Below is a partial list of alleged sightings of

unidentified flying objects An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shape ...

or UFOs in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. According to a memo written by the

Department of National Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

, sightings of unidentified flying objects in Canada occurred throughout the first half of the twentieth century. However, the Canadian government did not take interest in collecting information on sightings until 1947.

1951, Gander, Newfoundland

On February 10, 1951, a U.S. Navy aircraft flying to

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

from Gander reported a near-collision with a large, orange, circular UFO that “almost literally flew circles around" the American aircraft.

1960, Clan Lake, Northwest Territories

On June 18, 1960, a prospector told the Yellowknife

RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

detachment that a month earlier, he and his partner saw a UFO at Clan Lake, located 30 miles north of

Yellowknife Yellowknife is the capital, largest community, and the only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of t ...

. 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.

1967, Falcon Lake, Manitoba

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 Falcon Lake is an unincorporated urban centre at the western end of Falcon Lake situated in the southeasternmost section of the Whiteshell Provincial Park in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is the major entry point to the Whiteshell from the ...

Ufologists This is a list of notable people who are ufologists (people who investigate whether UFOs are linked to extraterrestrial aliens). Argentina * Juan Posadas, (1912–1981), Trotskyist theorist who blended together Trotskyism and Ufology ...

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. 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''. * (2015). George Dudding. ''The Falcon Lake UFO Encounter''. 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 Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

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. In April 2018, the

Royal Canadian Mint The Royal Canadian Mint () is the mint of Canada and a Crown corporation, operating under an act of parliament referred to as the ''Royal Canadian Mint Act''. The shares of the mint are held in trust for the Crown in right of Canada. The mi ...

released a $20 silver

coin A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...

depicting the alleged event as the first 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."

1967, Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia

The incident was the purported crash of an unidentified flying object in Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia in October 1967. On October 1, 2019, the

released a $20 silver glow-in-the-dark coin depicting the sighting as the second of the Canada Unexplained Phenomena series.

1969, Prince George, British Columbia

Prince George, British Columbia Prince George is a city in British Columbia, Canada, situated at the confluence of the Fraser River, Fraser and Nechako River, Nechako rivers. The city itself has a population of 76,708; the metro census agglomeration has a population of 89,490 ...

, 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.

1974, Langenburg, Saskatchewan

Around 10:30 a.m. on September 1, 1974, Langenburg, Saskatchewan area farmer Edwin Fuhr claims to have seen five saucer-shaped objects hovering approximately one foot off the ground near a slough. Believing it to be a prank, Fuhr walked closer and noticed the saucers were also rotating at a high rate of speed. When his

swather A swather (North America), or windrower (Australia and rest of world), is a farm implement that cuts hay or small grain crops and forms them into a windrow for drying. They may be self-propelled with an engine, or drawn by a tractor and p ...

would not restart, Fuhr sat for 15 minutes watching the objects before they took off, too scared to move. He described takeoff as being extremely fast, with no noise and the objects emitting nothing but a grey vapor. An

report found five circles, matching Fuhr's description of the objects. No physical evidence in the area indicated someone had driven in and made the circles. In 2024, the

commemorated the event with a special silver coin.

1975–1976, Southern Manitoba

Several sightings were reported of a red glowing UFO, sometimes described as "mischievous" or "playful", sighted in Southern

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

in 1975 and 1976. The UFO was nicknamed "Charlie Redstar" by the public.

1978, Clarenville, Newfoundland and Labrador

A single sighting of a UFO by twelve individuals in the early morning October 26, 1978 occurred in

Clarenville Clarenville is a town on the east coast of Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Clarenville was incorporated in 1951. It is located in the Shoal Harbour valley, fronting an arm of the Atlant ...

