January 30, 2015

WINTER 2015

yourself

reinventing at any age Think you can’t reinvent your life after 50?

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inspirat ion

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Ten local celebs share their motivational advice for 2015

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T H E G O O D L I F E « WINTER 2015

PUBLISHER Mary Kemmis Welcome to the Winter 2015 edition of The Good Life.

Believe it or not, we do get the odd chilly night on the West Coast, where a hot bowl of soup or stew would be invigorating. Turns out that’s a healthy choice.

Bone broth, an old concept, is a hot item right now and is featured in this issue.

We also look at reinventing yourself after age 50, the challenges of finding a family doctor and speak to Richmond’s co-ordinator of senior services.

Also in this issue, look for columns by contributors Christine Blanchette on fitness, Jack Micner on wills and Shaun Rickerby on financial planning strategies.

EDITOR Bhreandáin Clugston CONTRIBUTORS Matthew Hoekstra Martin van den Hemel Don Fennell ADVERTISING Elana Gold Lesley Smith Collin Neal Marshall Mackinder Kimberley Lim Jane Ilott CIRCULATION Kristene Murray Lito Tuazon Roya Sarwary

Here’s to The Good Life!

Front Row | 4 Boomer Power | 8 Fitness Inspiration | 10

PRODUCED BY THE RICHMOND REVIEW #1 - 3671 Viking Way, Richmond, B.C. V6V 2J5 604-247-3700 RichmondReview.com

New Look for Minoru Park | 12 From the Stock Pots of Time | 16 Reinventing Yourself at Any Age | 20 A Doctor for You | 24 The Mediterranean Zone | 26 Where There’s a Will... | 28 RSPs vs. TFSAs | 30 WINTER 2015 « T H E G O O D L I F E

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front row A guide to what’s going on in Richmond this season.

Valley Song - Feb. 5 to 21, Gateway Theatre ATHOL FUGARD’S two-actor, three-character play is as much about a young girl’s desire to explore new opportunities as it is a statement on the country in which it’s set.

In post-apartheid South Africa, a 76-year-old grandfather is holding fast to the land he’s tilled for years, while 17-year-old granddaughter Veronica dreams of singing and acting on the big stages of Johannesburg. Fugard, a prolific South African playwright, wrote the script after the late Nelson Mandela was elected over the country’s longtime apartheid government.

Valley Song offers a touching story on a relationship between a man and his granddaughter, while also delivering a statement on a country that’s moving ahead with democracy.

Mandela’s recent death makes Fugard’s 20-year-old play poignant.

David Adams and Sereana Malani star in Gateway Theatre’s production of Valley Song. David Cooper photo David Adams and Sereana Malani star, while Jovanni Sy, Gateway’s artistic director, directs what is the Minoru Park playhouse’s fourth show of the season.

Sy saw Fugard perform in the play 20 years ago in Toronto.

It was a memorable experience. Said Sy: “Fugard is one of my playwriting heroes—an author with an extraordinary gift for storytelling and a ferocious passion for social justice. His writing helped to change the course of his country.”

Tickets, $20 to $45, at gatewaytheatre.com or 604-270-1812.

Gateway Theatre: 6500 Gilbert Rd.

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T H E G O O D L I F E « WINTER 2015

f

Jeremy Hof’s Fluorescent Ring on Purple. Acrylic on panel.

Close Listening - Jan. 31 to March 29, Richmond Art Gallery IF ABSTRACTION HAS boundaries, four painters are determined the break them.

Monique Mouton’s untitled work. Oil on panel.

SWIMMING – a great total body workout!

Organized by the Ottawa Art Gallery, this new art exhibition showcases paintings created through non-traditional techniques: assemblage, sculpture, video and installation. In short, this exhibition challenges the very definition of painting.

Eli Bornowsky, Jeremy Hof, Monique Mouton and Jinny Yu are all featured in this two-month show inside the gallery’s Richmond Cultural Centre space.

Their works are said to create a sense that shapes hover— that their “colours tremble and disperse into subsonic waves as they travel back and forth between visual nuances and audible subtleties.� There’s more. These paintings “speak on a higher level of painterly consciousness.� Quite the statements for a relatively small exhibition of four artists’ work that no doubt will be worth exploring.

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front row

(continued) Terry Fator - March 13, River Rock Show Theatre SURE WE CAN all do impersonations. Badly. Fator, the entertainer from Las Vegas, has mastered more than 100 impersonations—with puppets.

He was noticed, just a bit, in 2007 when he won the title of Best New Act in America on Season 2 of the NBC series America’s Got Talent. Vegas came calling, and born was the show Terry Fator: The VOICE of Entertainment at the Mirage, where earlier this year he celebrated his fifth anniversary.

As a ventriloquist, Fator has a vast repertoire of musical impersonations, including Cher, Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Adele, Justin Timberlake and Justin Bieber. In addition to his live shows, he has made numerous TV appearances and released the multi-platinum selling DVD, Terry Fator: Live From Las Vegas. Among his cast of characters: Winston the Impersonating Turtle, Maynard Tompkins and the Elvis impersonator. There’s also the always-texting 12-year-old girl, the annoying neighbour and the lounge singer.

