Management of Public Reporting of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in Canada

The Sky Canada Project was launched in 2022 to assess resources and processes for handling public UAP reports in Canada, spurred by increased interest and developments in other countries. Key findings note that an estimated 600–1,000 UAP sightings are reported annually in Canada, with surveys indicating one in four Canadians believes they have witnessed one. Historically, responsibility shifted from DND to the National Research Council (NRC) in the late 1960s; the NRC managed non-meteoric sighting reports until 1995, after which no central federal mechanism existed. Most reports received by agencies like Transport Canada or DND are not systematically investigated for scientific value. The report highlights challenges including stigma in academia, lack of reliable data, and potential for misinformation. It recommends improving transparency, making data publicly available for research, establishing better coordination, and considering a dedicated scientific body—while emphasizing that the project did not investigate specific UAPs or seek to prove extraterrestrial origins. No evidence of extraordinary phenomena is presented; the focus remains on process improvements for public reporting and scientific inquiry.