Gail Johnston Habs

[Update: An earlier version of this story incorrectly suggested that Style at Home was launched by Transcontinental in 2000. It was in fact launched by Telemedia in 1997. We have ammended the error.]

Gail Johnston Habs, founding editor of Style at Home magazine, is retiring in May after 25 years in the Canadian magazine industry. Habs worked on Select Homes and Foods and Canadian Select Homes, both owned by Telemedia, and became editor of Style at Home when the magazine was launched in 1997. When Transcontinental Media Inc. purchased Telemedia in January 2000, Habs went with Style at Home to its new digs. During her time as editor, Habs oversaw the launches of the styleathome.com website and the Style at Home consumer show.

The National Advertising Benevolent Society of Canada (NABS) has finalized its 2009-10 board of directors. Some industry notables now on the board include: Joan Brehl, ex-vice president of strategic planning for the shuttered Time Canada; Mitch Dent, ex-senior vice president of sales for Rogers Publishing; T.J. Flynn, senior vice president of integrated marketing for Transcontinental Media, and Bob White, former president of the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Meanwhile, a number of staffers who were laid off when St. Joseph Media closed Wish and Gardening Life and when Transcontinental Media closed Canadian Home & Country have resurfaced elsewhere in the industry.

First the ex-Wish employees:

Kyle Gordon, former beauty assistant, is now working on custom magazines at Redwood Custom Communications.

Andrea Mills, former home associate editor, is now with Canadian House & Home as style editor for special interest publications.

Laurie Jennings, former managing editor, is also at House & Home, working as senior features editor.

Tory Healy, formerly the food associate editor, is the new associate editor at Azure and Designlines Toronto.

And Ruth Alves, former senior associate art director at Wish, is filling in as associate art director at Style at Home until March while Karen Williams is on maternity leave (congratulations on the baby boy).

As for the former Home & Country team, editor Erin McLaughlin, executive editor Suzanne Moutis, art director Jose Woertman, assistant editor Karina Leimanis and assistant art director Florence Kwok have all become part of the Canadian Gardening staff, while design editor Ann Marie Favot is now with sister publication Style at Home.

Finally, Sandi Tower, former art assistant at Gardening Life, is now assistant art director for Zoomer magazine. “It was a huge shock when I found out that Gardening Life was done,” said Tower. “I am so thankful that I am now at Zoomer. They have an amazing team and we all work really well together.”