Canada Occidentalis provincial report MMDCCLX

In accordance with the Senatus Consultum a.d. V Id Mar MMDCCLIV, concerning the Regulation of Gubernatorial Prorogation, I submit to the Senate my request to be prorogued in the position of governor of the province of Canada Occidentalis. My report on the province follows.

STATE OF THE PROVINCE – JANUARY 2760 A.U.C.

The province saw three more citizens join in 2759 A.U.C., which equates to a 27% increase in its population. In the last tax season, seven citizens paid their taxes and I have personally underwritten tax payments for 2760 A.U.C. for a proportion of the provincial citizen roll, as outlined in my provincial budget.

The senior staff of the province met on a regular basis this year, which has helped to solidify the review and planning process necessary for continued improvement in the management of the province.

Outreach activity was commenced in 2759 A.U.C. on Vancouver Island, in Regio Columbia. This aims to expose a wider audience to classical civilization in general, the history and culture of Rome specifically and act as a conduit for future citizenship in Nova Roma. A general approach to increased recruitment was discussed at various of these meetings and a continuation of the tri-partite strategy of personal, post-secondary and outreach recruitment was endorsed for a further year.

Promotional materials were updated and improved in 2759 A.U.C. and a comprehensive Wiki entry for the province was completed. The provincial web page was also updated.

The level of posting activity on the provincial Yahoo saw a slight decrease on that for 2759, with 175 posts compared to 189 in 2759 A.U.C. This equates to a 7% decrease. The intermittent problem with spam posting was resolved by removing open membership of the list, which while desirable is now counter-productive, moving instead to approval required membership.

Three provincial projects were initiated in 2759 A.U.C. one designed to initiate a more local Nova Roman structure and two aimed at increasing provincial revenues; the first, Oppidum status for the City of Edmonton, and the second and third, the manufacture and sale of a provincial flag and a provincial medal. The latter two will have the design and production costs met from private investment within the province and there will be no application for release of the province’s share of the taxation revenue or for central funding.

My Procurator, Gaius Vipsanius Agrippa, received reports that the Legio XXI Rapax, based in Calgary, has been disbanded. These initial reports appear to be confirmed. Gaius Vipsanius has been attempting to contact the former officers of the Legio.

The year concluded with an attempt to resolve the boundary issues between the province and its neighbour Canada Orientalis, this initiative being sponsored by the then Consul Po. Minucia Strabo. Agreement was reached between myself and my counterpart, Lucius Aurelius Severus, together with Po. Minucia Strabo. In order to effectively describe the boundaries of the two provinces it was felt that the clearest and most concise way was to reference the macronational Canadian provinces that comprise the territory of each region within the two Nova Roman Canadian provinces. The Senate rejected this motion however due to concerns over the limitations that would place on the governors of each province to determine internal structure. Therefore the boundary issue remains unresolved, and although Lucius Aurelius and I have agreement on the issue it would be more appropriate that a final determination is achieved in order to prevent further disagreements between subsequent governors of both provinces.

PAST ACHIEVEMENTS – 2759 A.U.C.

Meetings: In 2757 A.U.C. there was one meeting of the provincial staff, and one again in 2758 A.U.C. I have initiated regular meetings of the staff and there were five such meetings in 2759 A.U.C. Details can be found recorded in the province’s Wiki entry under the EVENTS section:

http://www.novaroma.org/nr/Provincia_Canada_Occidentalis_%28Nova_Roma%29

Outreach: In 2759 A.U.C. my legate on Vancouver Island, Gaia Aurelia Falco Silvana, established a Roman Focus Group. Through continued local advertising she has managed to establish regular meetings of the group, which has discussed Latin, history, cooking and Nova Roma. A more detailed account of the meetings can also be found in the EVENTS section.

Citizen roll stabilisation: It was a priority to prevent the continued erosion of the citizen base in the province, and while the increase in population is very small numerically (albeit not as a percentage of the 2759 A.U.C. total), it was a positive sign that the trend downwards has in the short-term been arrested and reversed. While continuing efforts in this area are mandatory I would describe the current population trend as slightly optimistic.

FUTURE INTENTIONS - 2760 A.U.C.

If the Senate sees fit to prorogue me I will continue the development of the province with the planned implementation of the goals listed below.

