Paddle Canada's Board of Directors, is pleased to announce a new partnership with Rapid Media starting in 2012. As the publisher of Adventure Kayak, Canoeroots & Family Camping and Rapid magazines, Rapid Media will be the official media partner of Paddle Canada. Members will receive their choice of Rapid Media magazines beginning with the February 2012 issue.  This will eventually replace Paddle Canada's own longstanding publication, KANAWA.  Two more great issues of KANAWA will be published up until February of 2012, so expect some overlap of magazines in your mailbox up until early spring.

The decision has been a long-time coming. Many of the PC board members didn't want to let KANAWA go after 30 years of history. In its early years, it was the voice of paddlers when there was no other national paddling magazine.  Times have changed, plus with the economic realities facing not-for-profits on a whole, it just made sense to form a partnership. Several proposals were solicited from publishers across Canada. In the end, Rapid Media's proposal seemed the best fit for us.

Paddle Canada expects members will greatly benefit from the targeted titles Rapid Media offers. KANAWA wasn't targeting many of our instructor members because of the shift in membership over the past years. Now all members will benefit from choosing the magazine that matches their paddling discipline, whether it's canoeing, sea kayaking or river kayaking (and likely paddleboarding special features).

The "KANAWA" title will be preserved as a Paddle Canada-sponsored section inside Rapid, Adventure Kayak and Canoeroots, providing readers with a snapshot of association happenings.    
 
"I'm excited about all PC members reading our magazines, it certainly strengthens our reach to enthusiasts and industry leaders," says Rapid Media founder and publisher Scott MacGregor. "But the big win here is the rest of the paddling community being more aware of the efforts of their national paddling association."   
Just last year, the American Canoe Association (ACA) and Rapid Media announced a similar partnership and that the ACA would no longer be producing PADDLER magazine, a long-time membership benefit also available to outside subscribers. 
 
"In the early years, (at Rapid Media) all our big paddling initiatives were perceived as being in direct conflict with either association," remembers MacGregor. Working together with both the ACA and Paddle Canada, MacGregor sees all three organizations now "perfectly aligned to grow paddling."    
 
Rapid Media has been the leader in paddlesports media since 1999. Rapid Media publishes Rapid,  Adventure Kayak, Canoeroots & Family Camping and Kayak Angler magazines, and produces the Reel Paddling Film Festival and Rapid Media TV. For more information, visit www.rapidmedia.com.

   
 
It is hoped, the partnership will also open the door to working with the ACA, Parks Canada, Canadian Heritage Rivers and some of Rapid Media's other major partners.
 
To kick of the new partnership, Paddle Canada members will receive a complimentary issue of Rapid Media's "Paddling Buyer's Guide 2011" this November, courtesy of Rapid Media.    
 
The PC Board of Directors would like to thank KANAWA publisher/managing director,  Anne Baxter,  for the many years and dedication in producing Canada's paddling magazine.   Ms Baxter will go on to work on other outdoor and adventure magazine contracts in the future.  We encourage all, to continue to enjoy, support & celebrate KANAWA over the next few months. 
 
Sincerely,

Graham Ketcheson
Executive Director