UFO sightings in Canada, 1989 to today
17,178 UFO reports from every province and territory, put on one map. Each has a date, a place and the investigators' verdict. Find the sightings near you, see which towns report the most, and read the 1,699 that nobody could explain.
- 17,178 reports
- 1,699 unexplained
- 427 close encounters
- 2012 busiest year
Town (bigger = more reports)Many unexplainedGroup of towns: tap to zoom in
Zoom in to split the clusters; tap a dot for the town.
By province and territory
- British Columbia4,145 reports499 unexplained
- Quebec4,068 reports330 unexplained
- Ontario3,995 reports335 unexplained
- Alberta1,448 reports191 unexplained
- Manitoba1,247 reports141 unexplained
- Nova Scotia687 reports43 unexplained
- Saskatchewan675 reports59 unexplained
- New Brunswick280 reports30 unexplained
- Newfoundland and Labrador193 reports13 unexplained
- Yukon172 reports34 unexplained
- Prince Edward Island147 reports13 unexplained
- Northwest Territories94 reports6 unexplained
- Nunavut27 reports5 unexplained
How the reports were rated
- 10% unexplained
- 44% possibly explained
- 39% not enough information
- 7% explained
Most sightings turn out to have an ordinary cause, often a plane, a bright planet or a satellite. The survey marks a report unexplained only when the investigators ran out of explanations. Saw something yourself? Check whether it was a planet.
What people saw
Not counted: plain points of light, the most common report by far.
Reports by year
Sightings climbed through the 2000s and peaked in 2012 with 1,402 reports. Since 2019 a new kind of report keeps turning up: lines of lights crossing the sky, which is how Starlink satellites look just after launch.
Towns with the most reports
Big cities lead because more people are looking up. Each town has its own page with its map and reports.
- Winnipeg 568
- Vancouver 511
- Montreal 435
- Toronto 378
- Calgary 349
- Edmonton 293
- Surrey 277
- Ottawa 251
- London 155
- Burnaby 145
- Kelowna 137
- Saskatoon 136
- Victoria 129
- Vernon 126
- Hamilton 121
- Oshawa 116
- Halifax 116
- Nanaimo 110
- Laval 108
- Terrace 103
- Quebec City 102
- Mississauga 100
- Whitehorse 99
- Scarborough 90
- Gatineau 86
- Houston 82
- Kamloops 80
- Sudbury 79
- Maple Ridge 77
- Abbotsford 75
- Sherbrooke 72
- Maidstone 72
- Brampton 71
- Coquitlam 70
- Barrie 68
- North Vancouver 67
Unexplained cases worth reading
Close encounters, radar cases and the strangest sightings the investigators could not explain, newest first.
- Jul 31, 2003 01:00Glenmore, British ColumbiaUnexplained
Abduction claim · green, point of light · 2 witnesses · 30 sec
Lights seen, missing time, panic, abduction?
Close encounter, beings seen · silver, saucer · 1 witness
Saw object hovering outside his home. Larger than a van. No sound. Occupant observed.
- Sep 15, 1992 23:00Summerland, British ColumbiaUnexplained
Close encounter · grey, disc · 3 witnesses · 20 min
Bigger than house; blue beam
- May 3, 1992 20:10Squamish, British ColumbiaUnexplained
Close encounter · orange, disc · 3 witnesses · 4 min
Slow-moving,odd trajectory
Close encounter · silver, sphere · 10 witnesses · 2 min
Blinking object flew thru valley
- Jan 10, 2016 00:00Place not given, QuebecUnexplained
Abduction claim · 1 witness
White light, then witness was in a field, then in a bath with 3 greenish, big eyed
Placed in the middle of the province: the town was not found.
- Feb 15, 2015 02:30Sainte-Brigitte de Laval, QuebecUnexplained
Close encounter, beings seen · 1 witness
3 humanoids, 4 feet tall, too large head for frail bodies, big black slanted eyes,
Close encounter · green, sphere · 6 witnesses
Ball under water, black obj.surfaced, went back down
Close encounter, traces left · triangle · 1 sec
Driving, saw object fly 100 feet overhead, next day 2 triangle impressions in grass
- Mar 25, 2008 23:30Hammonds Plains, Nova ScotiaUnexplained
Close encounter, beings seen · irregular · 1 sec
X-shaped object chased at over 200kph, missing time?
