UFOs – truth is ‘out there’

Bright lights, airplane near-misses and light-fingered aliens with a penchant for cool shades are all part of the annual report on UFO sightings in Canada.

The 2016 Canadian UFO Survey produced by Winnipeg-based Ufology Research recorded 1,131 sightings of unidentified flying objects across Canada.

In a first for the 28 years the study has been conducted, only four per cent of the sightings could not be explained.

The provinces with the largest populations had the most reports, so Quebec led the country with 38.5 per cent of the sightings, while Ontario had 26 per cent and British Columbia had 17 per cent.

In one case, a “gigantic, disc-shaped object with searchlights” was seen moving over the mountains in North Vancouver.

And a commercial airplane over Toronto had a near miss with an object on Nov. 14.

“The flight crew noticed an object directly ahead on their flight path. The object appeared to be solid, approximately five to eight feet in diameter and shaped like an upright doughnut or inner tube,” said the study.

“Cabin crew members received minor injuries when evasive action was taken. While the object was not likely a balloon and was suggested to be a drone, it was noted that drones could not fly at that altitude and distance.”

The study said the Transportation Safety Board ruled the incident as “a near collision with an unidentified airborne object.”