Dr. George Christodoulou Of Altima Dental

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Dr. George Christodoulou Of Altima Dental
FEATURE INTERVIEW                                 MARKETING           INVESTMENT
Dr. George Christodoulou                          Social Media Tips   Diversification And Monday
Of Altima Dental                                  For Your Practice   Morning Millionaire

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                                                                      A HELPFUL RESOURCE
                                                                      FOR YOU, YOUR BUSINESS
                                                                      OR YOUR PRACTICE
                                                                      winter 2019

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PUBLICATION AGREEMENT #41073506
Dr. George Christodoulou Of Altima Dental
WINTER 2019

 3 EDITOR’S PAGES                       18 FEATURE INTERVIEW
   Mental Illness, DSOs, A Tribute To      Dr. Gwen Jeun: President Of
   Our Armed Forces And More               The Ontario Veterinary Medical
   JAMES RUDDY                             Association (OVMA)
                                           WITH JAMES RUDDY
29 PUBLISHER’S PAGES
   Stress, Illness And Freedom 55       20 FEATURE INTERVIEW
   TIMOTHY A. BROWN                        Dr. Vlad Stefanescu D.V.M.,
                                           Owner—Yonge Davenport Pet
                                           Hospital In Downtown Toronto
                                                                                     10
OF INTEREST TO ALL HEALTH                  WITH KAREN HENDERSON
CARE PROFESSIONALS AND
                                        23 NEWS AND VIEWS
                                                                                11
BUSINESS OWNERS
                                           International Association
                                           Honours P.E.I. Veterinarian
 6 WEBSITE AND BLOG REVIEW                 COMPILED BY KAREN HENDERSON
   Dr. Rhonda Patrick
   REVIEWED BY GRAHAM RUDDY                Victoria Woman Named
                                           ‘Woman Of Worth’ For Free
 8 INVESTMENT                              Vet Care Program
   When Does Diversification               COMPILED BY KAREN HENDERSON
   Become Diworsification?
   MILAN SOMBORAC
                                        OF SPECIAL INTEREST TO
10 MARKETING                            EYE CARE PROFESSIONALS
   Social Media Tips Every
   Health Care Practice Should Know
   NATALIA DECIUS                       24 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
                                           Why I Used A Broker To Sell
                                           My Professional Eye Care Office
OF SPECIAL INTEREST TO                     LANCE EDWARDS

DENTAL PROFESSIONALS
                                        25 FEATURE INTERVIEW                         20
                                           Dr. David Lane
11 FEATURE INTERVIEW
   Dr. George Christodoulou:
                                           WITH LANCE EDWARDS
                                                                                     25
   Co-founder Altima Dental             28 NEWS AND VIEWS
   WITH JAMES RUDDY                        Simple Eye Exam May Detect
                                           Alzheimer’s Disease Early
13 PRACTICE SALES                          COMPILED BY KAREN HENDERSON
   AND APPRAISALS
   Don’t Shortchange Yourself              Slowing Down Glaucoma And
   As A Vendor                             Other Neurodegenerative Diseases
   PASCALE GUILLON                         —Major Discovery At The University
                                           Of Montreal Hospital Research
                                           Centre (CRCHUM): Re-Establishing
OF SPECIAL INTEREST TO                     Communication Between Neurons
VETERINARY PROFESSIONALS                   To Improve Vision
                                           COMPILED BY KAREN HENDERSON          29
15 FEATURE INTERVIEW
   Ainslie Willock, Campaign Manager
   —No Pets In Research:
   Animal Alliance Of Canada
   WITH KAREN HENDERSON
Dr. George Christodoulou Of Altima Dental
ROI Corporation, Brokerage                                                                                                       EDITOR’S PAGES |

PUBLISHER
ROI Corporation, Brokerage is Licensed                     Mental Illness, DSOs, A Tribute To
                                                           Our Armed Forces And More
under the Real Estate and Business
Brokers Act, 2002 (REBBA).

                                                           BY JAMES RUDDY
James Ruddy
EDITOR

Karen Henderson
MANAGING ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Dr. Milan Somborac
EDITORIAL CONSULTANT

