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Winnipeg Free Press

Ottawa advised to set up office to track UFOs

The truth is out there — and the Sky Canada Project say the federal government should create an office to get to the bottom of UFOs. Chief science adviser Mona Nemer said 37-page report titled 'Management of Public Reporting of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in Canada,' has attracted 'more public anticipation than any project in the history of this office. 'Numerous individuals and organizations have stepped forward to offer their assistance,' Nemer said. ALEX BRANDON / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES A video of a UAP is paused for display during a hearing of the House Intelligence, Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation Subcommittee hearing on 'Unidentified Aerial Phenomena,' on Capitol Hill in the U.S. in May 2022. 'Rarely does anyone mistake a flock of geese flying in V formation for a fighter squadron flying at high altitudes, but sometimes 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 report by the Sky Canada Project, which is led by the chief science adviser's office, found in a survey it commissioned, that one in four respondents 'personally witnessed a UAP in their lifetime. However, only 10 per cent reported their sightings and 40 per cent of respondents would not know whom to contact for reporting.' One of the report's 14 recommendations is that a federal department or agency must manage unidentified aerial phenomena data from the public. 'This service would collect testimonies, investigate cases and post its analyses publicly,' the report says. 'It would proactively inform Canadians about UAPs.' The report says Transport Canada should encourage pilots, cabin crew and air traffic controllers to report sightings of UAPs 'without fear of stigmatization' as well as analyze the reports to give pilots explanations to 'reduce distractions during flights.' Nemer could not be reached for comment. Winnipegger Chris Rutkowski, an expert on UFOs who publishes the annual Canadian UFO Survey, said he was one of the consultants on the report and went to Ottawa to share his expertise and statistics with Sky Canada Project scientists. 'I'm relatively optimistic they will designate an office,' Rutkowski said. 'They did have such an office until 1995 in the National Research Council. 'They had a contingent of investigators and the RCMP and all of their detectives assisted. But it finished in 1995 when the NRC stepped from an interest in meteors to the CanadArm and Canadians in space. So for 30 years there hasn't been any organized collection of any cases whatsoever.' Rutkowski said that left just his volunteer-based organization and it continues to receive reports. He said Manitobans reported 30 UFOs last year while nationally 1,008 reports were made. 'There have been 25,000 cases since we've been doing the survey since 1989,' he said. Rutkowski said a federal office would be beneficial in other ways, and not just to counter disinformation. 'There is a need to keep track of cases,' he said. 'And, with our now challenging political state, there is a push for greater defence and security. One could argue this may fall under defence.' Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. Philip Ferguson, founding director of the University of Manitoba's Space Technology and Advanced Research Laboratory (STARlab) and an associate professor in the department of mechanical engineering, said setting up a federal office to track UAP's 'is a great idea.' 'We live in a time today when people are able to make their own UFOs,' he said. 'Drones are more ubiquitous today than they were even five years ago.' Ferguson, who is also president of the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute, said it doesn't mean the office would only receive reports from people who believe they have seen aliens from another plant. 'UFO or UAP does not mean an alien,' he said. 'It means they have seen something that they don't know what it is. With where our technology is, I do think it is important to have a uniform location for where Canadians can report these things.' Kevin RollasonReporter Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press's city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin. 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