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

near Random Island. The object was reportedly oval-shaped with a fin on its tail. Individuals who spotted the object called the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

, and the dispatched officer, Constable James Blackwood, witnessed the UFO hover 100 feet (30.5 m) above the water for around one or two hours before vanishing. Blackwood used a telescope specialized for drug surveillance to observe the UFO, and other eyewitnesses used binoculars. According to Blackwood, when he shone his headlights the object would react by shining its headlights back. Reportedly Blackwood was attempting to contact the pilots of the craft. It left no evidence of its appearance apart from eyewitness testimony of the event. In 2016, a separate sighting occurred in Clarenville regarding a resident who spotted lights hovering over the water over Random Island. In 2020, the sighting was depicted on a $20 silver glow-in-the-dark coin as the third of the Canada's Unexplained Phenomena series by the

1990, Montreal, Quebec

On November 7, 1990, in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, 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 7.20 to 10.20 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. A few witnesses say what they saw in a televised interview on

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

. The sighting was commemorated in 2021 on a $20 silver glow-in-the-dark coin as the fourth installment of the Canada's Unexplained Phenomena series by the

1997, Trail, BC

At least two women standing on the bridge over the Columbia River, waiting for the fireworks show, on the evening of July 1st, witnessed three small lights above them and they quickly took off down the river, just a foot or two above the water, they zig-zagged along the river heading eastbound until they flew out of sight. The two women, who were strangers, looked at one another in awe, realizing that was not part of the fireworks show, they hadn't yet began, it was still daylight.

2010, Harbour Mille, Newfoundland and Labrador

During the night of January 25, 2010 there were multiple UFO sighting reports in

Harbour Mille Harbour Mille-Little Harbour East is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Geography Harbour Mille-Little Harbour East is in Newfoundland within Subdivision I of Division No. 2. ...

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. Due to Harbour Mille's proximity to

Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Pierre and Miquelon ( ), officially the Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (), is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, located near the Canada, Canadian prov ...

, residents suspected French military activity, an assumption which was dispelled by an official statement by the French Government confirming there was no military activity taking place during the reported incident. The

referred to the event as an unexplained sighting, and

NORAD North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ; , CDAAN), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and pr ...

stated there was no known rocket launch at the time. The event prompted Member of Parliament for the constituency Harbour Mille was in at the time, Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte MP Gerry Byrne to press the government for further information regarding the incident and criticized the Conservative government on its lack of transparency.

2014, Kensington, Prince Edward Island

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. The next day, CBC released a follow-up article in which a series of alternate explanations for the event were presented.

2014, North York, Ontario

Between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 26, 2014, there were multiple UFO sighting reports in North York, Ontario. At around 9:00pm on Saturday, July 26, 2014, Sarah Chun witnessed a string of six or seven diagonal flashing lights in the sky from the window near her dining table in her condominium in

North York North York is a former township and city and is now one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the northern area of Toronto, centred around Yonge Street, north of Ontario Highway 401. It is bounded by ...

before going outside to her balcony to observe. She observed the flashing lights for about 25 minutes and recorded two videos on her iPad, which were later posted on he
YouTube channel
Toronto Police's 32 Division reported receiving several calls on the unidentified flying objects between 7:00pm and 10:00pm that night. Several police officers witnessed the lights, and one Toronto police officer who saw one of the lights speculated that it was a quadcopter launched from a building, but did not investigate while he was on bike patrol. The event was witnessed by many people, including Roxanna Maleki, a local musician, who had exited a movie theatre due to a fire alarm and who had posted a video to her Facebook account. Sebastian Setien, a resident of North York, reported that he was entertaining guests while barbecuing on his balcony and took a photo at 4:18 p.m. He and his guests came back out later at around 8:40 p.m. and saw the lights but he lost all internet connection while recording the video on his phone. It was also reported that there were some minor power outages in Toronto, including at the subway station in North York, and at the Cineplex movie theatre which briefly tripped the fire alarm. Further photographs and a video from another location in North York were also reported. Several other explanations were given including a quadcopter, Chinese lanterns, and flying kites with LED lights.

Canadian UFO Survey results

According to the 2002 Canadian UFO Survey published by Ufology Research of Manitoba,

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

had the largest number of sightings with 34, followed by

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

with 31 and Terrace, B.C. with 25 reports. 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. 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.Timmins News, Sports, Entertainment, Business, Life & Opinion
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References

{{UFOs

Canadian folklore Organized events in Canada