Graham Ruddy
EDITOR’S ASSISTANT

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editor@profitable-practice.com                                n this issue we interviewed a variety of outstanding health care pro-
Profitable Practice is designed, printed and distributed
                                                              fessionals. We are always impressed with the professionalism evident
3 times a year by Jamieson-Quinn Holdings Ltd. dba            in the vast majority of our interviewees and we salute them for it. We
Advertising In Print for ROI Corporation, Brokerage.
The contents of this publication are protected by          also salute the men and women in the Canadian Armed Forces for their
copyright and may not be reproduced without the
written permission of ROI Corporation, Brokerage.          dedication to duty and country. My wife and I were fortunate to attend
While the publisher has exercised every effort to
                                                           the 100th Anniversary of Armistice Day of World War One in Ottawa. It
ensure that the information presented is complete
and accurate, it may contain errors, omissions or
                                                           was a moving ceremony that caused much reflection by any who saw
information that has subsequently become outdated          it or participated. We all should be grateful daily for the sacrifices of life
by industry changes or conditions, new laws or reg-
ulations, or other circumstances. Neither author nor       and limbs made by so many for our present freedoms both today and in
publisher accepts any liability or responsibility to any
person or entity with respect to any loss or damage        the past. See photos on page 5.
alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by
the information, ideas, opinions or other content in
this publication.                                          Mental Illness And Jillian                      short or long-term disability claims are
                                                           Cecchini                                        attributed to mental health issues. The cost
This publication complies with the Canadian
Advertising-Editorial Guidelines and is published                                                          to our economy (considering health care,
by ROI Corporation, Brokerage for educational,             On July 2, 2018, Jillian Cecchini, the          lost productivity and reduced quality of life
marketing and informational purposes only. Our
contributors are seasoned professionals who have           managing editor of Oral Health wrote            factors) exceeds $50 billion each year.
agreed to share their advice in Profitable Practice and
some of them partially fund this publication designed
                                                           an editorial entitled, Mental Illness is
to provide our readers with timely information about       Not a Personal Failure. In her editorial,       These are just a few of the facts in her
industry news, analysis and stories in support of
                                                           Ms. Cecchini gathered and collated an           editorial. Ms. Cecchini states that while the
health care professionals in Canada.
                                                           impressive number of facts and stats that       stigma of mental illness may be diminishing
                                                           delivered a much needed message about           and our awareness of mental illness may
PLEASE RETURN UNDELIVERABLE                                mental illness in Canada. Over 4,000            be increasing, it is imperative to continue
ADDRESSES TO:                                              Canadians commit suicide each year. This        these trends and conversations especially
200 - 896 Cambie Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 2P6                                      averages out to be 11 suicides a day. First     when it comes to the workplace. Profitable
Tel: 604-681-1811                                          Nations youth are five to six times more        Practice commends Ms. Cecchini’s efforts
Fax: 604-681-0456                                          likely to commit suicide than non-aboriginal    to initiate a continuing dialogue and we will
                                                           youth. Fourteen per cent of Canadian            endeavour to do our part as well. To read
PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT
No. 41073506                                               employees do not think their workplace          her complete editorial go to:
                                                           is safe or healthy at all. Thirty per cent of   goo.gl/dMbtmt
profitable-practice.com                                                                                                         PROFITABLE PRACTICE    3
Dr. George Christodoulou Of Altima Dental
Corporate Dentistry In Canada               Dr. Marcia Boyd -                               Her recognitions run the gamut of
                                            Congratulations                                 international honours, including four
Profitable Practice met and interviewed                                                     honourary degrees and the Order of
Dr. George Christodoulou at his                                                             Canada. She is also the first woman
Muskoka cottage this summer. He is the                                                      to receive the American College of
co-founder of Altima Dental, a prominent                                                    Dentists’ highest honour, the William
player in the large-group practice model                                                    J. Gries Award. Currently retired from
of dental care provision in Canada. He                                                      UBC, Boyd serves as a consultant
and his co-founder, Dr. Sven Grail own                                                      and examiner for the National
over 80 dental clinics located across                                                       Dental Examining Board of Canada,
Canada. His interview can be seen on                                                        continuing to live by her personal
page 11.                                                                                    motto: “Seek knowledge, conquer
                                                                                            fear, do justice.”
Profitable Practice Veterinary
Book                                                                                     Profitable Practice and ROI
                                                                                         Corporation, Brokerage
The long awaited arrival of Timothy                                                      Welcome Lance Edwards
                                             Dr. Marcia Boyd
A. Brown’s veterinary book, Profitable
Practice: Why a veterinary practice is                                                   Lance Edwards, a veteran optician with
an exceptional investment, is in sight      Once again Profitable Practice contributor   39 years of experience, has joined the ROI
and should be available early in 2019.      and ROI Corporation, Brokerage Senior        team as a practice sales representative.
This book will be a major resource for      Associate Dr. Marcia Boyd has been           He has also agreed to write regularly
all veterinarians at every stage of their   honoured. This time, she has received the    for our magazine. Lance’s first column,
careers. It also provides information       University of Alberta’s highest honour for   entitled Why I Used A Broker To Sell My
for high school and university students     lifetime achievement—the Distinguished       Professional Eye Care Office, can be
planning on a career in veterinary          Alumni Award. The commendation she           found on page 24. In addition Lance’s
medicine.                                   received reads as follows:                   interview with ophthalmologist Dr. David
                                                                                         Lane is found on page 25. Welcome
Profitable Practice Survey                     Boyd launched her career from the         aboard Lance!
Results And Comments                           back of a dog sled, delivering dental
                                               care to remote eastern Arctic Inuit       Hockey Players And Dogs
Thanks to all who participated in the          communities. Her work has since
Profitable Practice survey. The survey         established her as an internationally
comments and results from our readers          recognized trailblazer in the dental
were positive and very encouraging. We         profession and one of the world’s
are delighted that the magazine is being       best dental educators. Boyd has
used as a resource and a forum for             played a key role in shaping the
discussion.                                    future of dentistry as a professor
                                               and dean of the University of British
                                               Columbia’s Faculty of Dentistry,
      Congratulations to Dr. Sachar            and as president of the American
      Dvorkin of Uptown Dental in              College of Dentists—the first
      Fredericton, New Brunswick               woman and second Canadian to
                                                                                                                                      DR. BOYD'S PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA
      for being selected for the $100          hold this position. She has also
      Bon Appetit gift card.                   spoken internationally and chaired
                                               task forces that have improved
                                               dental education, accreditation
Thanks to Dr. Christina Ulmeni of C.U.         and ethical practices in the United
Smile Dental in Kanata, Ontario for her        States and Canada. Boyd’s work,
kind words below.                              which includes serving on the             In an informal survey of several NHL
                                               Women’s Advisory Commission               hockey players who were asked, “What
    “I love your magazine. I hope you          and the International Women’s             is your favourite pet?”—the overwhelming
    continue to print it.”                     Leadership program of the American        majority favoured dogs. In fact, many of
                                               Dental Association, has paved the         them had dogs and a few had more than
We plan to stay in print and continue          way for women in the profession,          one. On the other hand, cats were not
be a helpful resource for all health care      often as the first woman to hold          selected once, giving way to hamsters
practitioners and business owners.             leadership and mentoring positions.       and a panther. Go figure.

4    PROFITABLE PRACTICE
Dr. George Christodoulou Of Altima Dental
Happy Tooth Visits The Dentist
                                                           Lest We Forget
              Dentists who are looking for a children’s    Photos taken at the 100th Anniversary
              book for their waiting room may be           of the end of World War One.
              interested in the one pictured below. In
              upcoming issues, Profitable Practice will
              feature two of the authors, Laura and
              William Schneider of Ridgeway, Ontario.
              The book is available on Amazon.

                                                              Things To Remember

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              Letter To The Editor                            the magazine. Profitable Practice
                                                              encourages our readers to send
                 Dear Editor:                                 us comments and suggestions;
                                                              if you would like to write for us
                 With all due respect, as a veterinarian      or have a story to tell, contact:
                 practising in a depressed area of            editor@profitable-practice.com.
                 Ottawa and having lost two close
                 veterinary colleagues to suicide, I          For back issues of the magazine
                 would suggest that the challenge             go to: profitable-practice.com/
                 for veterinarians is not unlike that         magazine.
                 that faced dentists before more
                 widespread insurance came into use           Media Kit
                 for their patients.
                                                              If you would like to be a sponsor
                 We wish to heal all patients,                author or take out an ad in Profitable
                 sometimes just setting a fracture            Practice or have questions about
                 would fix the patient but clients often      doing so, contact Stephanie Roberts
                 cannot afford that. I trust the healing      at stephanie@roicorp.com.
                 power of the patient and do not
                 dispense unnecessary antibiotics or
                 unproven medications as those would
                 simply add to the financial burdens on
                 my clients as they attempt to provide                         James Ruddy
                 care to their beloved pets. This is not                       James Ruddy is the
                 the time or place to discuss use of                           editor of Profitable
                                                                               Practice and can
                 alternative medications.
                                                                               be reached at editor@
                                                                               profitable-practice.com.
JAMES RUDDY

                 Yours sincerely

                Dr. Kelly Butler DVM
                                                                              PROFITABLE PRACTICE      5
Dr. George Christodoulou Of Altima Dental
| WEBSITE AND BLOG REVIEW

