John Van Velzen former Publisher and Partner of Camar Publications

John VAN VELZEN, former publisher of Camar Publications lost his battle with cancer on april 14th .In the early '80s, along with a business partner, they created the Markham based publishing company Camar Publications, that included some of Canada's most popular magazines, Canadian Gardening, Canadian Workshop, Photo Life and Crafts Plus.

 

The May 1990 issue of Masthead Magazine called him the Czar of Canadian Special Interest Magazines. John immigrated to Canada from the Netherlands in the 1950s.

 

Former Camar publication

He started his publishing career with  "This is Ontario", a magazine giveaway in duty-free shops that focused on travel and tourism. He moved the magazine beyond the duty-free shops and into The Beer Stores. The controlled circulation skyrocketed from 35,000 to one million, but so did the costs, and after 4 years the business was no longer sustainable.