West Coast Lifestyle,Content Notes And More

Vancouver Island dreamingAfter a brief visit to the west coast andinterviews with two of VancouverIsland's fmest dentists, Dr. Peter Walfordand Dr. John Wilson, it becan'le obvi-ous that there is a different approachgenerally speaking between west coastCanadians and the rest of Canada.

On the front lawn of John Wilson'shome a fig tree grows successfully.Behind his house is a small, well-keptbarn where he raises a small numberof organically-fed chicks that benefitnot only from the high quality feed hefeeds them but from their eating off thegrounds of his field as well. Dr.Wilsonand his wife Sylvia are congenial, easy-going hosts to a couple of ex- Toron-tonians. Lunch in the quiet small townof Duncan reminds us of the superb,long, leisurely lunches experienced inProvence or on the Dalmatian coast.

Maple Bay, near Duncan, Vancouver Island

To do our interview, Dr. Peter Walfordtravelled by his is-foot leisure boat tothe small town of French Creek (northofNanaimo) from his home a few milesfurther north. The waters were calmand his trip had been in sunshine. PeterWalford exudes health and looks faryounger than his years. He attributes hisfitness to the good food he and his wifegrow and the wet suit he uses to be ableto swim in the salty waters in front ofhis home for most of the year.

Peter Walford arriving at French Creek, Vancouver Island

Both men are healthy and energetic andhave no intention of retiring anytimesoon. They work reduced hours and areenjoying their profession more. Theirlifestyles are incredibly full of work,activity, family, friends and fun.

Both claim that there is a west coast at-titude about life that is a little differentthan the rest of Canada. It's not just the'Rocky Mountain high' or 'lotus-land'image that has sometimes been attrib-uted to Vancouver Islanders. There is acloser relationship with nature, peopleand patients and many actions that lead

to a positive, healthy lifestyle.

There is no big city hustle and bustle.Land and water are always in closeproximity. The land/seascapes are oftenspectacular. The meaning of spiritualitybecomes clearer. Both of these veteran

;: ..:::o:ned to treating patients \\"ho orne__ -= ~m-irons in which they live in and ha\' a

:~--~ :-;: :::..--::'niry for. The emphasis and focus are on- :;=~:~~.rr yention and treatlTlent ... not the borrom:~~_p~ 7ie skills become limited by a natural need to~~~=~-,_e and interested. Sounds a little too good to~e ;::-.1=, .. must be dreaming.

RegrettablyProfitable Practice regrets to announce the passing of JohnVandervelden, of Patterson Dental and a contributingauthor to this magazine. We offer condolences to hisfamily, friends and colleagues.

Welcome and thank you notesProfitable Practice welcomes two new contributingauthors. Jeremy Behar is the president of the CirrusConsulting Group that services the Canadian healthcare industry. Pino Loverro is the National Directorfor Health Care for BMo. Both will provide expertinsights into the dental industry for our readers.

Profitable Practice would like to thank Natalia Deciusand Damaris Cornielle along with the rest of the crewat FCM for continuing to make our magazine better\\"ith each new issue.

This issue features a chapter from a soon to be releasedbook by a Canadian dentist who wishes to remainanonymous and goes by the name 'Frederich theAustrian'. This chapter entitled Frictional Costs delves

(with a critical eye) into the role played by financial'advisors'. Andrea Chan of MNP provides advice fordentists considering a major capital investment.Also Andrea is our featured proftle/interview authorfor this issue, Mariana Bracic of MBCLegal.com giveslegal insight into the issue of sexual harassment.Pino Loverro ofBMO provides advice on practiceacquisition and financing. Dan Pisek explains why ashake up in you marketing plan can be beneficial.Brent Purnell offers us a look into his soon to be pub-lished book entitled, Dynamic Balance: Soothing Stress forDental Professionals. Dr. Ron Brown outlines the roleplayed by locums in three different scenarios andsuggests when it better to hire an associate.

These are only highlights of some of the informative, pro-fessional items and issues of interest contained in this issue.

Things to rememberReaders are reminded that for subscriber informationand a chance to win the book Profitable Practice, pleasego to the inside back cover of this magazine. Check outour Pages fi'o/II the Past ads there as well. As always wewelcome your conunents and suggestions for the maga-zine or if you would like to write for the magazineand have a story to tell that would interest our dentalprofessional reading audience, please contact:editor@profitablepracticemagazine.com. In addition ifyou have an opinion or comment in regard to the fol-lowing two topic questions, please send it to the emailaddress above and it alight get published for furtherdebate and conU11ent.At the very least your input willbecome a source of information for the magazine's ownresearch and knowledge base.

• Should botox treatments be available in dentaloffices nationwide?

• Will the increase in corporate-style dentistry care inCanada have a positive, negative or neutral effect onthe quality, availability and cost of dental treatmentfor average Canadians)

James RuddyJames Ruddy is the Editor ofProfitable Practice Magazineand can be reached ated ito r@profitablepracticemagazine.com