Dr. Rhonda Patrick
REVIEWED BY GRAHAM RUDDY

E
       very week the conversation
       on diet and nutrition seems
       to change. Deciding which
new lifestyle to consider is increas-
ingly more difficult as the science
surrounding health grows—also
considering that every healthy
choice made in honesty will have
counterarguments to adding
doubt. Increasingly it’s become
necessary to wade through arti-                    Dr. Rhonda Patrick from foundmyfitness.com
cles, blogs, podcasts, and videos
to find enough information leading              include the uptake of nutrients, the benefits    in animals, and they are currently research-
in the same direction with any                  of exposing the body to hormetic stress-         ing how to apply these benefits to humans.
clarity. It’s become a full-time job            ors, such as through exercise, fasting,          Satchin’s book, The Circadian Code details
keeping up with the ever-changing               sauna use or heat stress, or various forms       the findings of their research.
                                                of cold exposure, and the importance of
health and lifestyle trends.
                                                mindfulness, stress reduction, and sleep.        The positive outcomes for the mice
One person who has been making a                                                                 tested with only an eight-hour window of
name for herself is the creator of              Her website is updated almost daily with         eating were:
foundmyfitness.com, Dr. Rhonda                  new and interesting facts, but five things         • Lower body fat
Patrick. Running her own website,               tend to be brought up more than others.            • Lower inflammation
blog, Twitter and Instagram accounts,           These include the following:                       • Better motor co-ordination
Dr. Patrick is starting to amass a large                                                           • Better glucose tolerance,
group of followers. Her methods and             1. Cutting Out Refined Sugars                         and less leptin resistance
suggestions are straightforward, acces-         & Refined Carbohydrates                            • Healthier liver blood tests
sible, and her frequent guest appear-           She maintains that one dietary change
ances on the Joe Rogan Experience               that would make the biggest improve-             Time Restricted Feeding Benefits
and other popular podcasts, ensure her          ment would be to cut out all refined             in Humans
video clips receive millions of views.          sugars. Regular consumption of refined
                                                sugar can lead to plenty of negative             A 2018 human study did a 5-week
A dietary and fitness page, foundmyfitness      health consequences, including:                  time restricted diet for eight men with
is dedicated to nuanced nutritional ap-           • Weight gain                                  pre-diabetes. The men either had a
proaches to maintaining healthy lifestyles.       • Type 2 diabetes                              6-hour eating window, or a 12-hour eating
Dr. Patrick has a PhD from the University of      • Atherosclerosis                              window. After 5 weeks, each of the men
Tennessee, and did her graduate research          • Accelerated aging                            switched over to do 5 weeks of the oppo-
at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital                                                         site time frame. The 6-hour eating window
where she investigated the link between         One study found that the standard                achieved some beneficial results:
mitochondrial metabolism, apoptosis,            20-ounce serving of soda, consumed                  • Improved insulin sensitivity
and cancer—coupled with her personal            daily, resulted in telomere (the nucleotides        • Decreased blood pressure
nutritional experiments on herself and in the   at the end of each chromosomes) aging               • Decreased oxidative stress
home. Her detailed accounts of her daily        of approximately four years.
routines and habits are well documented                                                          A 10-hour eating window starts when you
on social media and online platforms.           2. Time Restricted Feeding                       put anything into your system that isn’t
                                                Overview                                         water—this includes coffee. Food and
                                                                                                                                                FOUNDMYFITNESS.COM

Through her Twitter account, she engages        Time restricted feeding is the scientific term   the caffeine in coffee activate metabolic
the public on topics including the role that    used by Satchin Panda and his team at            enzymes in your liver and gut, and those
micronutrient deficiencies play in diseases     the Salk Institute, an institution Dr. Patrick   enzymes abide to a natural clock. Be-
of aging, genetics and their determining        is involved with. Their work has revealed        cause humans are diurnal and most active
factor in a vast number of things. These        health benefits using time restricted feeding    during the day, our evolution has caused

6   PROFITABLE PRACTICE
Dr. George Christodoulou Of Altima Dental
us to have cells that are organized for the        Examples of genes that are noteworthy for
approximate 12 hours of daylight.                  our dietary choices include:                                     SULFORAPHANE
                                                     • MTHFR—affects folic acid synthesis
                                                                                                                    • Sulforaphane has been shown to:
Eating within the 12-hour clock, our bod-            • PPAR alpha—affects fatty acid me-
                                                                                                                      » Target cancer cells while protecting
ies metabolize glucose, amino acids, fatty             tabolism, particularly good to know if
                                                                                                                        healthy cells
acids properly; however, past that 12-hour             you’re embarking on a high-fat diet
                                                     • FTO—certain variants predispose                                » Kill breast cancer cells, cervical cancer
clock our metabolism in general no longer
                                                                                                                        cells, liver cancer cells, prostate cancer
works optimally. Insulin sensitivity increas-          individuals to obesity in the context of
                                                                                                                        cells, and colorectal cancer cells in
es, and the body starts to store the fatty             a diet high in saturated fats, and low
                                                                                                                        clinical studies
acids, rather than using them for fuel.                in polyunsaturated fats
                                                                                                                      » Prohibit the growth of cancer cells while
                                                                                                                        encouraging the growth of healthy cells
3. Sulforaphane                                    The evolutionary quality of our personal
                                                                                                                      » Inhibit skin cancer and bladder cancer
Dr. Patrick is a proponent of sulforaphane,        genetic identity is not always perfect and
                                                                                                                        development in mice studies
a compound found in brassica vegetables            could lead to potential pitfalls in our genetic
                                                                                                                      » Increase the efficacy of anti-cancer
(broccoli, Brussels sprouts). It encourages        make-up. The ancestral eating habits are in
                                                                                                                        drugs (meaning a lower dose can be
the expression of a host of cell protective        some ways what define our personal eating
                                                                                                                        used).
genes. She takes sulforaphane in the form          habits now, so knowing the information
of broccoli sprouts added to her smooth-           locked in our DNA allows us to become                            • Sulforaphane helps fight obesity by
ies 2 to 3 times per week.                         pro-active. You can find the test kits on                          changing energy consumption in the
                                                   sites like 23andme.com, ancestry.ca,                               body and by improving gut flora.

4. Micronutrient Rich Smoothies                    and foundmyfitness.com.                                          • A special protein called Nrf2 lives in
She highly recommends nutrient consump-                                                                               every cell of the body. When activated
tion through smoothies, which she believes         Readers can find on foundmyfitness.                                (by stress), it binds to ARE (Antiox-
are great way to consume considerable              com Dr. Patrick’s various social media                             idant Response Element), which is
                                                   accounts including her YouTube channel,                            the switch that controls antioxidant
amounts of vegetables quickly and effi-
                                                                                                                      production in the body. So when Nrf2/
ciently. The main two things you’re getting        Twitter, Instagram, and other content
                                                                                                                      ARE activates, your body starts mak-
with fruit and vegetable smoothies are:            such as podcasts, her published articles,
                                                                                                                      ing glutathione and other antioxidants.
   • Large amounts of what are called              recipes, and links to recent news articles
                                                                                                                      This reduces inflammation and helps
     ‘essential micronutrients’, vitamins          relating to familiar topics. Dr. Patrick often                     the body protect against disease.
     and minerals your body can’t create           answers questions posted on her website,
                                                   where debate, anecdotes and positive                             • Supports the liver by reducing oxida-
     from other foods. Without these
                                                                                                                      tive stress. It also may improve alcohol
     nutrients your body and health would          responses are welcome.
                                                                                                                      tolerance and reduce the negative ef-
     decline and fail.                                                                                                fects of alcohol by inducing aldehyde
   • Prebiotics, these are non-digestible          BOTTOM LINE: This is a review                                      dehydroenases.
     plant fibres that are consumed by             of Dr. Rhonda Patrick's website and
                                                   blog in which she shares her thoughts                            • Sulforaphane activates heat-shock
     “good bacteria”. Evidence dictates
                                                                                                                      proteins in the body, especially HSP27.
     that maintaining healthy gut bacteria         and research regarding nutrition and
                                                                                                                      Heat-shock proteins may help slow
     is important to good health both              lifestyle changes.
                                                                                                                      aging and improve brain function.
     mentally and physically.
                                                                                                                    • Sauna use also activates heat-shock
                                                   Sources:                                                           proteins but eating broccoli sprouts
5. Nutrigenomics                                   Alex. (2018, May 12). Dr Rhonda Patrick Diet – What, Why &
                                                                                                                      is a good way to up levels of these
Dr. Patrick is an advocate of nutrigenomics,       How She Eats – 2018 Update. via fastlifehacks.com.
                                                                                                                      proteins without the heat.
the notion that patterns in our DNA explain        Leung, C. W., Laraia, B. A., Needham, B. L., Rehkopf, D. H.,
                                                   Adler, N. E., Lin, J., Blackburn, E. H., … Epel, E. S. (2014).
how we handle certain foods in our diet,           Soda and cell aging: associations between sugar-sweetened
and the possible negative outcomes of              beverage consumption and leukocyte telomere length in healthy
                                                                                                                    Source: Wells, Kelly. (2018, August 21). Sulforaphane
                                                   adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination
our eating habits.                                 Surveys. American journal of public health, 104(12), 2425-31.
                                                                                                                    Benefits: How It Slows Aging, Fights Cancer & More.
                                                                                                                    via wellnessmama.com