Tickets start at $79.50 at ticketmaster.ca or 1-855-985-5000.

River Rock: 8811 River Rd.

Olivia Cho is one of the featured young musicians at the Richmond Orchestra’s Rising Stars concert.

Rising Stars - Feb. 21, Richmond Pentecostal Church THE MASTERFUL MUSICIANS of the Richmond Orchestra and Chorus Association will again present what has become a popular concert on the group’s season schedule. Rising Stars is a Richmond Orchestra-led concert that also features a handful of young local talents.

This year several top prize winners of last fall’s Richmond Music Festival will join the seasoned pros on stage. Cellist Olivia Cho will join pianists Eric Xi Xing Liang, Athena Deng and Maria Orlenko in performing with the orchestra.

All the performers—despite their young ages—already have long lists of accomplishments and long histories in music. Take Cho, for example. The young cellist began playing the instrument at age five under the tutelage of Joseph Elworthy. By age 14, she had placed first in the 2013 Canadian Music Competition and won the top prize at the Vancouver Academy of Music’s Edith Lando Gifted Youth Competition, among other accolades. Last year she performed on the Orpheum stage as a soloist with the academy’s symphony orchestra.

In her spare time? She performs at church and seniors homes.

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T H E G O O D L I F E « WINTER 2015

Terry Fator gets laughs from audiences with a deep roster of puppets.

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boomer power Eva Busich-Veloso, co-ordinator of senior services for the City of Richmond.

Minoru Place Activity Centre’s intergenerational programs offers way to share experiences, mentor local youths MARTIN VAN DEN HEMEL

A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE and experience awaits to be tapped as Richmond’s population ages, and the percentage of people over the age of 55 blossoms.

In some parts of the world, it’s being described as a “grey tsunami”, with the first wave of the Baby Boomer generation—post Second World War babies born

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T H E G O O D L I F E « WINTER 2015

between 1946 and 1964—hitting retirement age.

Eva Busich-Veloso, co-ordinator of senior services for the City of Richmond, chooses to view it a little differently.

It’s an opportunity she’s hoping the entire community capitalizes on, she said from her office at Minoru Place Activity Centre.

The Baby Boomers have been world-changers and rulers, making amazing achievements, and the youngest of them has just turned 50.

“It’s actually not only a North American phenomenon— what has happened is with the advances in science, medicine (and) technology, managing chronic conditions has become a priority.”

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Getting older isn’t all doom and gloom, she said. It’s a great opportunity resulting from these advances that have improved the health of much of the world’s population.

Half a century ago, people looked at age 65 as retirement age, and living a healthy life perhaps five years beyond that before passing away or becoming disabled.

“We hadn’t taken care of our health as well, we didn’t have means to control cardiovascular conditions and chronic conditions that nowadays we can.”

But the change has been quite swift, she said.

Now, it’s common to live 20 years and more past retirement.

When she first joined the city a decade ago, the over-90 recognition parties drew perhaps only a couple dozen people.

“I think at the last one, we had over 100 people,” she said.

“And actually, there were some over 100 years old, living in housing independently.”

When she started her work in gerontology 30 years ago, she said that was unheard of.

“We used to have lots of people living in long-term care facilities with dementia, really disabled.”

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fitness

inspiration Top 10 motivational quotes to inspire you for any activity in 2015 CHRISTINE BLANCHETTE

A NEW YEAR marks a new beginning and making that resolution or perhaps a few of them is on the minds of many.

Whatever your goals are, here are some inspirational quotes to hopefully get you there from well known authors, elite athletes and celebrities which I had the distinct pleasure to interview during the past year: Bif Naked, international recording artist, author and runner: "Presence is the ability to be present in the very moment you are in: when you walk, just walk... when you eat, just eat.....and when you are tired, happily go lay down."

Doug Milne, communications manager for the PGA Tour: “Exercise is like a game of dominoes. With regular exercise, one’s body takes new shape, thus bringing new confidence. With new confidence, one carries himself/herself with more conviction and determination. It’s then when others take notice and stand impressed with and envious of what they’re seeing.”

Dylan Wykes, Canadian Olympic runner; second fastest (2:10:47) Canadian marathoner of all time: “It's not one single day that counts, its day in and day out.

So, don't let one bad day get you down, push through and you will be rewarded!”

Kathrine (K.V.) Switzer, athlete, author, activist and speaker: “Be fearless. Be free. Be grateful.”

Roger Robinson, author, scholar, speaker and runner: “Running is as old as humanity, so a natural subject for art - much as my book Running in Literature looked at how running has been re-created in words. Apart from film, the challenge for visual artists has always been to show rapid movement in a static medium.”

Bart Yasso, Runner’s World chief running officer: “Running is the ultimate faith healer, restoring belief not only in oneself but life’s possibilities.”

