It is with pleasure that I write to you as the new President of our society. The next two years will be busy ones for us, bringing challenges but also opportunities. IYA 2009 will allow us to raise the visibility of astronomy in Canada, not just with the public, but also with our colleagues in other disciplines, and with those on whom we depend for funding. We must make the most of this opportunity.
The IYA and EPO committees are very actively engaged and deeply committed to developing and implementing an ambitious program of activities -please follow this link to the IYA poster . The recent generous gift of the Trottier Foundation has provided essential manpower to implement this program. Nevertheless additional funds are needed to enable our key activities such as the National Speakers Program.
As agreed at the last AGM, we are beginning a campaign to raise funds at a level comparable to those committed by the amateur astronomers of the RASC and FAAQ. Our target will be $30,000. Each member will soon be receiving by mail a fund-raising request. Please consider what you can contribute. Even a small amount is helpful as it shows that the CASCA membership is committed to this cause, which will help leverage other funds.
The LRP and MTR have been effective tools in consolidating our community and clearly defining our most important ives and activities. It continues to provide a strong message to government that we are united and have a clear vision and a well-developed plan. It provides a foundation and focus for the fund raising activities of the Coalition for Canadian Astronomy.
It will soon be appropriate to revisit the plan and bring it up to date. This could take the form of a new LRP or "decadal plan" that would doubtless have strong continuity with the present LRP. The timing of the start of a new LRP process is under discussion by the Board. Factors influencing this include the status of funding of the present LRP, the availability of resources, and coordination with the agencies that will participate in the process. We will of course want to take full advantage of the momentum generated by the IYA.
There is no doubt that this is an exciting time for astronomy, and I look forward to working with many of you and helping to guide our society during my term in office.
Paul Hickson