Sixth in a six-part series looking back at
90 years of The Legionary and Legion Magazine

After six lean years in which Legion Magazine had gone from 10 to five times a year, finances improved and in 2003 the magazine was able to publish a July/August issue. This brought the magazine up to its current schedule of six times a year with each issue being approximately 100 pages.

The turn of the century brought other changes. In September 2000, the magazine launched its website, www.legionmagazine.com, featuring selections from the print magazine and special blogs. Its presence on the Internet has expanded by interacting with readers through Facebook, Twitter and videos posted on YouTube.

In 2009, the magazine began selling on newsstands. The covers acquired a dynamic new look highlighting not just the cover story but also other feature articles. The number of direct subscriptions to the magazine began to grow.

The magazine published its first special interest publication (SIP) in 2010. Called WW I: The war that shaped a nation, it featured a text by historian Tim Cook, a timeline, more than 100 archival photographs and a map. It was the first of a series subtitled “Canada’s Ultimate Story.” The latest, Battle of the Pacific, is the 13th in a series. A second series, Celebrating Canada, will be on newsstands in November.

Not only was Legion Magazine gaining prominence on newsstands across the country but its work started to be recognized by peer organizations. That first SIP received an honourable mention in the National Magazine Awards and a bronze medal in the Canadian Newsstand Awards. Twice, in 2012 and 2013, Legion Magazine was a finalist for the Governor General’s History Award for popular media, the Pierre Berton Award. In 2014, the magazine won gold medals in the National Magazine Awards for feature articles. The magazine received a further three nominations in 2016.

This year, in recognition of the magazine’s 90 years of publication, Legion Magazine refreshed its look and began devoting more pages to military history. The readability of the text improved and new columns such as “Heroes and Villains,” “Artifacts” and “My Story” were added.

No doubt other changes await Legion Magazine in the years to come.