Dr. Doug and Diane Clement, former Olympians, authors, track and field legends: “2015 is important because we all will be one year older. This year it is vital to recognize that exercise is the best medicine to optimize our health and add life to our years. Coupled with sound nutrition, regular exercise is the key to a functional future. Keep moving - eat less!

Dr. Jack Taunton, MSc, MD and former chief medical officer for the 2010 Winter Olympics: “Include tempo runs and race pace work and run smart. Race negative splits. Finish strong and ensure energy and electrolyte replacement good recovery post races so if racing 10 miles then 10 days of easy runs and a month of easy running post marathons.

Train and run with passion and purpose.”

Christine Blanchette is a runner and writer. Her website is www.runwithit.ca.

John Stanton, founder of the Running Room and author: “The best way to run in the New Year and to run for life is to compete against yourself, not others.”

Phillip Gary Smith, editor of Snowshoe Magazine and author of the 300 Mile Man: "If ever stuck, or at a dead-end or just bored with circumstances, remember: creativity is the elixir of life. Whether it's writing, painting or rearranging furniture in a different way, one will feel better just by engaging creativity in any form."

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T H E G O O D L I F E « WINTER 2015

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A new look

Artistic rendering of how the new Minoru Park facility in Richmond could look.

for

Minoru Park

New $80 million facilty will double older adult space MARTIN VAN DEN HEMEL

The prospect of doubling their space has generated plenty of excitement and anticipation at the Minoru Place Activity Centre.

inside and out, opportunities. Seniors are really looking forward to that.”

Construction began late last year on the new $79.6 million combined aquatics and seniors facility.

“I see in 10 years a happening place where seniors can really age in place. We have done a lot of things to accommodate seniors in their own neighbourhood.”

Eva Busich-Veloso, co-ordinator of seniors services for the City of Richmond, said there will be twice as much space in the new facility, which will create new programming opportunities and the ability to serve more people.

“My team and I as well as seniors are tremendously excited because we are going to have double the space and that brings the opportunities to have better facilities and more flexibility.

We are going to be with the aquatics centre, and I think with longer hours of operation this will allow the people who are still at work to come and not only have the swim under the same roof, but also do other programs here at the facility. It’s quite exciting, being adjacent to the park and to the sports... there’s going to be much more synergy to be able to have the 12

T H E G O O D L I F E « WINTER 2015

The new facility is scheduled open in 2017.

The Minoru Civic Precinct projects also includes a new City Centre Community Centre, which is currently under construction at Minoru Boulevard and Firbridge Way and is slated to open in 2015, as well as the new No. 1 Fire Hall, which will be built immediately west of the multi-purpose complex.

“Construction of a new aquatic and older adults centre are top priorities for our council,” Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie said. “We need these new facilities to meet the existing and future needs of our growing and evolving community. This new multi-purpose complex will become a focal point for our community as it delivers a mix of outstanding services for a diverse group of users.”

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Recognizing knowledge and experience as a valuable resource See Page 9 The Baby Boomers have been world-changers and rulers, making amazing achievements, and the youngest of them has just turned 50.

These older adults aren’t going to put up with ageist attitudes, and know what they want, aren’t necessarily very patient, they’re coming fast and furious, and aren’t going to be

Helen Pettipiece

“put on the shelf,” she said.

Busich-Veloso said her quest is to make these knowledgeable, experienced, intelligent and energetic retirees be revered and respected by the community for what they offer as contributing members of society.

Minoru Place offers a number of programs that aim to utilize this resource of retirees, which is a win-win from all perspectives.

Intergenerational programs link retirees with local youth, offering an opportunity to share experiences, learn something new, provide mentorship and contribute to the community.

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One such program linked adults with youngsters from General Currie Elementary on a weekly basis, who together tackled, among other things, building bird houses or learning to use the machines in the wood shop.

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Busich-Veloso said there’s a community initiative to make Richmond an age-friendly city, which means the city would be accessible to pregnant women, people with disabilities, mothers with little children and including older adults and their needs.

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T H E G O O D L I F E « WINTER 2015

Perhaps the most important thing is for older adults to feel socially included.

They should be viewed as a community asset, she said.

With older adults comprising 28 per cent of Richmond’s community, it’s a significant asset that’s expected to grow.

What’s she hearing is that older adults who have retired are searching to remain active in their communities, suddenly inundated with discretionary time.

“They play golf for the first six months, and then they come and say ‘I’m driving myself crazy. My golf is not improving’.

I had my vision that I would do golfing forever, and I just can’t. It’s not who I am.”

She’s noticed more men are coming to the facility, looking to get involved as a volunteer or participate in programs.

An Aging Well workshop, presented by Minoru Place in conjunction with Richmond Addiction Services, drew a full house, she said.

“We had a full house of people learning to handle stress. It’s stressful getting older,” she said.

