Robert Mitford Pinder (December 14, 1890 – August 1, 1946) was a pharmacist, entrepreneur and political figure in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

, Canada. He represented Saskatoon City in the

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan () is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan, in the ...

from 1938 to 1944 as a Liberal. Pinder was mayor of

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

from 1935 to 1938. Born in

North Toronto North Toronto is a former town and informal district located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Town of North Toronto was incorporated in 1890 by consolidating the villages of Bedford Park, Eglinton and Davisville. The town was annexed by Toronto ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, the son of Abraham Pinder and Polly Savage – who came to Canada from

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, England – he was educated in Elgin, Manitoba and at the Pharmacy College in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

; then moved to Saskatoon in 1914. He worked for the Saskatoon Drug and Stationery Company, eventually becoming part owner and then sole owner. In 1916, Pinder married Helen Rose. He served on the city council for Saskatoon from 1928 to 1933. The company he established, Pinder's Drugs, continued to be operated by the Pinder family until 1992 when it was sold to

Shoppers Drug Mart Shoppers Drug Mart Inc. (colloquially Shoppers; named Pharmaprix in Quebec) is a Canadian retail pharmacy chain based in Toronto, Ontario. It has more than 1,300 stores in ten provinces and two territories. The company was founded by pharmacist ...

. His son Herbert Charles Pinder also served in the Saskatchewan assembly. In recognition of his contributions to the city of Saskatoon, Pinder Crescent in the city's

Avalon Avalon () is an island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appeared in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' as a place of magic where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was made and later where Arthur was taken to recove ...

neighbourhood was named in his honor. An ice hockey player in his 20s, Pinder later coached the Saskatoon Sheiks of the

Western Canada Hockey League The Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), founded in 1921–22 WCHL season, 1921, was a major professional ice hockey league originally based in the prairies of Canada. It was renamed the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1925 and disbanded in 1926. ...

during the 1921–22 season. He was the grandfather of ice hockey players

Gerry Gerry is both a surname and a masculine or feminine given name. As a given name, it is often a short form (hypocorism) of Gerard, Gerald or Geraldine. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814), fifth US vice pres ...

and Herb Pinder through his son Herbert Pinder, Sr.

References

1890 births 1946 deaths Canadian pharmacists Businesspeople from Saskatchewan 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Liberal Party MLAs Mayors of Saskatoon 20th-century mayors of places in Saskatchewan {{Saskatchewan-mayor-stub