                            One of Dr. Patrick’s Smoothies

                            Kale (8 leaves)            Apple (1)                                                                               Graham Ruddy
                            Rainbow chard              Frozen organic blueberries (1-2 cups)                                                   Graham Ruddy is
                            (2 leaves and stems)       Avocado (1)                                                                             Profitable Practice’s
                            Spinach (2 cups)                                                                                                   editor’s assistant,
                                                       Banana (1)                                                                              illustrator and pho-
                            Carrot (1 large)           Unsweetened flax milk (3 cups or 710 ml)                                                tographer. He writes
                            Tomato (1)                 1 tall shot glass of flaxseed (optional)                                                and reports for the
                                                                                                                                               magazine regularly.

                                                                                                                                             PROFITABLE PRACTICE            7
Dr. George Christodoulou Of Altima Dental
| INVESTMENT

When Does Diversification Become Diworsification?
BY MILAN SOMBORAC

                                                                            ETF

G
        overnments rarely bestow great gifts upon savers and investors. Here is one. In 2005, the Canada
        Revenue Agency eliminated foreign content restrictions fully allowing Canadians to invest outside
        Canada in all their registered portfolios (RRSPs, RRIFs, TFSAs and RESPs). Savers taking full ad-
vantage of that gift and investing in the entire U.S. market by buying an exchange-traded fund (ETF), which
mirrors the S&P 500 have done much better than they would have while the restrictions were in place.

In figure 1, the heavier, dark green line   The lighter, purple line shows the de-      buying such an ETF versus buying an ETF
shows the decade-long performance of        cade-long performance of a Canadian         such as the MSCI EAFE, which mirrors
any U.S. index ETF which tracks the S&P     index ETF, which tracks the Toronto         the economy of other developed markets.
500, a good proxy for the entire American   Stock Exchange. This is the S&P/TSX 60      They wonder which is the better way to go.
economy, the strongest economy in histo-    Index (Symbol XIU).
ry. Examples are the S&P 500 ETF (symbol                                                One way in which we can predict the mar-
SPY), Vanguard S&P 500 (symbol VOO)         Recently, investors have raised the issue   ket direction is to look at its past direction,
and the iShares S&P 500 (symbol IVV).       of investing in the U.S. economy alone by   unreliable as that method is. (We would be

8   PROFITABLE PRACTICE
Dr. George Christodoulou Of Altima Dental
Figure 1

                            Canadian index ETF                                 U.S. index ETF
                                                                         Source: Toronto Dominion Bank’s WebBroker, RESEARCH tab. Used with permission.

hard-pressed to find a better way. None      for growing savings and is likely to remain          language is a living thing. Someday, we
work all the time.) That approach has        so for many years. That is based on the              will find the word there.)
been used as an analogy to driving a car     last decade. Going further back, Canadian
by looking at the rear-view mirror. Using    and American markets have alternated in              Searching for stock market wisdom, many
that method, we can see that the S&P         performance with one growing faster than             look at what investing legends are doing.
500 has outperformed European markets,       the other, decade by decade. So, what                Both Jack Bogle and Warren Buffet are
emerging markets and the Japanese            does the future look like?                           betting heavily on a positive economic
market over the last decade. As we have                                                           future for America. You might be aware of
previously shown, globally, over more than   The makeup of the Canadian and U.S.                  the fact that Buffett wants 90 per cent of
100 years, stocks have been the best         equity markets differs significantly.                his estate to be invested in an ETF which
place to invest savings.                     The U.S. market is based on a widely                 mirrors the S&P 500 and the remaining 10
                                             diversified economy with companies in                per cent in fixed income securities.
Figure 2                                     every sector in existence. Many suc-
                                             cessful investors see the U.S. market as             Could any of us do better?
                                             presenting adequate diversification.
                                                                                                  BOTTOM LINE: Dr. Somborac,
                                             On the other hand, the Canadian equity               a regular contributor to Profitable
                                             market is concentrated on financials and             Practice, continues to give readers his
                                             resources (oil, gas, mining). Resources              market investment analyses, this time
                                             go through extended boom and bust su-                through the explanation of the terms
                                             percycles (four since 1900). We are in the           diversification and diworsification.
                                             midst of a downswing phase, which will
                                             hold back growth of the Canadian equity
                                             market for an unpredictable period.
                                                                                                                             Dr. Milan Somborac
                                             Will a portfolio based on the U.S. econo-                                     In December of 2017,
                                             my alone do as well in the coming years?                                      Dr. Somborac launched the
                                                                                                                           Monday Morning Millionaire
                                             How should investors position their port-                                     Program. Consulting with
                                             folios for the best future results?                                           four self-made multimillion-
                  . Used with permission.                                                                                  aires one of whom advises
                                             Investing in a U.S. index ETF, which tracks                                   a $4 billion U.S. County
As the chart above shows, based on the       the S&P 500, is a method of diversifica-                                      pension fund, the program
                                                                                                  offers investment opinions. Entering email addresses
last decade, a U.S. index ETF which tracks   tion. Investing in multiple markets is seen
                                                                                                  as indicated on the website gives subscribers free
the S&P 500, held in a tax-advantaged        by some as diworsification. (That word               investment information. For more information go to:
account, has been the investor’s best way    has not entered the dictionary yet but a             mondaymorningmillionaire.com.

                                                                                                                           PROFITABLE PRACTICE            9
Dr. George Christodoulou Of Altima Dental
| MARKETING

Social Media Tips Every Health Care Practice Should Know
BY NATALIA DECIUS

I
  t is no secret that social media can have a great impact on your online
  presence and can contribute to the growth of your practice. The trick
  to making it work for you is to invest in it. This means hiring a digital
marketing expert—a professional who will work with you to seamlessly
develop a plan that can be adapted along the way.