Students from General Currie elementary school learned a thing or two about woodworking during an intergenerational program offered at Minoru Place Activity Centre where adults share experiences and provide mentorship to youth while giving something back to the community.

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from the

stock pots of time

Old-school favourite a trendy new food for healthier living MARTIN VAN DEN HEMEL

SIPPING CHICKEN, BEEF AND VEGETABLE BROTH is the trendiest new way for people to stay healthier and happier.

For those of European or Asian heritage, this might not seem like news at all. Homemade broths have been served up as a nourishing and tasty staple at the dinner table for generations.

What’s new is that people are paying more attention to the health benefits of an elixir comprising a hearty, hot broth made of meaty bones and vegetables slowly simmered on the stove top for many hours.

Amanda Kroetsch, co-owner of Living Cafe in Steveston, was bone thin and bed-ridden as she battled Celiac disease, and credits bone broths with helping pull her through.

Her holistic doctor handed her a book with bone broth recipes, and so she combined beef bones, still with the marrow in it, along with a touch of vinegar to draw the nutrients out of the bones, and sprinkled in some fresh herbs into a pot filled with water, and let it simmer for 48 hours.

“That was my breakfast, lunch and dinner,” she said.

Unable to keep any food down, Kroetsch said the bone broth provided her body with the nutrients she starved for, in an easily-digestible form that made it less taxing for her body to process and absorb it.

“It’s why we’re told to have chicken soup when we get sick,” said Kroetsch, whose eatery on Second Avenue caters to people with food allergies and special dietary needs. Her restaurant offers both gluten-free and peanut-free 16

T H E G O O D L I F E « WINTER 2015

Amanda Kroetsch credits bone broths with helping her feel better.

Martin van den Hemel photo menu items that are healthy, delicious, wholesome and nutrient-dense, she said.

Even now, if she’s accidentally exposed to gluten, she turns to her healthy drink, a concoction of pureed veg-

gies, combined with chicken and bone broth, which serves as a strong ant-inflammatory that also helps restore the stomach lining.

“It’s also great for a hangover,” she adds.

See Page 18

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17

stocking up

Looking back, she can now see the benefits of all the minerals and calcium from the fish bones.

So is this an example of what’s old is new again?

From Page 16

“It’s how our grandparents’ grandparents’ grandparents prepared food: slow cooked,” she said.

Her store offers a veggie broth comprised of organic veggie scraps that have been collected and frozen until there’s enough to make the broth. She uses that as the base of all the soups on the menu. “It’s a fantastic drink.”

A bone broth sip in the morning serves as a powerful fast food, a great way to start the day. It’s a more complete food, in terms of having carbohydrates, minerals, proteins and vitamins, but lacks the blood sugar spike and so won’t lead to an energy crash. And unlike what’s offered at fast food outlets, it’s preservative-free.

Kroetsch spent three years in Japan, and said she initially thought it odd they drank fish broth every morning.

making stocks STOCKS (AND BROTHS) are fairly easy to make and are a great way to use up leftovers.

Take a roast chicken or turkey for example.

Once you’ve carved off all the meat, put the carcass in a stock pot, add some onions, carrots, celery and herbs (thyme and bay leaf are great in stocks). Skim off the fat as you go, simmer for several hours, strain and voila, you have poultry stock. If you don’t want to make stock right away, you can store leftovers in the freezer.

No leftovers? Get some chicken necks and backs from the store. Roast them up with carrots and onions until brown in a 400˚F oven. Once roasted, put the bones and veggies in the stock pot and add water and some herbs of your liking. Pour off excess fat from the roasting tin and then deglaze the tin with a little wine and add it to the stock for flavour and colour. Once the stock is done, you could even reuse the bones for a lighter stock.

Making beef stock is a longer process—make the sure the bones are roasted first and simmer the stock for more than three hours. Fish stock is quicker: add chopped vegetables, herbs, some lemon and simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes. Vegetarian? Use vegetable scraps, herbs and mushrooms.

Stews and sauces can also benefit from bones.

For lamb stew, use a piece of lamb on the bone, such as a lamb shank, for a really rish, nourishing stew. Pork neck bones can add a nice touch to pasta meat sauces. Just brown them up when you are adding the meat.

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T H E G O O D L I F E « WINTER 2015

Bone broth soup is heart-warming, soulful and has all the nutrients you need.

v v

Richmond chef Ian Lai said vegetable broths are a common side-dish with meals for most Asians.Comprising onions, green vegetables, ginger, and garlic, and covered with water, it’s very hearty, and can be turned into a meal on its own by adding rice and noodles.

“It’s how our grandparents’ grandparents’ grandparents prepared food: slow cooked.”

“You can use it as a fridge cleaner,” he said.

For those who enjoy Japanese food, miso soup is commonly served at the start of meals.

But what we think of as miso soup—a watery product containing tofu and green onions—is different from the many variations found in Japan, some containing meat, but mostly vegetable based.

In Western culture, a quality stock can make a world of difference in cooking, especially if it’s rich in different aromatics.

