UFO sightings in Canada

On February 10, 1951, a U.S. Navy aircraft flying to Iceland from Gander reported a near-collision with a large, orange, circular UFO that “almost literally flew circles around" the American aircraft.[2]

On June 18, 1960, a prospector told the Yellowknife RCMP detachment that a month earlier, he and his partner saw a UFO at Clan Lake, located 30 miles north of Yellowknife. According to UFOlogist Chris Rutkowski, the men claimed they saw a hovering object 4 to 6 feet wide that hit the surface of the lake. The RCMP investigated, but found nothing.[3]

Stefan Michalak claimed he was burned by one of two flying saucers with which he reportedly came into contact on May 19, 1967, near Falcon Lake, Manitoba. Ufologists claim that images of Michalak in the hospital show a grid of burn marks on his chest, and a similar grid appears burned into his T-shirt. Ufologists consider it to be one of the most documented UFO stories in Canada.[4]

Two books have been written on the alleged Falcon Lake occurrence:

• (2017). Stan Michalak, Chris Rutkowski. When They Appeared Falcon Lake 1967: The inside story of a close encounter. ISBN 9781772800951
• (2015). George Dudding. The Falcon Lake UFO Encounter. ISBN 978-1514246825

Skeptic Aaron Sakulich reviewed the report made by Michalak to police shortly after the incident, along with other evidence, and concluded that Michalak was indeed burned, but that the burns were likely caused by an accident brought on by alcohol consumption, and that Michalak, who was prospecting for silver ore near the lake at the time, probably made the story up to keep other prospectors out of the area.[5]

In April 2018, the Royal Canadian Mint released a $20 silver coin depicting the alleged event as part of its Canada's Unexplained Phenomena series, stating "According to Stefan Michalak’s account, two glowing objects descended from the sky on May 20, 1967, near Falcon Lake, Manitoba, where one landed close enough for him to approach. When the craft suddenly took flight, its emission set Michalak’s clothes ablaze, leaving him with mysterious burns… and an unusual tale to tell."[6][7]

The incident was the purported crash of an unidentified flying object in Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia in October 1967. On October 1, 2019, the Royal Canadian Mint released a glow-in-the-dark coin depicting the sighting.[8]

In Prince George, British Columbia, three unrelated witnesses reported a strange, round object in the late afternoon sky on January 1, 1969. The sphere radiated a yellow-orange light and appeared to ascend from 2,000 to 10,000 feet.[9]

Several sightings were reported of a red glowing UFO, sometimes described as "mischievous" or "playful", sighted in Southern Manitoba in 1975 and 1976.[10] The UFO was nicknamed "Charlie Redstar" by the public.[2]

On November 7, 1990, in Montreal, Quebec, witnesses reported a round, metallic object of about 540 metres wide over the rooftop pool of the Bonaventure Hotel. Eyewitnesses saw 8 to 10 lights forming into a circle above them, emitting bright white rays. The phenomenon lasted three hours, from 7 to 10 p.m., and moved slowly northwards. While none could identify the lights, a few witnesses, according to the next day's report in La Presse, were ready to express their belief that they were visited by aliens.[11]

A few witnesses say what they saw in a televised interview on CBC.[12]

During the night of January 25, 2010 there were multiple UFO sighting reports in Harbour Mille, Newfoundland and Labrador. Royal Canadian Mounted Police initially stated the reports were due to a missile launch, but later retracted the statement, and the Office of the Prime Minister stated that the UFOs were not missiles.[13] Another minor report of this incident came from Calgary where boys playing hockey reported seeing similar objects, about which they stated "We thought they were Transformers"

While putting out a bonfire late in the evening of June 4, 2014, John Sheppard witnessed unusual lights in the sky over the Gulf of St. Lawrence and captured 22 minutes of it on his cellphone. After reporting the incident to MUFON and their investigation concluding it being a confirmed sighting, CBC covered the event.[14] The next day, CBC released a follow-up article in which a series of alternate explanations for the event were presented.[15]

According to the 2002 Canadian UFO Survey published by Ufology Research of Manitoba, Toronto had the largest number of sightings with 34, followed by Vancouver with 31 and Terrace, B.C. with 25 reports.[16] In 2002, a typical UFO sighting lasted approximately 15 minutes.

The Canadian Federal Government (as of 2007) directs all UFO sightings to Chris Rutkowski of Ufology Research of Manitoba.[16][17]

On July 15, 2018, a Canadian news site mentioned a new study conducted by Ufology Research, formerly known as Ufology Research of Manitoba, stating there were more than 1,000 UFO sightings reported in Canada in 2017.[18]