Editor’s Note: June 2013

I‘ve been thinking about resolutions lately-even though it’s not New Year’s and no, I haven’t had a health scare. But really, is there ever a bad time to take stock? Some of the motivation is business. Journalism is going through yet another round of self-scrutiny, prompted by recent layoffs and buyouts at the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star (except, in a welcome move, the Star‘s investigative team), and locally, Gordon Fisher’s first act as president of the Vancouver Sun and Province a few weeks back was to warn of unprecedented restructurings. So it’s a smart time to take inventory, though I’m pleased to report Vanmag has had a financially successful year and seen a 17 percent gain in readership.

Some of it’s personal. Another school year is ending, and with one kid about to enter high school and another getting ready to leave, it feels like a time to really assess where the family is at (and how we’ll fill up another summer).

Or maybe the incentive is just spring itself. I’ve given up on six-pack abs (not going to happen) and if I’m honest, those marathons may have to run themselves for the foreseeable future. But warm weather has made me revisit a few more realistic promises, like experiencing more of this province. For this issue, I took four days to visit Osoyoos and was pleasantly surprised by the growth in tourism (I hadn’t been since the ’70s) and, especially, the area’s resorts and dining. With a whole package of stories about kayaking on the Sunshine Coast and hiking local mountains, and recommendations for bike rides and sailing charters and foodie tours, I’m resolving to overcome my sloth and get outside.

Elsewhere in the issue, a by-all-measures successful company was dissatisfied with its own self-assessment. Globe and Mail reviewer Alexandra Gill spent a year behind the scenes watching as Earls, which incoming president Mo Jessa says had lost the “perception wars,” tried to regain pride of place among casual-fine restaurants. Her report on the development process, culminating in the Earls Tweak Week, gives fascinating insight into one business’s attempts to make change after a long, hard look in the mirror. A profitable exercise for us all.