Before
World War II, there were few professional astronomers in Canada. There were two government-run, national observatories, the
Dominion Observatory, which opened in 1905 in
Ottawa,
Ontario and the
Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, which opened in 1918 in
Saanich, British Columbia. In addition, the
University of Toronto's
David Dunlap Observatory, which opened in 1935 in
Richmond Hill, Ontario, housed the only significant university faculty and the only centre for graduate studies in astronomy in Canada. During this period, the most prominent astronomical organization in Canada was the
Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, which counted both amateurs and professional astronomer as members. Canadians also held leadership positions and attended meetings of the
American Astronomical Society (AAS). Beginning with Ottawa in 1911, several Canadian cities hosted AAS meetings. Canada was also an early member of the
International Astronomical Union, with activities coordinated through the
Dominion Observatory. In the 1960s, university programmes in science expanded rapidly and astronomy groups and departments appeared across Canada. This influx of astronomers, along with the closure of the Dominion Observatory in 1970, created demand for a professional society of Canadian astronomers. CASCA was founded in May 1971 by a committee of the Canadian government's
National Research Council and
Helen Sawyer Hogg was elected as the first president. CASCA was incorporated in 1983 as a society of professional astronomers. == Publications ==