  In this white paper (WP), we highlight several examples of small and moderate
aperture telescopes that are being used for education and/or research. We
further discuss potential costs for establishing new, small observatories, as
well as joining existing international consortia. The WP includes a brief
overview of select observing sites, with a discussion on how small telescopes
at exceptional observing locations can be competitive, under certain
circumstances, with larger and more expensive facilities located at poorer
sites. In addition to research, these facilities enable many different types of
educational experiences for wide range of people, from high school students to
undergraduates to graduate students to postdocs. Canada should remain committed
to partnering with large, international observatories such as CFHT, Gemini, and
TMT, but it should also negotiate international agreements and commit funding
to expand the use of small and moderate research observatories at domestic and
international sites through coordination with the NRC, the Tri-Council, and the
Canadian Foundation for Innovation. Both capital and operational costs (with
site rental costs allowed) need to be included in support possibilities. CASCA
should establish and maintain a small to moderate telescope expression of
interest database that would help to facilitate Canadian institutions in
organizing consortia, particularly for smaller institutions. The astronomical
community should work with the NRC to make existing facilities more accessible
to the astronomical community for research. This could involve, for example,
automating the Plaskett and/or providing travel funds for supporting classical
observing modes. Finally, a small to moderate aperture facility in the Arctic
would be a world-class observatory and should be advanced over the next decade.
