Sky Canada Project report (PDF)

REPORT OF THE SKY CANADA PROJECT# 5
Gaps identified in Canada
The Sky Canada Project has highlighted several gaps and areas
for potential improvements with respect to UAP reporting in
Canada. They include:
• Lack of a cohesive and standardized system for reporting
and follow-up: UAP reports are received by various federal
organizations in different forms with little coordination or
oversight, leading to inconsistent data collection that hin-
ders scientific investigations.
• Absence of public engagement: There is no official, acces-
sible platform for Canadians to report UAP sightings, obtain
potential explanations or review reliable information about
UAPs. This situation contributes to the proliferation of misin-
formation and disinformation.
• Limited analysis of UAP reports: Reports of UAP sightings
are not further analyzed unless they are deemed to pose
safety or security risks. Individuals reporting sightings rarely
receive follow-ups.
• Insufficient scientific involvement: Efforts to study UAPs
with scientific rigour and engage the Canadian scientific
community have been limited.
• Insufficient efforts to enhance science literacy, including
around planetary sciences, combined with the lack of
a transparent and cohesive system for UAP reporting and
analysis, exacerbates the impact of misinformation
and disinformation.
International comparisons
The management of UAP reporting in several countries was
also examined. While there is no single model or universally
established operating standard, the processes in place in a few
countries, notably the United States, France and Chile, provide
interesting examples of coordinated, transparent, and scientifi-
cally driven approaches to UAP reporting.
In the United States, the Department of Defense’s All-domain
Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) established in 2022 has
structured approaches for collecting and investigating data
on UAP sightings, and for communicating findings. In addi-
tion, NASA released an independent study in September 2023
focused on how best to collect future UAP data to advance
scientific study. Following the release of this report, NASA an-
nounced the creation of a new position: Director of Unidentified
Anomalous Phenomena Research, to further the study of UAPs
and coordinate research efforts.
Similarly, France’s GEIPAN (Groupe d’Études et d’Informations
sur les Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non identifiés / UAP Study
and Information Group) operates under the French space agen-
cy CNES (Centre national d’études spatiales / National Space
Study Centre) since 1977. Its mission is to collect, investigate
and archive UAP reports, and make its findings available to
the public.
In Chile, the SEFAA (Sección de Estudios de Fenómenos Aéreos
Anómalos / Section for the Study of Anomalous Aerial Phe-
nomena), serves as the official body responsible for collecting,
analyzing and scientifically studying UAPs. It operates within
the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics.
Executive
Summary
Introduction
The Sky Canada Project, led by the Office of the Chief Science
Advisor of Canada (OCSA), was initiated to review current
practices surrounding public reporting of unidentified aerial
phenomena (UAPs) in Canada. The project was spurred by
increased public interest and recent developments in other
countries, particularly the United States, where formal proce-
dures for addressing UAP sightings are in development. The
study explores the current reporting landscape, identifies gaps
and provides recommendations to enhance transparency and
scientific inquiry on UAP issues in Canada.
Methodology
The Office of the Chief Science Advisor gathered information
from federal departments and agencies, stakeholders, experts
and other organizations on how UAP observations reported by
the public are handled in Canada. The main organizations and
individuals consulted are listed in Appendix A. We also exam-
ined publicly available records such as historical UAP data, as
well as reports and investigations related to UAPs. This includ-
ed examining historical practices and archives, as well as cur-
rent procedures and challenges associated with collecting and
analyzing reliable data. We reviewed the approaches taken by
some other countries, mostly G7 nations and a few members of
the Commonwealth. In addition, in 2024, we commissioned the
private firm Earnscliffe Strategies1 to conduct an online survey
of Canadians to gauge public views on the topic of UAPs. The
results of the survey are presented in Appendix B.
Key findings
The landscape of UAP reporting
in Canada
Some public sources estimate that Canadians report some-
where between 600 and 1,000 UAP sightings annually. Accord-
ing to the survey commissioned for the Sky Canada Project,
one in four respondents say they have personally witnessed a
UAP in their lifetime. However, only 10% reported their sightings
and 40% of respondents would not know whom to contact for
reporting. Interestingly, a majority of respondents support the
idea of establishing a federal government service to gather UAP
reports and make findings publicly available.
Consultations with many federal departments and agencies re-
vealed that they occasionally receive UAP sighting information
and reports from their stakeholders and the public. However,
few of these organizations investigate these sightings unless
they pertain to specific aspects of their respective mandates,
such as national security, transportation safety or public safety.
Most departments do not compile the reports they receive,
making it difficult to provide information on the number of
reports or the type of responses given to witnesses. Currently,
UAP reports are scattered across multiple government and
nongovernment organizations.
Canada, like many other countries, has several citizen-driven
organizations dedicated to receiving, investigating and dis-
cussing reports of UAPs. Nonetheless, their presence does not
address the fragmented way that UAP sightings are handled by
both the authorities and the scientific community.
An airplane often leaves
behind a “condensation
trail” or “contrail”:
a linear cloud of frozen
water vapour from engine
exhaust. While a normal
atmospheric phenomenon,
contrails are frequently
linked with conspiracy
theories of secret programs
of geoengineering or even
UAPs.