Oppidum status for the City of Edmonton: I have endorsed the establishment of an Oppidum within the municipal boundaries of the City of Edmonton. I will finalize this application in early 2760 A.U.C. and submit it to the Consuls to be placed before the Senate for discussion. This project is in accordance with the generally accepted need to create more locally based Nova Roman communities, and it is hoped that this will assist in increasing citizen applications by establish a local, rather than just a provincial, identity.

Provincial meetings: To double the number of meetings of my senior staff from five in 2759 A.U.C. to ten for 2760 A.U.C.

Provincial revenue projects: I will continue the development of the provincial flag and medal. Status updates will be made available through the PROJECTS section of the Wiki. The research stage of both of these projects has been completed and local manufacturers identified. Sample products have been obtained and examined for quality by the senior staff. In the first quarter of 2760 A.U.C. it is my intention to have the design stage of both items concluded and for production to be initiated thereafter.

Citizen roll increase: I will continue my tri-partite recruitment strategy. I have initiated written contact with classics clubs and groups in all the major universities in Western Canada, as well as two faculty contacts. The objective is to link these efforts to the GO ROMAN! project of Sodalitas Egressus.

Tax payments: I will continue with my objective of reaching 100% tax compliance, either through voluntary payments by individual citizens or through subsidised payments.

Place names: I will continue to support and encourage my Procurator, Gaius Vipsanius Agrippa, in his project to create more authentic Latin names for the regions and population centres of the province.

Living history and educational strategy: In order to widen the exposure of Nova Roma I propose to establish a strategy that aims to offer informative sessions on Roman life, culture, history and religion to interested groups. This will have to be a gradual development as there are limited human resources available to the province, but once established it should offer opportunities to significantly increase our reach into at least one of the three regions of the province.

Provincial legion: As it is now clear that Legio XXI Rapax has disbanded, I will seek to establish a Legio within the general area of the City of Edmonton, this being the area where the senior staff of the province can most easily provide support.

If successful this will increase the exposure for Nova Roma within the province, support the Oppidum in Edmonton (if the Senate sees fit to approve this status), and also assist in the expansion of the GO ROMAN! project and other outreach activity, particularly within the educational and living history sphere of activity.

This initiative will be in addition to trying to assist in the re-establishment during 2760 A.U.C. of Legio XXI Rapax. The benefits to the province of having two functioning legions in close proximity (Calgary and Edmonton are only 276 km {171 miles} apart – a small distance by Canadian standards) are substantial.

Religious development: It is my priority in 2760 A.U.C. to widen the exposure of the Religio Romana within the province. In my estimation this can be best achieved within the context of my tri-partite strategy on recruitment, and the individual contacts and mentoring opportunities that stem from that, together with the establishment of my living history and educational strategy, especially through the development of at least one functioning provincial legion. The latter will enable the introduction of an explanation of religious practices and beliefs within the context of public events and displays.

SUMMARY

2759 A.U.C. was a good year for the province. Increased interaction between the senior staff has led to an even firmer and more unified vision for the direction of provincial strategies and I commend all of my staff to the Senate for their hard work and dedication to the province and Nova Roma. I hope to be given the opportunity to continue to lead the stabilisation and development of the province and to direct some very exciting and promising projects over the coming year.

The Consul Lucius Arminius Faustus has asked that governors include “a brief one paragraph speech between " " to be released to the senatores with the pledge and the merits of the candidate”.

“I pledge, if prorogued, to continue to give my very best efforts, and where necessary personal finances, to support the development and expansion of the activities and citizen-base of the province of Canada Occidentalis. I further pledge to continue to develop the harmonious working relationship that exists between my staff; based on the mutual respect we all have for each other, through the encouragement of their project leadership roles and delivery of their core functions. I have extensive experience macronationally in the management of large teams, the development of large budgets, policy, legislation and the delivery of core services within the fields of policing and the Justice Department. Within Nova Roma I have served as a provincial scribe and legate prior to my appointment as governor, as well as being a senior officer in Sodalitas Egressus and Sodalitas Militarium. I have served as Accensus to C. Popillius Laenas and currently serve in that capacity for Ti. Galerius Paulinus. Last year I served as Quaestor for the Curule Aedile C. Equitius Cato and this year serve as his praetorian scribe and Main List moderator. My complete service details can be found here:

http://www.novaroma.org/bin/cpoints?id=7228

http://www.novaroma.org/nr/Gnaeus_Iulius_Caesar_%28Nova_Roma%29