Social media is the fastest and most             free, and it is, for the very basics at least.
cost-effective way to reach new audiences        But, as with everything, you get out what
and potential patients. Statistics show that     you put in. Bottom line here? Invest in paid
71 per cent of consumers who have had a          promotion. Paid promotion allows you
good social media experience with a brand        to be very specific about your goals and
are likely to recommend it to others. Think      target audience. It is message oriented
about that. If you can appeal to people on       and will focus on engagement, which in
social media, you will reap ancillary “friends   this case means comments, shares, or
and family” benefits, much in the same           driving traffic to your website to check out
way you do when you encourage patient            your services.
recommendations—except this method of                                                             #8 - PARTNER WITH A LOCAL
sharing is a lot easier.                         #3 - GOOGLE ANALYTICS – Set up                   BUSINESS – Consider partnering with
                                                 a Google analytics account to help you           another local business to cross-promote
When clients ask me what primary social          measure your efforts. Use the new social         your services. How about a Facebook
media platforms I recommend for health           reporting features to help you measure the       live session where you interview one
care professionals, I tell them my go-to         results of your marketing campaign.              another? This will help grow both of your
channels are Facebook and Instagram.                                                              business audiences.
Facebook is a major online influencer, and       #4 - CONTENT PLANNING – Brands that
Instagram is the top social media platform       are successful on social media plan their        #9 - HIGHLIGHT A MISTAKE –
designed for engagement.                         content ahead of time and adapt as nec-          Showcase a common myth or mistake
                                                 essary. Creating a content calendar makes        that people might not be aware of. Talk
Change And Social Media                          it easy to map out what will be published        about its impact, and offer suggestions
                                                 to your channels as well as when.                for changes that should be made.
One very important thing to note about
social media is that it is always changing,      #5 - WEBSITE IMPLEMENTATION –                    Running a busy practice likely doesn’t
with new trends, methods, and platforms.         You’ve already got social icons and links        allow for extra time to produce social
Here are some helpful tips on how to             on your website. Add easy to implement           media that’s savvy and works for you.
maximize your social media presence.             social share features, and make your             It’s worth your time and money to invest
                                                 content more popular by including the            in a digital marketing expert who can
#1 - STOP BUYING FAKE FOLLOWERS                  Facebook "like" feature.                         take your social media game to the next
– Yes, I just screamed that in all-caps. Fake                                                     level—and help your practice grow.
followers are not an effective use of your       #6 - GO BEHIND THE SCENES – People
money. They don't have any positive impact       like to look at images and know what's           BOTTOM LINE: This column pro-
on your brand or the growth of your prac-        new and happening now. Give your follow-         vides marketing tips and insights that
tice. As a health practitioner, you provide      ers a glimpse of what goes on inside your        suit today’s social media focus.
services to your local area. Having followers    office by sharing office and team news.
from 100 kilometers away follow or like
                                                                                                                      Natalia Decius
your post is not going to translate into new     #7 - TAKE HOME ADVICE – Share                                        Natalia Decius is the
patients. Don't make growing your audi-          useful tips that your followers can apply                            founder of Vitamin D
ence the primary focus. Make it more about       at home. Trust me, your patients want                                Marketing & Design. She
engagement and interaction with the pool         expert “insider” advice. It saves them                               works with small and me-
                                                                                                                      dium size businesses to
of people who are already your followers.        time and they will appreciate you not al-
                                                                                                                      help them increase reve-
                                                 ways “selling” them something. They are                              nue and grow. She can be
#2 PROMOTIONS AND ADS – Most                     also very likely to share it with family and                         reached at 416.875.7293
people think social media marketing is           friends with similar interests.                  or natalia@vitamindmarketing.com.

10   PROFITABLE PRACTICE
FEATURE INTERVIEW |

                        Dr. George Christodoulou: Co-founder Altima Dental
                        WITH JAMES RUDDY

                                                                                                                   "Things like human
                                                                                                                   resources, accounting,
                                                                                                                   marketing and legal
                                                                                                                   concerns are no longer
                                                                                                                   the dentists' concerns,
                                                                                                                   which allows more time
                                                                                                                   for continuing educa-
                                                                                                                   tion, family and other
                                                                                                                   personal interests."

                                                                                                                   ~ DR. GEORGE
                           Dr. Sven Grail and Dr. Christodoulou—co-founders of Altima Dental                         CHRISTODOULOU

                        T
                              here has been much discussion about the percentage of dental service provided by a corporate
                              model of dentistry in Canada. Altima Dental was founded in 1993 by two dentists, Dr. Sven Grail and
                              Dr. George Christodoulou. Altima and its partner locations now number over 80 clinics that provide
                        dental care across Canada. Dr. Christodoulou was kind enough to allow us an interview at his cottage.

                        When did you first know you wanted            is a sense of comradeship when working       Altima is different from other DSOs.
                        to be a dentist and what influenced           with like-minded professionals on a daily    As mentioned, unlike other DSOs we
                        your decision to do so?                       basis and sharing their experiences.         are led by dentists and our model is to
                                                                      There is time for professional develop-      partner with dentists. Unlike some of
                        Grade 11. I liked biology, the sciences       ment and further sharing of knowledge        the smaller DSOs we are also very well
                        and working with my hands. I knew it          and experiences. There is increased          financed. We are backed by Sentinel
                        was going to be in the sciences or engi-      quality of life. Most of the business        Capital Partners and Antares Capital,
                        neering and dentistry in the end seemed       functions are centralized and managed        which are both multi-billion dollar funds.
                        the most likely career choice.                by people who have trained in the            Altima is Sentinel’s sixth major invest-
                                                                      specific business field. Things like hu-     ment in the DSO market, so we are
                        From your standpoint, what are the            man resources, accounting, marketing         working with investors and bankers who
                        major benefits of providing dental            and legal challenges are no longer the       understand the nuances of health care
                        care using the Altima corporate model         dentists’ concerns, which allows more        delivery. Lastly, unlike other DSOs,
                        of dentistry?                                 time for continuing education, family and    Altima started in 1993 and Sven and I
                                                                      other personal interests.                    have twenty-five years of experience.
                        Firstly I would like to define Altima’s
                        model as a large-group-practice model         To be clear, not all DSOs are the same.      Are there any drawbacks to your
                        with operatories throughout the country.      In our model, the individual dentist’s       model?
                        Sven and I are dentists and we built          hours can be adjusted to more closely
                        Altima from and for a dental practi-          correlate with that individual’s lifestyle   No drawbacks. You just need to be a
                        tioner’s point of view. Today groups with     needs. With regard to patient care, the      team player.
ALTIMA DENTAL WEBSITE

                        similar models are called Dental Service      group practice model allows patients
                        Organizations (DSO).                          to choose convenient times enabling          There are a lot of discrepancies and
                                                                      easier access to dental care. In addition,   disagreements when it comes to re-
                        The benefits of working in an Altima          patients are in a familiar location should   porting and assessing the percentage
                        group practice are numerous. First there      a specialist be required.                    of dental service in Canada provided

                                                                                                                                    PROFITABLE PRACTICE   11
"These days I spend a great deal
     of time identifying doctors and
     teams we want to affiliate with
     and discussing with them the
     benefits of joining Altima ... "

