Sky Canada Project report (PDF)

REPORT OF THE SKY CANADA PROJECT# 27
In 1967, on the recommendation of the Minister of National
Defence, the responsibility for overseeing UFO reports was
transferred to the NRC, which then became the main service for
receiving UFO reports from the public. This transfer of respon-
sibility included the declassification of DND’s Project Second
Storey and the Department of Transport’s Project Magnet, as
well as taking over the management of previous UFO reports.
According to the NRC, until 1995, they were officially tasked
with collecting information on UFOs from the public, munici-
palities, and other federal departments such as the RCMP and
DND. Dr. Peter Millman, in charge of investigating and answer-
ing queries on behalf of the NRC, would often offer explana-
tions (such as stars, planets, meteors, optical phenomena) for
the sightings submitted by the public. Most, but not all, UFO
reports received by the NRC were compiled into what became
known as the “Non-Meteoritic Sightings” file.
In 1995, the NRC stopped collecting UFO reports altogether.
All related material was transferred to what is now known as Li-
brary and Archives Canada (LAC), which presently holds these
records. LAC’s collection of UFO documents, estimated at
15,000 pages, of which some 9,500 have been digitized, is open
to the public and provides valuable information on the history
of UFO sightings and the Canadian government response to
them. As for Dr. Millman’s personal archives, which are avail-
able to the public through the NRC archiving service, they
contain only few documents related to the UFO topic.
The history of UAP reporting within the Canadian federal gov-
ernment reflects a fluctuating level of interest and responsi-
bility over time, with various departments and agencies inter-
mittently engaging in investigations. From early initiatives such
as Project Magnet and Project Second Storey to the eventual
transfer of UFO reporting to the National Research Council of
Canada, the government’s approach evolved but often lacked
continuity and consistent focus. These efforts were shaped by
a combination of scientific curiosity, public interest and insti-
tutional caution. While projects like those led by Wilbert Smith
and Dr. Peter Millman sought to provide scientific frameworks
for understanding UAP sightings, they faced skepticism within
government circles and often struggled to gain traction. The
limited adoption of standardized reporting mechanisms and
the eventual cessation of formal investigations in 1995 marked
a decline in federal involvement.
Today, the legacy of these efforts is preserved through archives
such as those at Library and Archives Canada, which serve as
a valuable resource for understanding the historical context of
the UAP issue in Canada. The records highlight the challenges
of balancing public interest, scientific inquiry and government
priorities in addressing a complex and often ill-defined subject.
While interest in UAPs is undiminished, these historical lessons
underscore the importance of transparency, collaboration and
a rigorous approach to future investigations.
Federal Government
The history of UAP reporting within the federal government
spans several decades but includes extended periods with
minimal or no activity. Additionally, different federal depart-
ments were transiently involved, often transferring the respon-
sibility to other federal organizations.
In 1950, the Department of Transport granted one of their
engineers, Wilbert Smith, permission to do part-time research
to investigate whether some UFOs could use the power of
Earth’s magnetic field as a source of propulsion. This was
called Project Magnet,21 and Smith gradually expanded its
scope to include investigations into the validity of UFO obser-
vations. At one point, Smith launched a balloon over Ottawa
to monitor UFO-related public and media reports of the event.
He also established a UFO observatory on the outskirts of Ot-
tawa. Although his efforts in detecting UFOs were unsuccess-
ful, they did attract media interest, as well as unwelcome at-
tention for the department. Unable to convince his colleagues
of the merits of his research, Smith had to continue his work
privately after the Department of Transport terminated Project
Magnet in 1954.
In 1952, the Defence Research Board (DRB), Canada’s then
military science agency within the Department of National De-
fence (DND), established a committee called Project Second
Storey to examine the occurrences of “flying saucers” passing
over Canadian territory as reported by different branches of
the armed services. The Committee was chaired by the Na-
tional Research Council of Canada (NRC) astronomer Dr. Pe-
ter Millman; it included members from various arms of the Ca-
nadian military intelligence and other government agencies.
The committee did not investigate UFO sightings, but it devel-
oped a standardized form22 to facilitate the reporting of UFOs
across various government departments. This form was never
broadly adopted or used. The committee held six meetings
from 1952 to 1954 and concluded that “UFOs neither posed a
security threat, nor were of scientific interest.”c It recommend-
ed ending all investigations by the Canadian military.
c Hayes, Matthew, Search for the Unknown: Canada’s UFO Files and the Rise of Conspiracy Theory, McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2022, Montreal.
Between 1954 and 1967, public reports continued to be sub-
mitted to various federal departments and agencies including
the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Transport Canada, and
the Department of National Defence, as well as to local police
departments and non-federal entities. These organizations
occasionally conducted inquiries or logged sightings for re-
cord-keeping purposes.
The first page of a version of the UAP reporting form
developed as part of Canada’s Project Second Storey in
the 1950’s.
NRC’s Astronomer and Researcher Emeritus Peter Millman,
here at the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics circa 1960’s.
Millman chaired Project Second Storey in the 1950’s and
was responsible for the non-meteoritic file at NRC until
he retired.