CANMORE – When Dr. Richard Balharry first arrived in Canmore, Joe Clark was prime minister, the Montreal Canadiens were Stanley Cup champions and the most popular show on CBC was The Beachcombers.
The year was 1979, and Dr. Balharry drove into town with his wife Pat and three children to join the Canmore Medical Clinic. For the next four decades, he would serve the medical needs of the growing community.
Born in Scotland, Dr. Balharry came to Canada with family in the early 1970s after completing his medical degree at the University of St. Andrews. Settling in Carnduff, Sask., the plan was to only stay for one year. When the family found they enjoyed living in Canada, they made the decision to stay.
“We just enjoyed it too much and it offered a nice life for us and the kids,” Dr. Balharry said.
In 1979, an opportunity to move to Canmore came forward and the family decided to move one province over.
“I had done a trip a year or two before when my parents visited Canada. We did a trip along the Yellowhead Highway, down the Jasper Banff Highway, and back along [the Trans-Canada],” Dr. Balharry said. “I just loved the area and I happened to see an advertisement in the medical journal for a physician to join a practice in Banff.”
At the time, Canmore’s clinic was amalgamated with the Banff clinic, which meant Dr. Balharry would be living in Canmore.
“They thought at the time no one would know what Canmore was or where it was,” he said. “I was very glad when I found out that the practice was going to be in Canmore.”
It was in Canmore that he would meet his second wife, Susan, which brought three more children into his family.
At the time of his arrival, the Canmore General Hospital was a 10-bed hospital, and Dr. Balharry was part of the planning process to upgrade to the current facility.
“The community had grown. The little hospital was outgrowing itself in many ways because it was just a community-built facility,” Dr. Balharry said. “Some of the rooms, you couldn’t get the beds in and out because the doors were too narrow. It was a neat little hospital.”
In 1981, he became the chief of medical staff at the hospital. During his tenure, the number of physicians with privileges at the hospital grew from five to 92.
For the past four decades, Dr. Balharry has transformed the medical services of Canmore, leaving it much stronger than when he first arrived.
His accomplishments have included creating the medical director position with the local ambulance service, serving as the medical examiner, introducing the first medical laser into the Bow Valley and developing the Canmore Medical Laser Centre.
“It was at a conference I was at in Banff, based on veins,” Dr. Balharry said. “That is where I got the inspiration and the interest in moving more into an aesthetic practice. So that was when I bought my first laser and that went from there to all these other kinds of things that developed into a major part of my practice.”
On top of that, he also brought in regenerative medicine. The procedure involves injecting solutions into ligaments to strengthen them. It has helped many people gain increased mobility in their lives and Dr. Balharry takes pride in that.
“I have photographs in my office from national level and Olympic athletes saying if it was not for my therapy, I would have never made this,” Dr. Balharry said. “I have also had people come into my office who have been on walkers and canes and after a few treatments, have been able to live more of a normal life. That was very rewarding.”
During the 1988 Winter Olympics, Dr. Balharry served as a medical officer for the athletes.
“I had access to all the facilities and the events, and I made good use of that,” he said. “I would take lunchtime and evenings and mix with the athletes. It was a neat experience.”
Now that he is turning 78, he feels it is time to call it quits and focus on other aspects of his life.
“I have a lot of interests and hobbies and I intend to pursue them. We have grandchildren and we spend a lot of time with them,” he said. “I will be able to share more time with the grandchildren. Basically, just relaxing and enjoying life.”