The challenge with broths is that it takes a lot of time to make them.

“It’s heartwarming, it’s soulful, and has all the nutrients you need. It doesn’t take a lot for the body to process.”

In such a fast-paced society, where fast food is hard to escape, “we don’t take the time to think about what we’re eating and how we’re eating.”

Local residents with European and Asian heritage may already be benefitting from a diet containing broths, which are “culturally ingrained in a lot of us.”

People are just now, he said, starting to realize that they need to think about what they eat.

Sprinkled into these broths are herbs and spices which add a medicinal component, such as cloves, which have anti-microbial properties, he said.

“And as a liquid, it’s cleansing, flushing the body of toxins,” Lai said of the broths.

Foods that are simple and hearty speak to the majority of the population, he suggested.

Lai said looking at the past can serve up lessons for today and the future.

“We need to look at age old traditions. There is a revival.”

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reinventing yourself at any age

Think you can’t reinvent your life? Read about two who did, and are having the time of their lives DON FENNELL

A GOOGLE SEARCH reveals countless sites subscribing to the age-old adage that life begins at 50.

While middle age can be a challenging and stressful time, many also discover it can produce the most unexpected rewards and satisfying times of their lives.

Both Ed Gavsie and Mas Morimoto are too busy—and happy—embracing new challenges.

Age is but a number insists Gavsie, the ever-energetic, ever-engaging director of visitor and partner services at Tourism Richmond.

“I don’t know what age is. I feel like I’m 39 with 35 years experience,” says Gavsie, who just celebrated birthday number 64 playing with his grandkids.

“It’s the things you do and people you hang out with that contribute to that.”

Adhering to a few basic premises, Gavsie believes you learn from the past but always look forward to the future.

He’s always up for a challenge, which is how he arrived at Tourism Richmond.

Gavsie was happy and content working alongside his wife Linda in the couple’s successful Universal Learning Institute when he was invited to work on an Olympic-related project with Tourism Richmond in 2008. Without hesitating, Linda told him: “You have to take it.

How often do you get to work on an event like the Olympics?”

Gavsie had anticipated a little more de20

T H E G O O D L I F E « WINTER 2015

Ed Gavsie belives you learn from the past but always look forward to the future. bate. Establishing the learning centre, which they sold last year, in 1996 had been personally fullfilling, and Linda’s

background was in early childhood education and her first love.

See Page 22

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Mas Morimoto caught the acting bug by accident.

reinventing yourself From Page 20 “When we started out our desks were L-shaped and every time we backed up we bumped chairs,” he says.

But it sure beat the constant travelling from coast to coast Gavsie was enduring managing a pair of casinos in New Brunswick, while raising his family here. It was a fun occupation, as he reminded the employees, but he was ready to come home.

Gavsie first arrived with his young family on the West Coast some 30 years ago, transferred here by the trust company he’d been working for. (He had helped the firm plan all-star week celebrations for the former CFL all-star game.) He also dabbled in radio as a newscaster, founding Radio St. Mary’s while attending the university in Halifax. His venture into radio began as an interest in high school, one buoyed by an overnight job at his hometown Montreal station.

“In those days they pulled their music from a physical library and 22

T H E G O O D L I F E « WINTER 2015

would leave a huge pile of 45 and 78 records which had to be refiled,” Gavsie says. “I was just excited to be there and would do anything just to be in the station. Then I went into the newsroom to help peg copy off the teletypes. One day the news director asked me to voice something, and from there I did weekend shifts as I finished high school. I loved it, but you couldn’t live off it.”

Today, he is responsible for managing all of Tourism Richmond’s visitor services, including the operation of its Visitor Information Centres, Gasvie draws on his many talents while developing and maintaining partnership relations within the community. Every day presents a new challenge and delivers a new experience. And that’s what living the good life is all about.

MAS MORIMOTO IS soaking up “a whole new world” as he winds his way around Clement Track at venerable Minoru Park.

Cell phone in hand, the lifetime Steveston resident has discovered life doesn’t end in retirement. In fact, it’s often a positive beginning.

Since retiring at the age of 60 from a satisfying career as a city engineer, the 67-year-old is constantly re-inventing himself so as to embrace all life has to offer—including acting.

“I think we’re pre-conditioned in many ways as a society (and try to uphold those expectations),” he says.

A recognizable figure at Richmond Sockeyes’ home games for several seasons now—he’s the Pacific Junior Hockey League’s community affairs and public relations guru—Morimoto caught the acting bug, by accident, a few years ago when he initially pursued a goal of offering shiatsu—he’s a trained practioner in the traditional form of pressure healing—on movie sets. A friend took a couple of head shots of Morimoto and sent them to a local talent agency. Not long after he got a call from Pamela Wise at Premiere Talent Management in Vancouver offering to sign him, and shortly after he found himself auditioning for a food commercial.

“I didn’’t know anything (about the industry or what was expected) and was nervous as heck,” he said. “But I got a callback, and returned for a second audition and eventually got the part.”

