice cream they were expected to sell. This is where Ken really honed
his business and sales skills, and he became the top salesman in his area. He
enjoyed this distinction for a couple of summers before his parents moved
the family to British Columbia in search of better economic opportunities.
Eventually, the family settled in Coquitlam in a house next door to the
Fowler family. When he was 17 years old and Susan Fowler was 15, they
began a relationship that lasted until the end of his life.
Ken was always a strong student and enjoyed good marks in all subjects,
but especially English. This was surprising, since Russian, not English, was
his first language. Indeed, he did not speak English until he went to kindergarten.
He enjoyed writing poetry as a way of exploring and expressing his
feelings but kept his writing private.
In high school, Ken was active in student life, including debating and
drama, where he excelled. Perhaps this was in furtherance of his plans for
a legal career.
As a young boy of seven or eight years, he was a fan of Morris Schumiatcher,
who was a prominent lawyer, human rights and political activist and