Fonds documents the operations and functions of the Canadian Phytopathological Society (CPS) from 1919 until 1999, including the establishment of the society, general operations (finances, membership, nomination and election of executive, awards, constitution and by-laws, committees), conferences and annual general meetings (planning and operation of conferences, business meetings), collaboration with other scientific societies (Biological Council of Canada, International Society for Plant Pathology), the administration of CPS publications (Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology, and occasional publications), and other matters. The fonds includes some records documenting the Canadian Branch of the American Phytopathological Society (APS), the immediate predecessor body to the CPS.
Fonds consists of correspondence, memoranda, documents from meetings (agenda, minutes, reports), financial statements, conference proceedings and programmes (including galley proofs), newsletters, membership directories, and other documents.
Canadian Phytopathological Society : The Canadian Phytopathological Society (CPS) promotes education, research, communication within the profession, and public awareness of plant pathology and plant diseases. The CPS achieves these goals through conferences, publications, and collaboration with other scientific societies. The CPS was formed in 1929 as a federal not-for-profit organisation when the Canadian Branch of the American Phytopathological Society voted to separate and form an independent society.
CPS sponsors a conference, held in conjunction with the society's annual general meeting, where scientists and students present new research. To broaden the communication and learning opportunities, the conference is sometimes co-hosted with the conference of another scientific society such as the American Phytopathological Society or the International Society of Plant Pathology.
The CPS publishes the Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology, the CPS News (a newsletter), the Canadian Plant Disease Survey, and occasional titles. The Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology (Can. J. Plant Pathol.) publishes scientific research articles (original contributions to any area of plant pathology), notes, reviews, and announcements in English or French. The Canadian Plant Disease Survey (CPDS) is a periodical which records the incidence and severity of plant diseases and assesses losses from disease. The Society has published a small number of books, including Diseases and Pests of Vegetable Crops in Canada (in collaboration with the Entomological Society of Canada) and Plant Pathology in Canada (on the history of the science and profession of phytopathology).
The CPS is run by a board consisting of the officers (president, president-elect, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and membership secretary), the past president, and two directors. The society relies on the work of committees to provide research and recommendations in areas such as awards, nominations, resolutions, conferences, and publications. Membership features specialists in all areas of phytopathology and includes scientists based in Canada and in other countries.
