Ben was born on a trap line in Camp Creek, Alberta, where his grandfather and father established a homestead in 1934. He learned to trap at the age of seven alongside his grandfather, with whom he lived until the age of nine. One of his fondest memories was the long journey by horse and sleigh to Barrhead, Alberta, to sell furs. After each sale, his grandfather would tell him, “You can buy all the jelly beans you want.”
When his grandfather passed away, Ben had nowhere to go. His sister, who was working as a waitress in Chinatown for Mr. Yip. She brought him there after Mr. Yip kindly offered to help raise him. This marked Ben’s transition from trapping in the wilderness to life in the city.
At sixteen, Ben lied about his age to work on the oil rigs. By nineteen, he became the youngest driller in Canada at that time. After years of drilling, he shifted careers when he married Vivianna Loiselle in Dawson Creek, seeking a profession that allowed him to be home daily.
Ben joined Loiselle Transport and rose to Operations Manager for Alberta, BC, and the Yukon. In 1970, he transitioned into finance with Principal Savings & Trust (owner of First Investors), becoming Canada’s top salesman in 1970 and 1971.
Later, he managed Page & Page Log Trailers MFG. in Prince George, where he tripled sales and expanded marketing efforts. From 1972 to 1976, he worked with Page & Page, and from 1976 to 1977, he was the distributor for Knight Trailer Sales.
When Vivianna’s father became ill, Ben and his brothers-in-law, Gary and Art Loiselle, purchased the family ranch in Dawson Creek. Together, they expanded it from 3,200 acres to 7,000 acres, managing more than 2,000 head of buffalo — the largest herd in Canada at the time.
While Gary oversaw ranch operations, Ben opened a real estate office named in memory of his late father-in-law. He later acquired the Block Bros. franchise, becoming top salesman in 1980 and 1981. He also secured the REMAX franchise for Dawson Creek, Chetwynd, and Fort St. John, again earning top salesman honors in 1986 and 1987.
As managing broker of Sawchuk International Real Estate Inc., Ben built a strong international reputation until closing the company on February 5, 2020.
Today, Ben continues to share his expertise in real estate, working as a consultant for realtors and investors.