              Teamwork
by the corporate model of dentistry.         people through our University of Toronto      BOTTOM LINE: Dr. Christodoulou
Where would you put that percentage?         Fund aimed at this goal.                      is a major player in the Large-Group
                                                                                           Practice model of dentistry in Canada.
My estimate for the U.S. would be 10 to      Personally                                    In this interview he reveals how Altima
15 per cent. For Canada, my estimate         I like to spend time with my wife and boys    Dental is different from other models
would be 5 per cent and rising quickly.      travelling, going to sporting events and      that provide dental services.
                                             coming to the cottage where we all are now.
Briefly describe a typical day for you
at the Altima office.                        Where do you see yourself in five
                                             years?
These days I spend a great deal of my
time identifying doctors and teams we        Doing all that I do now—but being better
want to affiliate with and discussing with   at it. Continuing to travel somewhere
them the benefits of joining Altima. How-    every month.
ever, I still spend time with operations,
marketing, and CE development.               Any regrets or any final thoughts to
                                             share with our readers?
What gives you satisfaction—                                                                                      Dr. George
professionally and personally?               I really have no regrets. I have been                                Christodoulou
                                                                                                                  Dr. George Christodoulou
                                             lucky enough to be able to spend a lot of                            is the co-founder of Altima
Professionally                               time with the family when the boys were                              Dental that provides (with
I am satisfied when I see a very well run    growing up. Thankfully, over the years                               its dental partners) dental
group practice that provides great patient   both Sven and I were able to spend                                   care in over 80 clinics
care. Our aim is to build a lasting orga-    quality time with our families in various                            across Canada. He has
                                                                                                                  done extensive charitable
nization and house upward of 150 to          capacities. Now that the boys and girls       and voluntary service and has established the
200 dental clinics. I want to continue to    are off and started on their own careers,     Altima Dental Student Service Centre and the
expand access to dental care for more        we have more time to do other things.         Access to Care Fund at the University of Toronto.

12    PROFITABLE PRACTICE
PRACTICE SALES AND APPRAISALS |

Don’t Shortchange Yourself As A Vendor
BY PASCALE GUILLON

I
  ’ve always found that telling dentists how I helped their colleagues to retire reassures them that there is
  a way to get there that isn’t so daunting and stressful. All of my clients have found that the key is the un-
  limited support, consistent guidance and sounding board they have available to them that gives them the
confidence to ask for what they want and obtain it with dignity.

Honouring The Legacy That You Built            cided to list at a price below our appraised    was lower) and the offer included the
In Your Practice                               value to increase his odds of selling.          terms my client was looking for. We closed
                                                                                               successfully shortly after. My client felt the
I took over the listing of a dentist who had   I went through my process of listing and        hard work he had invested in his practice
tried to sell previously without success. He   presenting his practice. Four weeks later,      over many years was acknowledged and
came to me desperate after over a year of      we had a buyer make an offer for the ap-        honoured and he was able to take his
trying to sell. He was discouraged and de-     praised price (not the asking price which       retirement with dignity and on his terms.

                                                                                                                 PROFITABLE PRACTICE     13
The buyer understood the legacy he was          other prospective buyers? With only one         sale of his practice and his building. Within
acquiring in this dental practice.              buyer in the running, you may start the ne-     four months, we had listed and sold his
                                                gotiation process with an initial value and,    practice at slightly above his asking price
The Approach You Take Makes All The             following due diligence and negotiations,       and his building at the appraised value. He
Difference                                      end up selling at a lower final price. Why      plans to continue working in his practice
                                                not? The purchaser knows he’s the only          for as long as his health permits. He set
A client approached me and asked me             one in the running.                             himself up to choose, get paid upfront and
to complete an appraisal of his practice                                                        continue working post sale with a two-
because he was prepared to sell it. We          Think about my client’s story I just de-        year commitment and no penalties.
completed the appraisal and discussed           scribed. If a buyer is the only one making
listing his practice. Like any seller, he was   an offer and has no competition, what           Let me be clear: through my work, I have
looking for the best price with the most        motivates him/her to present a good             had the privilege of meeting some truly
favourable terms. While he was explor-          offer? One of the key benefits of working       fantastic purchasers including corporate
ing his sales options, he met a potential
purchaser on his own and started the                What leverage do you have as a vender to
negotiation process.
                                                    motivate the buyer to work diligently toward a
During this negotiation process, I found            close if there is no expiry date to their intent?
out about this purchaser when I received
a call from a bank requesting permission        with more than one purchaser, as we see         investor groups who are honourable and
to use our appraisal to approve financing.      in the real estate market, is the possi-        understand the value of a dental practice;
About three weeks later, I received a call      bility of finding the most suitable buyer       they have a sincere desire to be fair and
from another bank for the same request          who is offering the price and terms that        transparent with vendors.
and thought perhaps my client’s buyer was       most closely match those of the vendor.
having difficulty obtaining the financing.      Another issue with Letters of Intent is         As a vendor you should expect to receive
I then presented the appraisal to one of        that they are not offers; they are typically    the best offer that meets your goals, hon-
my purchasers whose profile fit nicely with     non-binding legally and may have no             ours the legacy you have built, pays you
this type of practice. My purchaser came        clear date or milestone after which the         your full asking price on closing and gives
back with an offer and I presented it to        vendor can walk away. What leverage             you the choice to stay if you're still up for
my client. The deal in the meantime had         do you have as a vendor to motivate the         it. Why would you accept anything less for
been approved and the transaction sealed;       buyer to work diligently toward a close if      yourself?
sadly, my client discovered he had accept-      there is no expiry date to their intent? You
ed to sell at 22 per cent less than what        are at the mercy of their schedule and          BOTTOM LINE: This column
my buyer was prepared to pay. Lesson            negotiation skills and they are typically       provides insights regarding selling a
learned: my client was very disappointed        very experienced at these things because        dental practice without the use of a
to find out how much he left on the table       they work with advisors.                        practice sales representative/broker.
by not working with us and is now clear on                                                      There are challenges and pitfalls to be
the value a committed broker can add to a       It is also becoming common practice for         dealt with in taking this route.
transaction. Even net of commissions, he        some corporate investor groups to lock
would have had close to 13 per cent more        vendors into a minimum transition period
in his pocket and been able to negotiate        of up to five (5) years and penalize them
more favourable terms.                          financially if they stop working before.
                                                So, what happens if you, the vendor falls
Corporate Purchasers                            ill? What if your spouse falls ill and needs
                                                full-time care at home? How much less of
Lately, I’ve been hearing that some             your initial agreed price might you actually
corporate investor groups are approach-         end up getting paid for at the end of it all?
ing vendors and presenting non-binding          Why not walk away with all of the money
Letters of Intent instead of signed offers.     up front?
As a broker, this is very troubling. Here
                                                                                                                     Pascale Guillon
are several important things to consider        Do You Want To Have A Choice?                                        Pascale Guillon is a
with this approach. These prospective                                                                                veteran sales representa-
corporate investors ‘lock’ vendors into         I completed the appraisal for a dentist                              tive for ROI Corporation,
this Letter of Intent which prevents the                                                                             Brokerage with many
                                                who wanted to divest from ownership but
                                                                                                                     years of experience. She
seller from considering solid and signed        continue practising dentistry. After two un-                         can be reached at 514.
offers; as a vendor, what other offers are      successful attempts at selling his practice                          923.9181or pascale@
you missing out on by not entertaining any      on his own, he called me to broker the                               roicorp.com.