- December 2007Granisle, British ColumbiaUnexplained
Close encounter, beings seen · multicoloured · 2 witnesses
Round, sparkling object in sky; dark figure seen
- March 2007 01:00Hammonds Plains, Nova ScotiaUnexplained
Close encounter, traces left · irregular · 1 sec
Domed object hovering over witness, physiological effects
- Sep 16, 2004Oro, OntarioUnexplained
Abduction claim · irregular · 2 witnesses · 3 sec
Moving bands of light moving in bedroom, caused dreams
Abduction claim · irregular · 2 sec
Lights seen, fog appeared, witness missing time, physical effects
Close encounter · blue, sphere · 3 witnesses
Light responded to flashlight, chased witnesses
- Apr 21, 2004 02:30Newmarket, OntarioUnexplained
Close encounter, traces left · irregular · 1 sec
Object hovering over pond, with tube sucking up water; ground marks
- May 18, 2000 22:45Sorrento, British ColumbiaUnexplained
Close encounter, beings seen · oval · 1 witness
Observed small object fly away. Later had memories of "aliens".
- Mar 9, 1997 19:20St-Emile-de-Suffolk, QuebecUnexplained
Close encounter · black, square · 1 witness · 45 min
Object emitted wall of light, disappeared/reappeared; "space distortion"
- Jul 17, 1996 21:45Langruth, ManitobaUnexplained
Close encounter, traces left · black, round · 1 witness · 2 min
Disc observed within farmyard; 3 circular patches were found in yard afterward
- Mar 12, 1996 23:00Trout Lake, Northwest TerritoriesUnexplained
Close encounter, traces left · 2 witnesses · 45 min
2 object, approximately 30m in diameter, 1 on ground, 1 hovering; later, 2 rectangular
Close encounter · black, triangle · 2 witnesses · 60 sec
Triangular craft flew slowly low over house
Close encounter · grey, triangle · 1 witness · 45 sec
'boomerang' overflew car
- Jul 6, 1992 03:23Taber, AlbertaUnexplained
Close encounter, traces left · black, disc · 1 witness · 10 min
Nrc n92/41; saucer left marks on ground?
Close encounter · silver, disc · 2 witnesses · 2 min
Saucer at treetop level?
Close encounter · green, disc · 2 witnesses · 4 min
Metallic with lights
- Jul 18, 1989 22:00Bashaw, AlbertaUnexplained
Close encounter · white, irregular · 2 witnesses · 10 min
2 children were chased by "white blotch" that changed shape, spinned
Seen on radar · 2 witnesses
"radar targets were coasting in and out" NW of airport; "random targets popping up, radar tags swapping, targets jumping to random lo
- Aug 4, 2018 21:48Laurentides, QuebecUnexplained
Close encounter · orange, irregular · 2 witnesses
Photo: object approached, stopped, then accelerated away, changing shape
- May 22, 2018 17:29New Sarepta, AlbertaUnexplained
Seen on radar · 1 witness
CIRVIS report of "unidentified aircraft" on radar, climbing frm 3500-8000 ft
Abduction claim · 1 witness
Abducted, entities all around, bit one of their arms, images transferred into
- Nov 14, 2015 18:00Wemotaci, QuebecUnexplained
Close encounter · blue, sphere · 1 witness · 10 min
Basketball-sized object followed car, passed witness, vanished
Close encounter · white, rectangle · 1 witness · 5 min
Object moving over field; light "scanning" ground, loud noise
- May 4, 2013 02:45St-Jerome, QuebecUnexplained
Close encounter, traces left · white, rectangle · 1 witness · 10 sec
Large object flashed, released a ball of light that went S
- Aug 9, 2012 22:00Thorne, OntarioUnexplained
Close encounter · red, disc · 2 witnesses · 2 min
Object with lights, humming noise, passed near witnesses
- July 2012 03:00St-Eustache, QuebecUnexplained
Close encounter, beings seen · white, irregular · 2 witnesses · 12 min
Dark mass with humanoid inside; ongoing investigation
Close encounter · black, disc · 2 witnesses · 15 min
Flat object with lights darted from sky, moved beside truck, vanished
Close encounter · red, irregular · 1 witness
Object like "large dradle" with lights
- February 2012 19:00Saint-Redempteur, QuebecUnexplained
Close encounter, traces left · white, irregular · 2 witnesses · 20 sec
3 rings in sky, approached, flew off; something in car? dreams?
