Sky Canada Project report (PDF)

REPORT OF THE SKY CANADA PROJECT# 9
Message from the
Chief Science
Advisor of Canada
Whether satellites, drones, planes or atmospheric
events, no one would deny that there is more and
more activity in the skies above us. Our ability to
understand what we observe depends on a multitude
of factors, such as time of day, cloud cover, distance
and colour contrast.
Rarely does anyone mistake a flock of geese flying in V forma-
tion for a fighter squadron flying at high altitudes. But some-
times what is being observed in the sky is not immediately
clear, and a person may wonder if what they are seeing is a
natural phenomenon, a new type of aircraft or something
else altogether.
The world of aviation continues to grow and diversify, serving
business, national defence, tourism and recreational needs.
More than 100,000 commercial flights take place every day
around the world. Engineers seek to improve the shape of
aircraft and find lighter, stronger materials to make them faster
and more efficient. To save energy and reduce the environmen-
tal impact of air travel, there are even plans to use airships
and balloons of various types for passenger transportation
and cargo.
Meanwhile, drone technology is becoming increasingly afford-
able and ever more impressive, allowing virtually anyone to
pilot devices as small as a bird or as large as a vehicle. Can we
identify these devices at night as well as during the day? Can
we accurately assess their distance and speed based solely on
their navigation lights?
A light moving slowly across the night sky could be a drone
100 metres above the ground or a satellite at an altitude of
600 kilometres reflecting the sun. To the naked eye, a train of
Starlink communication satellites appears as faint points of
light moving in a straight line and in complete silence. If the
observer fails to recognize the signs of that new technology,
will there be someone nearby to offer the correct information?
Or will the observer rely on social media to share what was
seen and find some explanations?
Social media and the Internet have it all—from the good and the
very good to the bad and the ugly. Which Canadian website can
people visit to report sightings of unidentified aerial phenome-
na (UAPs)? To which official organization can they send photos,
videos or detailed descriptions for help in understanding what
they cannot explain on their own? It was with these questions in
mind that we launched the Sky Canada Project.
Our goal was to find the current resources and processes in
place for handling and following up on UAP reports, to compare
them with the best practices in other countries, and to make
recommendations for potential improvements. Accordingly,
this report focuses on the services available to the Canadian
public for reporting UAPs, and not on the UAPs themselves;
understanding this distinction is critical to reading the report.
The Sky Canada Project is not about investigating what UAPs
are. It is about science informing and serving everyone.
a Sky Canada Project Team: Luc Gauthier, Marc Legault, Jean-François Lepage, Serge Nadon, Gary Slater, Valérie Verrier.
The preparation of this report has garnered more public anti-
cipation than any project in the history of this office. Numerous
individuals and organizations have stepped forward to offer
their assistance, and we are grateful for their interest.
On behalf of the Sky Canada Project Team,a I would like to
thank the many contributors who agreed to answer our ques-
tions in support of our work: federal public servants, journal-
ists, Canadian and foreign academics, subject matter experts
and members of the public. Our study could not have been
completed without their input.
Mona Nemer, C.M., C.Q., FRSC, FCIC
Chief Science Advisor of Canada