Dr. Leslie Day Baikie

Leslie Day Baikie of Halifax died peacefully in the early morning of May 1, 2026.

Born in Mulligan, Labrador, on March 27,1936, he was the son of Henry and Stella (Williams) Baikie, and the second of four siblings. In childhood, Leslie and his family were among the last generation to live the traditional life of early settlers of the Hamilton Inlet area of Labrador. This life was not for the faint of heart; it required a quiet ruggedness and self-sufficiency born of experience.

Leslie attended school in North West River, Labrador, and entered the Engineering program at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. He went on to subsequently obtain both a Master's and a PhD in Civil Engineering from the NovaScotia Technical College (later TUNS, Dalhousie) in Halifax.

After university, Les worked in Edmundston, New Brunswick, with the Canadian National Railway. It was there he met his wife, Jeannine Antoinette Don Carlos, of Rivière-du-Loup, Québec. Despite an initial language barrier, they found a love that transcended words. They were married on May 2, 1960, in Jeannine’s hometown.

With Leslie as an engineer and Jeannine as a registered nurse, they worked in Ottawa and Montréal before returning to Halifax for Les to complete his PhD in 1966. In 1967, he began a career in consulting engineering while living in Vancouver and Calgary. In 1980, the family returned to Halifax, where Leslie began teaching at the Technical University of Nova Scotia (Dalhousie) until his retirement in 2001.

A lifetime member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia and a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, he made significant contributions to his profession across Canada. Later in his career, he was a professor and Department Head of Civil Engineering at TUNS and was deeply respected by students and colleagues alike. Leslie’s professional legacy extended into national safety and policy; he served for eleven years on the NRC Standing Committee on Structural Design, and on a number of other geotechnical boards and committees, helping to ensure the integrity of Canadian building standards.

Outside of his passion for soil mechanics Leslie was a lifelong admirer of Canadian literature and art. He also compiled accounts of early Labrador settler and genealogy history into a book titled Up and Down the Bay.

Les found great joy in the outdoors, camping in the Rockies, sailing in Nova Scotia, spending time with his grandchildren at the cottage in Martin’s River, or finding secret spots to pick wild berries. He and Jeannine shared a lifetime of memories, maintaining deep connections to their roots in Québec and Labrador.

Leslie is survived by his wife and amazing caregiver, Jeannine; children, Susan (William Ungar), John, and Andrew; and three granddaughters, Madelaine, Céleste, and Estée. He is also survived by his niece, Michelle Baikie, and nephew, Greg Baikie, and their families. He was predeceased by his parents, Henry and Stella; his brothers, Henry (Harry), Harlan; his sister, Pearl; and his sister-in-law, Ruby Burt.

The family wish to thank everyone who provided care and support to Dad these past few years, including staff at the Northwood Adult Day Program, Northwood Home Care, Access a Bus, the Stratford-Parkland and the Berkeley-Gladstone.

Visitation will be held Thursday, May 7th, at Cruikshank’s Halifax Funeral Home, 2666 Windsor St., from 10:00 to 11:00 AM, followed by a chapel service from 11:00 to 11:30 AM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the Northwood Foundation (Adult Day Program) or Souls Harbour Rescue Mission.