Last summer, Morimoto landed the role of team member No. 3, a scientist, in the 2014 reboot of the Godzilla movie franchise directed by Gareth Edwards and starring Bryan Cranston which was the largest production to ever film in Richmond.

Ironically, Morimoto related well to Edwards’ goal of capturing the delicate balance between science and Mother Nature and how at times the balance is lost. He says as humans we are merely actors in the grand stage of life. It was while learning shiatsu he discovered what he describes as a “deeper spirituality.” Holding a great respect for Mother Nature, he believes that things happen for a reason.

“Things just work out,” he says. “Life is like a train station to me. Arriving or leaving is like entering another phase. The older I get the more comfortable I feel (without the restrictions or expectations placed by society). So when they say life begins at 50, that can be true. When an opportunity comes along you have to recognize you’re no longer 20 but now have the experience and possibly wisdom.”

Morimoto encourages everyone to open the door of opportunity when it is presented.

Brought up in a humble, modest family, Morimoto remembers as a child having an artistic side that has steadily evolved throughout his lifetime. Today, he appreciates more than ever the role art—in its many forms—plays in shaping society, sometimes even producing social change.

Displaying a sincere vibrant and youthful energy, Morimoto loves life and is grateful for each day he’s granted and the people who constantly enrich it. They, in concert, are equally grateful for his inspiring them.

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a doctor for you?

More family physicians are set to retire than new doctors are available to take their place, but there’s a movement to bring positive change to a dire situation MATTHEW HOEKSTRA

IT’S A RELATIONSHIP many in Richmond have come to rely on. An ache, a pain or a cough results in a phone call to the family doctor. And in short order a friendly familiar face examines the patient.

Most Richmond residents have a family doctor—especially those over the age of 45—but those family doctors are leaving medical practice at an alarming rate.

Nearly one in five GPs in Richmond is expected to retire in the next four years.

Even more staggering is the number of local residents who could be without a family doctor by 2019: 50,000. In other words, that call to the doctor’s office could soon result in a distressing message: the number you have reached is no longer in service.

The good news is doctors and government are well aware of the looming crisis—one that’s playing out in communities across B.C.—and are doing something about it.

A GP For Me is a joint initiative of the province and B.C. doctors. Within the province-wide program, important work is being carried out at the community level. Locally, the Richmond Division of Family Practice and its 140 local family physicians are not only supporting the 24

T H E G O O D L I F E « WINTER 2015

Nearly one in five family doctors in Richmond is expected to retire in the next four years.

relationship between patients and family doctors—they want to ensure residents who want a family doctor get one.

“However dire our analysis suggests, we are in the fortunate position of being able to access funds to develop strategies that aim to mitigate the impending disaster for Richmond residents, the community and our physician members,” says a report from the Richmond doctors’ group.

So how will this impending disaster be averted? Doctors have a few ideas up

their white coat sleeves. Strategies to address the shortage of family physicians should come clear soon as the group presents the ideas to funders in the next few weeks, with the hope of moving forward on plans.

What’s clear today is fewer doctors have been drawn to family practice in recent years. Family medicine was once seen as a lower paid field, one that came with long hours and less prestige than specialized medicine.

“In general, we have far too few young physicians.”

Compounding the problem is a shortage of doctors in general. In an interview last fall with the B.C. Medical Journal, Doctors of B.C. president Dr. Bill Cavers points to a worldwide shortage of physicians. In B.C., medical school spaces have increased, but the number of med school grads still doesn’t match the predicted need.

That, notes Cavers, is due to demographics. Family doctors are hanging up their stethoscopes faster than new recruits can be found.

“The average age of B.C. physicians is steadily getting higher,” he says. “In general, we have far too few young physicians.”

The Richmond Division of Family Practice probed the situation on Lulu Island last fall. Doctors were surveyed, as was the community in a non-scientific sampling of 1,511 residents.

The assessment found 83 per cent of respondents have a family doctor, while most who don’t are looking for one. Those without a family doctor tended to be younger, or new to Canada.

It also found that just 15 per cent of family doctors are accepting new patients, while another 43 per cent welcome new files only in certain circumstances.

Another finding put the reason for the study in focus. Five family doctors plan to retire in two years, and another 19 plan to do the same within four years—in a community with fewer doctors per capita than neighbouring communities. Richmond has one doctor for every 1,257 residents, compared with 1 in 949 in Vancouver, and 1 in 1,044 in Delta.

Fewer doctors have been drawn to family practice in recent years.

Health officials are also seeing more residents use emergency departments for issues that could be managed by a family doctor.

What’s certain is the declining number of community-based doctors and their reduced capacity to take on complex patients is putting increasing demands on local health resources. And in the absence of a local physician, Richmond residents could be forced to look across the Fraser River.

“A common theme that arose in surveying community members was the distance they travel to see a family physician, despite their efforts to find a GP in Richmond,” says the doctors’ report. “This is especially true for new immigrants, young families, youth and newcomers to Richmond who are often forced to seek care elsewhere.”

