Maureen Halushak leaves Chatelaine full of hope for the magazine’s future | Canada Voices

For almost a century, Chatelaine has been a staple in Canadian households. Since 1928, the magazine – whether tucked into women’s handbags on the subway, or sitting in neat stacks at the doctor’s office – has quietly documented the stories of women in Canada, from the rise of the birth control pill to the fight for equal pay.

Last month, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Maureen Halushak, announced she will be stepping down after seven years, and moving to a job with the Alzheimer Society of Canada (her mother suffered from the disease). The Globe spoke with Ms. Halushak to discuss the state of print media, the changes she’s seen at the magazine and what Chatelaine represents in 2026.

What does Chatelaine mean to women today?

We want to talk about all the issues that matter to Canadian women. I spent a lot of time looking in our archives for our 95th anniversary a couple years ago. And while the issues of the day have changed, the cornerstones of what we do – taking women’s concerns seriously, being a source of trusted information – that hasn’t changed.

Can you talk a little about some of those issues?

“Should you work outside of the home?” was a big conversation early on in the magazine. Then there was the birth control pill: what you need to know about it, the ethics around it, the decision around it.

Sexism in the workplace has been another huge point of conversation. Also, married life, the “duties of a wife” and figuring out how to divide domestic labour.

I think some of these points are relevant even 98 years later. Some of the issues never change, unfortunately. Or they push forward ever so slightly.

That seems bleak.

Well, Doris Anderson [a former Chatelaine editor] has a really amazing memoir called Rebel Daughter. In it, she said sometimes you have to hit a topic over the head 100 times before you can make progress. I like to hope that some things have gotten a bit better.

How do you reckon with the term “women’s magazine”? Shouldn’t everyone care about issues that affect women?

I love women and I love women’s spaces. That doesn’t mean it has to be read exclusively by women, but I do love the idea of a women’s magazine and hearing from other women. It’s a form of community.

How has the magazine itself changed over the 20-plus years since you started there?

I started on a three-month fact-checking contract. I was part of a team of three full-time fact checkers. The magazine was 12 issues a year and 400-plus pages.

Unfortunately, the team has gotten smaller. We’re down to four [print issues]. Today, I have only three full-time editors in addition to myself. Our resources have definitely declined in terms of budgets. But we are still putting out content that we’re incredibly proud of.

I am excited for the future of the brand. For me, personally, it was just the right time to move on.

There’s also a lot more competition today for attention and eyeballs.

Just like everyone else in the world, I struggle with putting down my phone.

Obviously people can get recipes online now. It pains me to hear that people get recipes from ChatGPT or TikTok and that kind of stuff. I think we have to hope that people see value in a trusted source of media.

What is a “Chatelaine woman” in 2026?

When I started, there was a period of time where they had a lot of money to do reader surveys. The “ideal reader” they came up with was a woman named Robyn. She was about 34, lived in the suburbs and had three kids. She had blond, short hair.

Today, I think that Robyn is too confining. If you only have one demo in mind for your brand, it’s too confining. Today, we say our reader is 35-plus. And I think what they want is a Canadian perspective on women’s issues – on serious women’s issues – but also a lot of fun.

I don’t want people to agree with us all the time. It would be boring if you agreed with everything your friend said. I just want to have a lively conversation.

Is that who the magazine represents? A friend?

I would say it’s your friend who shares a lot of opinions, who wants to talk about all the things that women are talking about, big and small – whether it’s caregiving, career transition or Justin and Katy Perry.

The name Chatelaine was originally a reference to the ring of keys that women held for the household. What would the modern-day version of that be?

I like the significance of Chatelaine. But I think Chatelaine in the past was thought of as more subservient, where the domestic home sphere wasn’t as respected.

I think now, I would put the emphasis more on the woman being in charge, thinking about the keys and the keyholder as not just holding the key to the house. You’re holding the key to the world.

The magazine celebrates its 100th birthday in 2028. What’s your prediction for its future?

I know Chatelaine is remaining in print – there’s no question of that for the foreseeable future. But I don’t necessarily think that a brand needs to stay in print to stay relevant. I think that Chatelaine can take many different forms. I love print. Do we need to stay in print forever? I don’t know.

At the end of the day, for any media brand, all we have is the trust of our reader. The readers have such a strong relationship with Chatelaine, so just honouring the reader and continuing to earn the reader’s trust is my fondest dream for Chatelaine.

This interview has been condensed and edited.