Sky Canada Project report (PDF)

REPORT OF THE SKY CANADA PROJECT# 25
UAP Sightings in Canada:
Incidence and Reporting
Given the ephemeral nature of UAP sightings, reporting and
analyzing them can bring together very different people and
institutions, often in a haphazard way. UAP sightings can come
from a variety of sources, including ordinary citizens, airline
pilots and military personnel, and can be reported to different
authorities depending on the circumstances.
The incidence of UAP sightings has been analyzed over the
years by various survey organizations and researchers. In 1974,
Gallup conducted what may have been the first survey of the
Canadian public regarding UFOs. The results showed that 67%
of respondents had heard of UFOs, while 8% believed they
had seen one.18 By 1978, 81% of Canadians had heard of UFOs
while 10% thought they had seen one.
The 2024 Earnscliffe survey for the Sky Canada Project found
that 27% of the 1,008 respondents reported having observed an
object or phenomenon in the sky that they could not identify,
with 11% claiming to have made such an observation in the
past year (see Appendix B).
Based on data published by a number of organizations, it can
be estimated that between 600 and 1,000 cases of UAP sight-
ings are reported each year in Canada.19 20 In the absence of
a single data collection organization, the number and nature
of these observations cannot be established conclusively for
many reasons, including the possibility that the same sighting is
reported separately by more than one organization. This makes
it difficult to get a precise idea of the scale of the phenomenon.
In Canada, the longest and most recognized collection of UAP
sightings is “The Canadian UFO Survey” produced by a group of
Manitoba-based volunteers called Ufology Research, directed
by Mr. Chris Rutkowski. In 2023, they tallied 570 UFO reports;
since 1989, over 24,000 Canadian UFO reports have been cata-
logued. The major sources for this collection include other UFO
organizations such as the U.S.-based National UFO Reporting
Center (NUFORC), cases reported directly to Ufology Research
and Canadian government agencies. Of note, data from anoth-
er organization, MUFON Canada, was not available to Ufology
Research in 2023 (MUFON separately reported 321 cases in
2023) suggesting that the list may be incomplete. The survey
conducted by Earnscliffe in 2024 also suggests that the number
of sightings may be higher.
While advancements in technology and scientific inquiry have
improved our ability to investigate UAPs, the lack of standard-
ized reporting mechanisms, fragmented data collection, and
the spread of misinformation complicate efforts to correctly
evaluate the number of UAP cases in Canada every year.
E. Methodology and Findings
The Office of the Chief Science Advisor (OCSA) gath-
ered information from federal departments and agen-
cies, stakeholders, experts and other organizations,
on how UAP observations reported by the public are
handled in Canada. The main organizations and indi-
viduals consulted are listed in Appendix A. We also
examined publicly available records such as histor-
ical UAP data, as well as reports and investigations
related to UAPs. This included examining historical
practices and archives, as well as current procedures
and challenges associated with collecting and an-
alyzing reliable data. Finally, we reviewed the ap-
proaches taken by a few other countries to compare
with Canada and seek best practices.
The History of UAP Reporting
in Canada
In Canada, UAPs can be reported through multiple channels
involving federal, provincial and civil society organizations. At
the federal level, Transport Canada maintains the Civil Aviation
Daily Occurrence Reporting System (CADORS) for incidents
affecting aviation safety, including UAP sightings. The Royal
Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the Department of National De-
fence also monitor aerospace activity and may receive reports
through their operational networks.
Historically, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC)
collected and studied UAP reports from 1967 until the 1990s.
Also, law enforcement agencies such as the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police (RCMP), the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP),
and the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) may also serve as points of
contact for UAP sightings, particularly in cases involving public
safety. Civil society organizations, such as the Ufology Re-
search of Manitoba and MUFON Canada compile and analyze
UAP data from citizens. Additionally, local observatories, aca-
demic institutions, and amateur astronomy groups sometimes
act as informal channels for reporting and analyzing unfamiliar
aerial observations.
These diverse pathways illustrate the lack of a cohesive and
standardized system for reporting and follow-up to UAP phe-
nomena in Canada. The following section outlines the key
information gathered during the Project.
Geminids meteor shower in
Canadian wilderness. Image
composite created from 47
individual photos.
Some members of the Sky Canada project team researching
documents from the archives of the National Research Council
in Ottawa.