14   PROFITABLE PRACTICE
FEATURE INTERVIEW |

Ainslie Willock, Campaign Manager
—No Pets In Research: Animal Alliance Of Canada
WITH KAREN HENDERSON

                                                                                           “Originally the Toronto
                                                                                           Humane Society repre-
                                                                                           sented both human and
                                                                                           non-human animals; they
                                                                                           supported any living being
                                                                                           in need, including shop
                                                                                           girls who needed a stool
                                                                                           for their job at Eaton’s or
                                                                                           Simpson’s, and horses
                                                                                           that needed adequate wa-
                                                                                           ter when pulling carriages
                                                                                           in the streets.”

                                                                                           ~ AINSLIE WILLOCK

A
        inslie has been an animal            my animal advocacy career. The project        shop girls who needed a stool for their job
        rights advocate for 35               revolved around the seal hunt and the         at Eaton’s or Simpson’s, and horses that
        years; I caught up with              ban on the importation of white coat seal     needed adequate water when pulling car-
                                             pelts into Europe. From here I went to the    riages in the streets. The THS then altered
her in Toronto, ON.
                                             Animal Protection Institute, now called the   its policies that mandated supporting and
Ainslie, please tell us what you studied     Born Free Foundation. One issue I worked      advocating mainly for cats and dogs. This
at university.                               on there concerned ring-billed gulls. The     changed again in the mid 1980s when I
                                             water level in the Great Lakes was so high,   was in charge of their fur campaign, which
I attended the University of Waterloo        that some of the birds were nesting in the    educated against the trapping and raising
where I graduated with an Honours            trees as many of their nesting areas were     of animals for their fur. Ultimately in 1990
degree in Environmental Studies; the         underwater, leading some people to be-        a number of us formed the Animal Alliance
program was called Man and Environment.      lieve that the bird population had exploded   of Canada to advocate on behalf of all
The program was quite new at the time,       and that the birds should be culled. In       animals and the environment.
and was basically a multidisciplinary        the end, no action was taken against the
approach to problem solving—which is         birds, as our campaign showed that the        I must admit I have not heard of the
basically what I do! I didn’t know at the    birds were forced to nest in the trees for    Alliance.
time that I would be working on animal       their survival.
rights issues, but the choice was a                                                        Animal Alliance is a federally incorporated
good one.                                    So far, you have worked with wildlife.        non-profit organization with a federally
                                             When did you become involved with             registered animal protection party; this is
What did you do when you finished            the rights of domestic pets?                  critical, because you can only mandate
university?                                                                                change for animals through legislation.
                                             I joined the Toronto Humane Society (THS)     We have the only federal political party
Well, I opened up the Globe and Mail,        when it was celebrating its 100th anniver-    for animals and the environment called
and saw a job for project coordinator with   sary. Originally the THS represented both     the Animal Protection Party of Canada.
the International Fund for Animal Wel-       human and non-human animals; they sup-        So we will be very active in next year’s
fare. I applied, got the job and so began    ported any living being in need, including    federal election.
                                                                                                             PROFITABLE PRACTICE    15
How are you funded?                            As a long time pet owner, I am              Royal to the pound. The woman who
                                               ashamed to admit I had no idea that         found him said she was willing to adopt
Animal Alliance derives the vast majority      Ontario had such a law.                     him. Royal was wearing tags, and was
of its funding from individual support-                                                    obviously well cared for. However, al-
ers. We do not receive any government          You are not alone—the majority of pet       most immediately Royal was taken with
funding and only occasionally do we            owners in Ontario don't know about this     another dog in a truck to the U
                                                                                                                         ­ niversity
receive grants from other organizations.       law and the researchers like it this way.   of Guelph. The university did not check
The Animal Protection Party of Canada          Under Ontario’s Animals for Research        to see if Royal had been held for 72
can only accept donations from individual
Canadians. This is true for all the federal       Ontario is also the only province where the law
political parties.
                                                  states that if a lost pet is not claimed within 72
Tell us about the No Pets in Research             hours, the municipality has the right to allow
campaign.
                                                  three things: the pet can go back to its owner,
When the Animal Alliance of Canada was            it can be adopted or it can be sold to research.
first formed in 1990, one of the issues that
it had been involved in was that of using      Act, it costs $6.00 for a dog and $2.00     hours; instead, they thought he was too
pets for research. At that time the campaign   for a cat for researchers to buy an         old for their needs and Royal was euth-
was called Pound Seizure, but as you can       animal from a pound or shelter. Re-         anized—within a few hours of being lost.
imagine this name was difficult for people     searchers can requisition a certain type/   Laurie frantically searched for ­Royal,
to understand, so the name was changed         size of cat or dog—they usually want        and only found out what happened to
to No Pets in Research. Ontario is the only    a well-mannered, well-socialized pet.       him when she came into a pet store,
province that legislates the acquisition of    The Act has been designed to protect        saw a coin box for Animal Alliance of
pet dogs and cats for research. According      the researchers and their interests. The    Canada and called us. We reached out
to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food   moral implications, of course, are huge.    to several other organizations, includ-
and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), between 2012       You, as the owner of a lost pet, only       ing the university and were finally able
and 2016, 12,167 pet dogs and 13,711 pet       have rights for 72 hours following the      to determine what happened to Royal.
cats were sent to research laboratories in     loss of that pet to reclaim it. There are   CBC did a show called No Safe Place in
Ontario. The Ontario Animals For Research      other rules under the Act, but we know      2003, which documented the entire sad
Act governs how pet dogs and cats are          they are not always followed. Let me tell   story. I don’t think Laurie ever recovered
acquired by research facilities in Ontario.    you about a lovely dog named Royal,         from this terrible event.
Ontario is also the only province where the    owned by Laurie Bishop. Somehow
law states that if a lost pet is not claimed   Royal managed to get through the gate       Did anything change as a result of this
within 72 hours, the municipality has the      of her property, and was found by a         seizure and CBC’s coverage?
right to allow three things: the pet can go    woman a few blocks away. Thinking she
back to its owner, it can be adopted or it     was doing the dog a favour, the wom-        Yes, at this point the story of Royal
can be sold to research.                       an called the pound keeper who took         raised awareness, and the number of
                                                                                           pets sold to research continued to drop
                                                                                           quite dramatically. However, in 2012
                                                                                           the numbers started to rise again and
                                                                                           continued to rise, so that is why No
                                                                                           Pets in Research had to be resurrect-
                                                                                           ed. Ontarians need to know that over
                                                                                           4,700 pet cats and dogs are taken by
                                                                                           researchers every year from pounds
                                                                                           across the province. We have tried very
                                                                                           hard, but the OMAFRA refuses to tell the
                                                                                           public which pounds are selling pets to
                                                                                           research. What we were able to find out,
                                                                                           however, is that they increased the way
                                                                                           in which the researchers can acquire
                                                                                           cats and dogs. So instead of it just
                                                                                           sourcing municipal pounds, researchers
                                                                                           can also target rescue organizations,
                                                                                           humane societies and any municipality
                                                                                           that does not have cat or dog bylaws.

