Linda Gourlay of Saltscapes named Magazines Canada Volunteer of the Year

Linda Gourlay, an owner co-publisher of Saltscapes magazine, published out of Halifax, has been named Volunteer of the Year by Magazines Canada.The award is made annually to one individual whose outstanding volunteer contributions have had a national impact on the Canadian consumer magazine industry.

Gourlay has been a driving force behind the creation of the Atlantic Magazines Association and a staunch magazine advocate and generous volunteer within the industry for many years. This includes membership of the Magazines Canada board of directors for 6 years and chairing the consumer marketing committee for the last 4 years. She is the current chair of the International Regional Magazine Association (IRMA) conference to be held in Nova Scotia in fall 2008.

In addition to these contributions, Linda has made time throughout her busy career to share her expertise and passion at professional development events such as MagNet, the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association conference and the Magazines Canada School for Advertising Sales, among other venues [the association said in a release].

“Linda Gourlay is a mentor, role model and dedicated volunteer who has brought tremendous value to the publishing industry in Canada. Linda has given of her valuable time to ensure others can benefit from targeted and effective professional development opportunities. She continues to be a dynamic force for positive change in our industry,” says Publisher of Alberta Venture and Unlimited, Ruth Kelly.

The award will be presented at the Magazines Canada Annual Luncheon on Thursday, June 5, 2008 at MagNet, Canada’s Magazine Conference/La conférence canadienne des magazines.

Previous winners have been Terry Sellwood of Quarto Communications and Michael Fox of Rogers Publishing.