As some RDEK folks are aware, there is a line on their property tax bill which indicates an amount for Economic Development – a percentage of this amount goes to Physician Recruitment in the Columbia Valley. This is specific to the two clinics for Family Doctors as well as our Emergency Department at Invermere Hospital.

Growing up in small town Alberta Dr. Schaffer’s early life was shaped by the sports of his community; hockey and rodeo. At the age of 16, he bravely took up bareback riding, only to be bucked off, marking one of his many encounters with a spine board. A couple years later, he and his cousins thought they would give wild horse racing a try. Dr.Schaffer’s horse racing career ended the next year with a kick to the face and knee. After recovering, he completed his diploma in emergency services technology and worked in the oil and gas industry as a firefighter and paramedic. But his aspirations didn’t stop there.