About us

Ian Smith’s first choice of education after high school was hotel management. When Niagara College had just opened in Welland, Ontario, he enrolled in the first-year business program. However, as it was the college’s inaugural year, it was organizationally chaotic. Ian transferred to Ryerson in Toronto and redid his second-semester business courses over the summer so that he could enter the third semester of hotel management in September. It didn’t take long for him to realize that he didn’t want to pursue a career as a hotel manager, and he dropped out of the program in the fourth semester. Wanting to take a break from education, he began working for Eaton’s in home delivery.

That summer, Ian met his first wife, who had a one-year-old son. Returning to school was no longer a priority. He explored various careers that offered on-the-job training, but none proved to be the right fit. During that time, he and his wife had occasionally filled in for the superintendent of their apartment building while the superintendent was on holiday. When the superintendent purchased a home in Brampton, Ian and his wife took over the position of managing the building on Labour Day weekend in 1972. Around that time, their second child had just been born.

On the Saturday of that Labour Day weekend, Ian posted a sign advertising a two-bedroom unit, as their own apartment would soon become available once the superintendent’s suite was painted. A young man approached him, explaining that he needed a place immediately since he had a truck full of furniture and had to return it to the USA the next day. Ian helped him store his belongings, and the two became good friends. The man had moved from Reno, Nevada, to attend chiropractic college in Toronto.

Ian had a strong memory for details, and his new friend repeatedly encouraged him to consider becoming a chiropractor, citing the extensive memory work involved in anatomy. In September 1973, Ian visited Ryerson to inquire about reentering the general business program. He was told that, having been out for four years, he would have to start from scratch. Feeling disheartened on his drive home, Ian thought that if he had to start over anyway, he might as well pursue chiropractic.

Eventually, he enrolled at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa—the original chiropractic college. He graduated Summa Cum Laude on September 30, 1977. Ian and his family relocated to Medicine Hat, Alberta, where he took over a practice from another Palmer graduate on November 14, 1977. In July 1985, they moved to Calgary. A few years later, Ian and his first wife divorced, and he remarried Maggie in June 1991.

In September 2001, Ian and Maggie traveled to Vancouver Island—eventually arriving in Tofino—to celebrate their tenth anniversary. They fell in love with the island, and by spring 2002, they were actively searching for a home there, along with Maggie’s parents. Ian began practicing in Qualicum Beach in late May 2003 and continued until the end of June 2024.

After retiring, Ian passed his practice on to Dr. Connor Fairweather and his soon-to-be wife, Dr. Erin. He was confident they would take excellent care of his patients and was proud to have chosen them. All is well.