That was the year that was: a look back at 2015 in Canadian magazines

Here's a (fairly arbitrary) rundown of links to some of the stories from the past year of the Canadian Magazines blog. 

January

• The Capilano Review reaches fundraising goal to transition to be an independent magazine
• Cottage Life brand extensions to range from furniture and bedding to candles and dips
• Ken Hunt named publisher of Toronto Life
• Pink Triangle Press closes down all print editions of Xtra; to go all-digital in February
• Canada Council remaking funding: no more than 10 non-discipline-specific programs
• Annex Media buys print and digital B2B properties from Glacier Media for $19.7 million

February

• Former Toronto Life art director Jessica Rose moving to Tatler magazine
• Blue Ant, publishers of Cottage Life, named Marketing's media player of the year, again
• Canada's History magazine undergoing a "refreshment" of design and presentation
• Digital travel mag LaCarte launched in Toronto

March

• Competition Bureau approves sale of TC Media consumer titles to the TVA Group
• The Philanthropist launches a new look & a new digital platform
• First anti-spam ruling issued by CRTC; a bracing $1 million fine
• Chirp magazine launching a new show on CBC TV
• Them Days celebrates 40 years of telling Labrador's stories
• Canada Post reports 2014 profit, but decline in Publications Mail volume and revenue
• Spacing magazine harnesses the power to documentary film

April

• Next Issue Media marking four years offering "all you can read' magazine sub service
• The longish goodbye: Mark Jamison leaving as CEO of Magazines Canada at the end of 2015
• TVA closes deal to acquire consumer magazines from TC Transcontinental
• National Magazine Awards relocates to Arcadian Court June 5
• Canadian Business Media decides to get back into member services for b2b sector
• Attempt to block publication of May issue of Toronto Life turned down by court
• New EIC named to run The Kit
• Western Magazine Awards seem to have been suspended
• Michael Fox to receive 2015 Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement

May

• Anti-spam rules may have reduced use of email, but not spam, report says
• Magazines get funding that keeps them in the digital cultural media game
• Canadian Running 50th issue unveils subtle, bolder look
• Former Maclean's editor Kevin Doyle has died
• Vancouver Magazine and Western Living sold to Yellow Pages Homes Ltd.

June

• Type Books named retailer of the year by Magazines Canada
• Rogers will be selling advertisers' text on covers and contents pages of its magazines
• University Affairs and Canadian Grocer names b2b magazines of the year
• Fired EIC of The Tyee suing the magazine for wrongful dismissal
• Douglas Knight elected chair of Magazines Canada board
• Lianne George replaces Karine Ewart as EIC of Chatelaine

July

•  After 20 years, SkyNews magazine bought by Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
• Terry Sellwood retiring from Cottage Life Media; Penny Caldwell named publisher, Michelle Kelly editor
• Canadian Geographic in thrall to its sponsors, says Canadaland site
• Bay Street law firms' hireback data is good news and not so good: Precedent
• Wrongful dismissal suit by The Tyee EIC has been settled
• Laas Turnbull named first audience officer of Zoomer Media & co-publisher of Zoomer

August

• Original visual poems sold to help fund Musicworks magazine's classroom program
• Media Matters Collision Repair acquires Bodyshop magazine
• The Kit beauty and fashion site launches weekly pop-up mag called The Kit Compact
• Shameless magazine launches Talking Back youth writing award
• Management reorg at St. Joseph Media group; Jacqueline Loch jumps over from TVA
• Richard Rhodes stepping down from editorship of Canadian Art magazine

September

• Peggy Berkowitz stepping down as editor of University Affairs
• Vancouver magazine now searching to replace two top editors
• Chatelaine tracks down all four federal leaders for Q & As
• MagsBC revives MagsWest conference
• Western Magazine Awards officially; board asking what should happen next
• TVA Publications makes several key appointments to its Toronto magazine operations
• Canadian Business Media strikes partnership with U.S.-based ABM
• Rogers Media to "reimagine" Next Issue subscription service as Texture

October

• Feds say the TPP "reflects and protects" Canadian cultural content
• Alberta Oil editor Max Fawcett to take over as editor of Vancouver magazine
• Eleven Newcom b2b mags join Magazines Canada
• Newcom and Annex execs elected to board of Canadian Business Media
• Data allows TVA Group to claim the title of Canada's leading magazine provider
• Applied Arts founder Georges Haroutiun honoured by scholarships
• Flare is being pulled from the newsstands

November

• Mélanie Joly is new heritage minister
• Maclean's cover story was an editorial opportunity seized
• Three literaries band together to create seasonal pop-up shop
• TVA Group closes six titles to concentrate on stronger flagship brands
• Major beauty advertiser L'Oreal sets up its own video content studio in Montreal
• Simplified 2016 Canada Post pub mail rates may be anything but simple for publishers
• Survey respondents tell Western mag awards to offer a stripped-down version
• Digital Publishing Awards to be launched in 2016 by National Magazine Awards

December

• Canada Council unveils some funding details as it rolls out its new model
• St. Joseph Media takes over publication of CAA-affiliated mags in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba
• Memorial U cancelling 2,500 journal subscriptions
• KRW Awards to be renamed Canadian Business Media Awards; other changes being considered
• Matthew Holmes named as CEO of Magazines Canada
• Group of big mag publishers intend to abandon NMAs and start their own awards program starting in 2017