Former business partner remembers Karl Miller’s love for Saskatoon

Tributes are pouring in after Saskatoon businessman Karl Miller, along with his wife Sashawna Miller and their children Kalani and Kaiden, were killed in a crash near Aberdeen late Sunday night.

One of the people closest to Miller was Colleen Wilson, his colleague and business partner for more than two decades. They worked side by side at Meridian Developments.

Wilson explained the great influence Miller had on the city and said he was always “committed” to Saskatoon.

“He loved the city he lived in,” Wilson said. “He was proud of the city and he wanted to be sure everything he was involved in made a contribution to the city for a long time.”

Wilson described Miller as a very driven person who had ambitions and knew how to innovate.

“Karl was my friend for 30 years and business partner for 20,” she explained.

“I got to see Karl go through the stages of his life from when he was a young fellow. He always knew he wanted to be a builder, and I saw him grow into a very confident man who knew where he was going. I felt very confident in his ability to do things.”

While there were some projects that were difficult, Wilson said Miller would always find a way to solve any tricky situations and get what he wanted built.

Wilson said Miller was a leader, and someone who can’t be replaced.

“It’s a loss of a friend and a loved one. He was someone so important to our company and was like our leader,” Wilson stated.

“It’s very hard. People like Karl, you don’t find them every day, and when you lose them it’s sad for everybody. Even though he was young, he’s left a legacy for us.”

Miller worked on a lot of projects in Saskatoon’s Broadway area.

“Karl had a love of heritage property,” she said. “He loved to be innovative. I’d have an idea and Karl would say, ‘I don’t think we can do that in our market here,’ but he told me he’d lay awake at night and a couple months later would come back and say, ‘I know a way we can do that.'”

Wilson explained that Miller always wanted to make sure his projects were done right.

“He was always pro development, but he wanted it to be done in a sensitive way. He had a real respect for great architecture through all periods,” she added.

Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark also sent his condolences to Miller’s family.

In a social media post, the mayor said he worked closely with Miller on the Broadway 360 plan and other initiatives over the years.

Clark said he lived close to Miller and got to know his wife and see their kids growing up.

“More than once in conversation Karl would talk about the passion he had for the city and his dream of what kind of community he wanted for his children to grow up in. He had a big vision and he was driven to make that vision happen,” Clark wrote.

“It is so hard to believe they are all gone so quickly. My condolences to his family, colleagues and friends across the city and beyond.”