* Kirstine Layfield has been appointed senior VP of lifestyle programming for the broadcasting division of Alliance Atlantis. As of Feb. 24, Layfield assumes overall programming responsibility for Life Network, HGTV, Food Network Canada and Discovery Health Channel.

Most recently Layfield held the position of group publisher for Brunico Communications, publisher of Playback, KidScreen and RealScreen magazines. Previously, Layfield was senior VP of programming for Hallmark Entertainment, acted as GM and VP of Trio/Newsworld, a joint venture of the CBC and Power Corporation, and was president of Paragon Entertainment’s distribution arm.

* Bart Yabsley moves from senior to executive VP of CTV Specialty Television. He joined the company, then known as NetStar Communications, in 1994 as legal counsel and worked his way up to VP and general counsel, corporate. Previously Yabsley was an associate with Toronto law firm Goodman and Goodman, specializing in corporate/commercial and securities law.

* Dawn Kuisma has been appointed director of programming and development for Women in Film and Television – Toronto. Previously Kusima was a program consultant for the Ontario Media Development Corporation, where she helped launch the Business Innovations Group, and has been a festival program manager at Hot Docs. Her production experience includes documentaries The Body: Inside Stories and Turning Points of History as well as directing the film Shave It, Baby, Shave It, which aired on CBC’s Rough Cuts.

* Senator International, producers of Vincenzo Natali’s Nothing, have appointed Pierre Weisbein executive VP international sales and distribution. Previously, Weisbein was senior VP international at StudioCanal, where he was responsible for foreign sales for The Pianist and Mulholland Drive.

* Lisa Green has been appointed news director at Citytv Vancouver. Previously, the Vancouver native was a senior producer at BCTV News.