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Canmore – A Healthy Place to Do Business

Looking for a massage therapist? You certainly won’t have trouble finding one in Canmore or even down the road in smaller Banff.

The Bow Valley is also a hub of sorts for doctors and other health and wellness professionals and practitioners. Canmore General Hospital typically has between 35 and 37 doctors with privileges at any one time.

“We are poised to take advantage of the wealth of knowledge and experience in the health & wellness sector in this valley,” states Executive Director of the Canmore Economic Development Authority, Teresa Mullen.

CEDA will be focusing their diversification efforts in the Health & Wellness sector, not only because of the type of employment it creates, but also due to the fit with Canmore’s strongest industry, Tourism.

“Not only does it enhance the tourism products in this area, it fits with Banff, Canmore’s immediate neighbor to the west, providing an overall experience not available anywhere on this planet,” Mullen confirms. And this isn’t going to create jobs typical of resort communities. These are skilled, professional jobs and careers that will enable people to practice their arts and their talents in the community.”

The existing base of medical and health and wellness practitioners says something about Canmore’s potential, says Terry Minger, chairman of Three Sisters Mountain Village Ltd., the large development company that foresees its future Canmore resort centre client base as fairly heavily oriented toward health, wellness, adventure and the great outdoors.

As Minger’s company looks to the future and development of a destination spa, its busy monitoring trends and checking on what services are already available here.

“No smaller community has that type of (doctor) availability, unless it’s a special place where people want to live,” offers Minger.

Martha McCallum doesn’t disagree. As a Canmore master herbalist and iridologist specializing in helping clients deal with emotional stress, she sees a wide range of clients in her practice.

What they have in common, generally, she says, is an open mind about holistic health and often fit the Canmore profile – people seeking a healthy lifestyle.

McCallum is part of a group of roughly 30 practitioners, businesses and organizations in the Bow Valley that shares information about what’s happening in health and wellness locally.

Asked if she sees health and wellness as a growth industry in Canmore, McCallum has no difficulty with her response.

“Yes,” she replies.

She also identifies Canmore as a community with a higher per capita number of health practitioners than most communities.

That’s good news for Minger, whose company will ultimately rely on skilled people to enhance the visitor experience in Canmore.

“I think Canmore’s got a leg up – it’s already got a wealth of talent,” Minger concludes.

The fact such comments come from a man who has worked in high profile positions in places like Vail, Colorado, and Whistler, BC, points to solid growth and business opportunities ahead for skilled health and wellness providers here.