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“We are seeing an increase in the number of residents using walkin clinics to access primary care services for their complex or chronic conditions, a suboptimal setting for these types of health care needs,” according to the doctors’ report.

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getting

in t he mediterranean

zone CHRISTINE BLANCHETTE

DR. BARRY SEARS promotes healthy eating in his new book, The Mediterranean Zone “I believe we are standing on the crossroads for the future of the human race. Much of that future will be controlled by the food we eat and its effect on inflammation,” says Dr. Barry Sears, president of the Inflammation Research Foundation.

“If we want a greater sense of the human experience and a better quality of life for all, it probably starts in the kitchen.”

When it comes to healthy eating, Dr. Barry Sears has the right prescription for promoting longevity. In his book, The Mediterranean Zone, he shares his expert advice on weight loss and health.

Dr. Sears, a resident of Marblehead, Ma. is one of the world’s leading medical researchers on the hormonal effects of food, and reveals in a Q & A format by email his formula for healthy eating and a longer life.

He is a New York Times No.1 best-selling author of 13 books: Q: Tell us about your first book, The Zone, and your most recent publication, The Mediterranean Zone?

A: The underlying reason for both books was the continuing demonstration of the role of inflammation in obesity and chronic disease. The Mediterranean Zone represents the final part of a trilogy of books that address the inflammation question. My first book, The Zone, described the role of diet in the generation of inflammation. The OmegaRx Zone written in 2002 described the role of high-dose fish oil in the resolution of inflammation, and now The Mediterranean Zone describes the role of high-dose polyphenols in the reduction of oxidative stress and the molecular pathways impacted by polyphenols that slow down the aging process.

Together, these three books describe the field of anti-inflammatory nutrition. Any one dietary intervention is good, but combining all three is highly synergistic.

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T H E G O O D L I F E « WINTER 2015

Dr. Barry Sears is author of the The Mediterranean Zone.

Q: How is your book different from other ‘diet’ books?

A: The book(s) I write deal with the long-term control of inflammation. It is excess inflammation that makes us fat, sick, and age faster. The word diet comes from the Greek root meaning “way of life”. The Zone Diet is a way of life to control inflammation. The Mediterranean Zone details the importance of polyphenols are part of that lifetime control of inflammation.

Q: Do you have to be a vegan to follow this eating plan?

A: No. The Zone Diet is a blueprint how to balance your plate for optimal hormonal control regardless of your dietary philosophy.

Q: Will incorporating fish, olive oil, lean meats and vegetables help prevent diabetes, inflammation, heart disease and Alzheimer’s?

A: Yes, because all of these diseases are strongly associated with increased inflammation.

Q: Does inflammation cause weight gain, aging?

A: Inflammation is the driving force for both weight gain and the acceleration of the aging process. The solution to both is to follow an anti-inflammatory diet for a lifetime. If you do it correctly, you are never hungry and never fatigued because you are stabilizing blood sugar levels between meals.

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An anti-inflammatory diet like the Mediterranean Zone can slow the aging process.

Q: Why should people purchase The Mediterranean Zone and where can they find it?

A: If a person wants to live better and longer, they should read this book. It is available at all major bookstores and at all on-line book retailers.

Q: Is this book for all ages?

A: It is a book that is germane for ages 2 to 102. Of course, it is usually the reader that has to implement the dietary concepts for the younger and older age-extremes.

Q: If one was to exercise regularly and follow the Mediterranean Zone, could this be the key to a healthy lifestyle and living longer?

A: I definitely believe so. However, I would also include stress reduction. I generally use the 80-15-5 rule to describe a healthy lifestyle.

80% of your success is determined by your diet, 15% by your exercise program, and 5% by stress reduction (usually meditation). You need all three interventions for a healthy life.

Q: In Chapter 13, “The Industrialization of Food,� you reveal that the Japanese are the longest-lived population on Earth. How did they achieve this status?

A: The Japanese are the largest consumers of fish in the world. That helps keep their levels of inflammation low.

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there’s a...or will not

where

How to ensure your estate goes to the right beneficiaries JACK MICNER

THE SURVEYS AND STUDIES continue to conclude that about half of eligible Canadians have not yet made their wills.

There are several reasons for that. People often think that if they don't have enough assets, for example, then there is no need to have a will. Though that thinking is wrong, it is only one example.

I believe some people are concerned that they cannot bequeath certain people (mainly children) large amounts of money because they won't know how to manage an inheritance. That is a legitimate concern, but it is not a reason to avoid making a will. For anyone with assets and/or minor children, a will is essential.

But meanwhile, let's take a look at the options that exist for a person concerned about their beneficiary's financial capacity.

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T H E G O O D L I F E ÂŤ WINTER 2015

Financial status of beneficiary

Indeed, it is common in Canadian families to have people who are not financially astute, whether because of a lack of knowledge or even, for example, illness.