- Jul 21, 2011 22:30Stevensville, OntarioUnexplained
Close encounter · yellow, triangle · 2 witnesses
Light emitted puffs of smoke, dropped lower, scared witnesses
Close encounter · black, triangle · 1 witness · 30 sec
"huge ship" hovering over creek, "creeping thru night"
- Dec 16, 2010 02:00Grand Barachois, New BrunswickUnexplained
Close encounter · 1 witness
Observed about 50 yards away a scene of various objects on the ground.
Placed in the middle of the province: the town was not found.
- October 2010Plaster Rock, New BrunswickUnexplained
Close encounter, traces left · white, sphere · 1 witness
3 balls of lights came through camp, affected electrical equip, door opened
Close encounter, traces left · red, triangle · 3 witnesses
Object flew low over city, humming noise heard
- Jun 12, 2010 10:30Grahams Road, Prince Edward IslandUnexplained
Close encounter, traces left · white, fireball · 2 witnesses
Ball of fire made swishing sound, fell to ground, set fire to grass
Close encounter · multicoloured, sphere · 2 witnesses · 240 min
Big star that became bigger and smaller, changing shape and colors, had
- Aug 31, 2008 01:30Savona, British ColumbiaUnexplained
Close encounter · multicoloured, triangle · 1 witness
Object with lights moved near truck, "hopped"?
- Mar 11, 2008 19:40Wadena, SaskatchewanUnexplained
Close encounter · grey, disc · 2 witnesses · 3 sec
Object flew across hwy in front of car; no cross road
Close encounter · black, disc · 1 witness · 15 min
Saucer with lights hovered outside window, flew over house
- Jun 24, 2006 21:30Etobicoke, OntarioUnexplained
Close encounter · white, round · 3 witnesses · 10 sec
Low-flying and silent. No lights.
Close encounter · 15 min
Man driving along highway saw three orbs perform various maneuvers, including flying right by car.
Close encounter · cone
Cone shaped UFO spinning rapidly, with beams of light being emitted from object. Flew within 100 feet of witness. Photos been seen
Close encounter · silver, disc · 1 witness · 5 sec
Object with surface like polished steel, markings, stationary then flew off
Close encounter · blue, triangle · 1 witness · 90 min
Huge craft hovering over nuclear plant, zoomed away, missing time?
- Nov 25, 2003 21:20Creston, British ColumbiaUnexplained
Abduction claim · blue, point of light · 2 witnesses
Witnesses briefly saw blue lights, then felt they had missing time
- Jan 31, 2003 22:30Villeneuve, AlbertaUnexplained
Close encounter · white, disc · 2 witnesses · 60 sec
Object like 2 saucers rim to rim moved slowly through farm yard
- Apr 23, 2001Salmon Arm, British ColumbiaUnexplained
Abduction claim · blue · 1 witness
2 shadowy figures "danced" around bed; blue glow
- Oct 9, 1999 23:00Gibsons, British ColumbiaUnexplained
Close encounter, traces left · red, point of light · 2 witnesses
Object 4" diam.; within 25 ft; "vibrations" felt in witness' head
- Sep 12, 1999 00:30Fromme Mountain, British ColumbiaUnexplained
Close encounter, traces left · point of light · 5 witnesses · 45 sec
Flashes of light in trees; loud pulsing sound overhead
Placed in the middle of the province: the town was not found.
Close encounter · purple · 2 witnesses · 45 sec
Humming noise; circular object over house, slow moving; returned twice again
Close encounter · grey, disc · 1 witness · 60 min
Bell-shaped metallic craft seen
No report matches.
About this data
These reports come from the Canadian UFO Survey, compiled each year since 1989 by Ufology Research of Winnipeg. Each year the survey gathers sightings sent to police, airports, the military, researchers and UFO groups across the country, and rates each one. We left out every report the survey received from MUFON, NUFORC or Enigma Labs, so the totals here are lower than in the survey itself.
The ratings are the survey's: explained means a likely cause was found (a plane, a planet, a satellite re-entry), possibly explained means there's a good guess, and unexplained means the investigators couldn't find one. Notes are short summaries, lightly tidied. Most places are the nearest town, not the exact spot.
More on Canada: Canada's creatures and places to visit · Canada's official UFO files · US Air Force files that mention Canada · Report your own sighting