16   PROFITABLE PRACTICE
Why don’t Ontarians know what is                researchers are doing. During the June                           able to do all this awareness work thanks
going on?                                       2018 election we met with all the political                      to the support of LUSH Cosmetics, a very
                                                party leaders, and many of their constitu-                       socially conscious company which wants
Ontarians are not allowed to know which         ents and veterinarians in their ridings. To                      to provide protection for animals.
pounds sell to research, which research         thank Ontario's Green Party for having No
facilities use lost pets, and for what          Pets in Research as part of their political                      Over the past few days, I have spoken
purpose. We are not allowed to know             platform, we ran radio ads and can-                              to a few veterinarians and they were
what happens at the research facilities.        vassed voters for their Party Leader, Mike                       not familiar with No Pets in Research.
Everything is designed to protect the
researchers. The only person who has                  We were able to do all this awareness work
the power to protect our pets from re-
searchers is Premier Doug Ford. I think
                                                      thanks to the support of LUSH Cosmetics, a
he has the guts to do something about                 very socially conscious company which wants
this, and I hope he will. But it will help if         to provide protection for animals...We would
Ontarians contact his office and ask him
to amend the Animals for Research Act                 love to speak with any veterinarian who would
to eliminate the use of pets in research.             like more information.
So what is your mandate as campaign             Schreiner, in his Guelph riding. We were                         We are reaching out to the veterinary
manager for No pets in Research?                very active on social media and ran an                           community, as we know that pets are
                                                ad on CBC television, in which we asked                          being used for education and training. We
We do Freedom of Information requests to        viewers from across Canada to contact                            don’t feel that this is necessary in today’s
try and get more information on what the        their premiers about the issue. We were                          world; in fact Harvard Medical School,
                                                                                                                 Johns Hopkins University, MIT and all New
                                                                                                                 York City, Boston and Washington­­-based
                                                                                                                 research institutions do not use pets in
  Nova Scotia Outlaws Cosmetic Surgery On Animals                                                                research. Several countries including Great
  Unless Medically Imperative                                                                                    Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands
  September 24, 2018                                                                                             have prohibited pets in research. And,
                                                                                                                 progressive Canadian cities like Winnipeg,
                                                public hearings to improve transparency.                         Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Oshawa,
                                                No date has been disclosed at this time.                         Clarington and Vancouver have also
                                                                                                                 banned the practice. In Ontario, many cit-
                                                “We know farmers and families are deeply                         ies are defying the law—Ontario’s Animals
                                                committed to the welfare of their livestock                      for Research Act—that mandates the sale
                                                and pets,” said Agriculture Minister Keith
                                                                                                                 of pet cats and dogs to researchers.
                                                Colwell. “Nova Scotians can have confidence
                                                our animal protection is among the best in
                                                                                                                 We would love to speak with any veteri-
                                                the country.”
                                                                                                                 narians who would like more information.
                                                Other changes include updating language
                                                around ‘animal cruelty’ to ‘animal welfare.’                     BOTTOM LINE: This interview
  Nova Scotia has introduced changes to the     This will better reflect the intent of legislation.              sheds light on the cruel practice of
  Animal Protection Act intended to strength-   Animal fighting will also be prohibited and                      using pets for research, something
  en the welfare of livestock and companion     enforceable under the revised Act. These                         most Canadians are unaware of.
  animals in the province.                      amendments are supported by the minister’s
                                                Forum on Animal Welfare, which includes
  The Act—which was introduced Sept. 13,        animal welfare advocates, enforcement
  2018*—is designed to ensure that animal       officials, and other stakeholders.
  welfare inspection and enforcement will be
  stronger by banning cosmetic surgery that     In addition, the Canadian Veterinary Medical
  changes an animal’s appearance unless         Association spoke out against declawing in                                            Ainslie Willock
  medically necessary and carried out by a      2017, and the College of Veterinarians of B.C.                                        Ainslie can be reached
  veterinarian.                                 has banned the practice. Manitoba is consid-                                          through the Animal
                                                ering following suit.                                                                 Alliance of Canada at
  Prohibited procedures include tail docking,                                                                                         416-462-9541. Also visit
                                                *This Act has been passed into law.
  ear cropping, debarking, and declawing.                                                                                             nopetsinresearch.ca
                                                Source: This article is a reprint from the Veterinary Practice
                                                                                                                                      and animalalliance.ca
  The Animal Welfare Appeal Board will hold     News Canada.
                                                                                                                                      for more information.

                                                                                                                                   PROFITABLE PRACTICE      17
| FEATURE INTERVIEW

Dr. Gwen Jeun: President Of The Ontario Veterinary
Medical Association (OVMA)
WITH JAMES RUDDY

                                                                                                “Generally, veterinarians
                                                                                                put clients and patients
                                                                                                before themselves.
                                                                                                We're very dedicated
                                                                                                to the profession and
                                                                                                many of us are perfec-
                                                                                                tionists and therefore
                                                                                                put a lot of pressure on
                                                                                                ourselves.”

                                                                                                ~ GWEN JEUN DVM

     Dr. Gwen Jeun with "Molly", her brother's       Dr. Jeun practises at Emeryville Animal
     20 year old cat                                 Hospital (emeryvilleanimal.com)

P
       rofitable Practice recently had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Gwen Jeun, president of the OVMA and
       longtime associate veterinarian at the Emeryville Animal Hospital. She credits her ability to carry out her
       heavy workload to her colleagues at Emeryville and the staff at the OVMA office. “They have allowed
me so much leeway and support that I am happily able to do what I do and love it.” Dr. Jeun answered the
following questions.

What were the influences or factors              local, provincial and federal levels meant    I can’t speak to this directly—I think
that determined you becoming a                   that our voice was being heard. This was      everyone’s experiences are unique and
veterinarian?                                    a group that I could support wholeheart-      there are many different factors.
                                                 edly. I wanted my colleagues to be aware
I love science and animals and being             of what the OVMA did too.                     Generally, veterinarians put clients and
with people. It was the perfect way to                                                         patients before themselves. We’re very
combine them all.                                The issue of mental health and                dedicated to the profession and many of
                                                 wellness is receiving a lot of media          us are perfectionists and therefore put a
What led you to your present position            attention. There is a need to better          lot of pressure on ourselves. But we can
as president of the Ontario Veterinary           understand mental illness and provide         only put off paying attention to ourselves
Medical Association (OVMA)?                      increased, effective care for those           for so long before the lack of personal
                                                                                                                                            LOUISE SMITH OF LSPHOTO

                                                 who are suffering. In addition, as you        care wears on us mentally or physically.
As the regional representative on the            know, there has been some disturb-
Board, I observed how the OVMA could             ing news regarding veterinarians and          Veterinarians are also faced with trying
develop plans and follow through on ideas        suicide. What are the main factors            to meet both the animal’s need and the
that made veterinarians' lives better. The       that have led to increased incidences         needs and wants of the client, and with
ability to advocate for the profession at the    of suicide by veterinarians?                  social media these days, the will of the

18    PROFITABLE PRACTICE
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