What will makers need to know, first, is that if a gift is made in a will to a person who is bankrupt at the relevant time, the gift will end up in the hands of the beneficiary's creditors. To avoid such a situation, a testator could simply refrain from gifting that beneficiary or, put another way, the testator can disinherit that unsophisticated beneficiary.

If the person is a child of the testator, such a move might result in a challenge to the will under wills variation rules in provincial legislation.

Therefore, a will maker will be forced to explain in the will the reasons for disinheritance.

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f

Another option (perhaps more realistic) is to create a discretionary trust in the will. The most important thing here is to find a good trustee. The trustee must have full discretion, such that each payment to the beneficiary is at the trustee's discretion as opposed to the payment being required or, say, automatic.

But, with the trust, not only is the bequest kept intact for the long term, ensuring income for the beneficiary, but also the trust shields the beneficiary from creditors. Few, if any, will makers would want their gifts ending up in the hands of a bank, credit card company or other type of creditor.

Incidentally, it is far worse if the testator fails to make a will.

Gifts distributed in an intestate estate come to the beneficiary without restriction. Therefore, any gift is most likely to end up in the hands of creditors. So it is far better to make a will.

Estate itself in financial trouble If the estate's assets are insufficient to pay the debts of the estate, the executor (or personal representative) must not release any assets to beneficiaries, or else the executor risks personal liability.

The first thing the executor must do here is to find all the debts. It might be fitting to work with creditors to determine what creditors would accept as a satisfactory payment on their debt, based on the value of the estate assets and priority. CRA may or may not have priority to estate assets, based on the type of debt due (income tax, GST remittances, etc.).

If the estate assets are ultimately insufficient to pay all the debts and bequests, there is what is known as ademption.

This term refers to specific legal rules governing what and whom is paid first. For example, debts are paid first, from the estate residue. A person will need legal advice here, along with a careful review of the will.

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Evaluate!

For anyone planning their estate or making their will, the first issue to consider is which assets exist. That needs to be discussed, because some of those assets may not fall into the will maker's estate on death (such as a jointly held bank account). Plan accordingly.

The second, and probably more complicated, issue to consider is who will be the beneficiaries of your estate, and your relationship with them. You should also consider the nature of the relationships among the beneficiaries.

Finally, you need to consider the type of person each beneficiary is. Not every person is solid and fully capable of managing your gift to them, so think long and carefully how best to provide for them. Estate gifts tend to have serious, long-term consequences. Gifts can pay out mortgages, allow a home purchase and support a beneficiary in their retirement. So, think carefully and make sure your Will is done right.

Jack Micner, barrister & solicitor with Spry Hawkins Micner, welcomes your questions on wills, estates and elder law. He can be reached at jack@willpowerlaw.com

. .t he next you’ve made a new friend!

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vsTFSAs

RSPs

Financial planning strategies to consider as tax season approaches .

SHAUN RICKERBY

MOST READERS WILL BE quite familiar with the benefits of Retirement Savings Plans (RSP) but just a reminder, money invested in an RSP account is deductible against earned income and thus results in an immediate tax savings when contributed.

In addition, any investment returns are sheltered from tax. Eventually you withdraw money from an RSP and it is added to your taxable income. In theory, this strategy is designed to help you transfer taxable income during your working years to a time when your taxable income is lower, usually at retirement.

• Any money withdrawn from a TFSA may be replaced in the future • OAS benefits are “clawed back” based on total retirement income • GIS benefits are calculated based on taxable income The net effect is that planning around contributions to RSPs and TFSAs is significantly more nuanced than in years past.

No longer is it a given that you make an RSP contribution every year.

Recent changes to

With unused contribution room accumulating, the risk of actually pushing yourself into a higher tax bracket at retirement and therefore actually reducing your after tax income, as well as the ever growing ability to shelter income permanently in the TFSA have made the need for long-term planning all the more powerful and also critical.

A Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA) RSP rules and the does not provide for an immediate tax credit when investing but, any introduction of TFSAs has significantly income can grow free of tax. When you make a withdrawal the income changed financial is not added to your income and planning strategies. is therefore tax free. There is an annual limit (currently $5,500 a year) that you may add to a TFSA and the maximum amount is cumulative over your It must also be remembered that RSP and TFSA aclifetime. If you currently have no TFSA you can now counts are not restricted to bank “savings” account. contribute $36,500.

The investment world is completely open to you. I Recent changes to RSP rules and the introduction of would argue that high income and potentially slightly TFSAs has significantly changed financial planning higher risk investments are ideal for TFSA accounts. strategies.

Changes include: • Ability to split all retirement income for those over 65 • RSP limits are accumulated if not used 30

T H E G O O D L I F E « WINTER 2015

No matter what age or income level you are, obtaining advice is called for on how best to utilize these two powerful tax-effective account structures.

Shaun Rickerby is a Portfolio Manager at TD Wealth in Richmond and can be reached at shaun.rickerby@ td.com.

You have to plan for “the good life!”

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