Article by Daniel Otis July 29, 2021 (vice.com)
• When professional pilots spot UFOs in Canadian airspace they rely on Nav Canada air traffic control towers and radar installations for verification. Nav Canada directs thousands of flights per day
Article by MJ Banias August 14, 2020 (theglobandmail.com)
• While the U.S. government is actively investigating UFO reports and Congress is calling for more public oversight on unknown aerial incursions, the Canadian government seems to be doing nothing. After nearly a century of the media portraying the UFO phenomenon as a tinfoil hat-wearing enterprise, filled with extraterrestrials, Martian invasions and far-future technology, it is easy to dismiss UFOs.
• A recently released 2019 Canadian UFO Survey (see here) indicates Canadians see about two or three unidentified flying objects a day. And while many will laugh UFOs off as being a delusion, several sighting events present in the Transport Canada 2019 survey involve pilots coming into close proximity with unknown aerial objects, indicating a clear risk to air safety.
• In April, 2019, a Sunwing airliner on approach into Toronto’s Pearson International Airport was ordered by air traffic control to climb in altitude because an unknown aircraft had entered into its flight path. The Sunwing pilots reported that the “target appeared momentarily to them then disappeared.”
• In June 2019, an airliner on final approach to the St. Hubert airport near Montreal was notified by air traffic control of “unidentified traffic.” The airliner’s collision avoidance system confirmed the object was roughly 3.5 nautical miles ahead of the aircraft and climbing in altitude to 2,700 feet. The pilots made visual contact as the object continued to gain altitude and crossed into controlled airspace.
• In July 2019, air traffic controllers in Langley, British Columbia reported to Transport Canada that “radar targets were coasting in and out to the northwest of the airport” and “random targets popping up, radar tags swapping, targets jumping to random locations.”
• In 2012, a Chinese Eastern Airlines Airbus was flying over Alberta when the pilot spotted an unknown object 40 nautical miles to the south, at 41,000 feet. Most commercial drones cannot even get close to that kind of altitude. Another incident in 2015 occurred over Saskatoon’s international airport where the pilot notified air traffic control that they witnessed a bright white light above their aircraft at roughly 34,000 feet.
• Two flight attendants were injured in 2016 when a Porter flight landing in Toronto nearly collided with an unknown object over Lake Ontario at 9,000 feet. In 2019, several aircraft over the vicinity of Medicine Hat in Alberta reported multiple unidentified objects above their aircraft. In September 2019, an unidentified aircraft buzzed the Kitchener/Waterloo Ontario radar control zone at 2,100 feet.
• While Canadian authorities tend to dismiss the sightings, lately the Americans seem to consider UFOs an important issue that needs more attention. A recent congressional report reveals that the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence has an active task force that investigates incursions of UFOs into U.S. airspace. Senator Marco Rubio, who chairs the Senate intelligence committee, introduced a congressional bill giving this intelligence-gathering operation 180 days to disclose its findings regarding these UFO incursions.
• Canadian science writer and UFO researcher Chris Rutkowski diligently collects nearly all of Canada’s UFO reports from civilian research organizations and those reported to Transport Canada. Rutkowski says that Canada is experiencing a “possible public safety issue.” “We have no idea if UFO reports are investigated,” says Rutkowski. Transport Canada investigates air incidents, such as near misses or crashes. But when pilots and radar operators see UFOs, such cases are “not investigated.”
• When pilots witness UFOs, they are only “requested’ to make ‘aviation occurrence reports’ to the regional Flight Information Centre in “the interests of national security,” according to regulations published by Nav Canada, a private non-profit organization that handles all Canadian air navigation services. According to Nav Canada’s media relations manager Brian Boudreau, examples include “sightings of aircraft violating operating parameters, unidentified aircraft, unauthorized aircraft, or any activity that may impact flight safety or pose a security threat.” Nav Canada may send a report to the Department of National Defence, the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD), Transport Canada or the American Federal Aviation Administration, at its own discretion.
• A spokesperson from the Canadian Department of National Defence said that all UFOs are reported via Nav Canada’s procedure, including hose made by military personnel. But in a contradictory email, the Dept of National Defence stated: “We wouldn’t really comment on speculative matters such as this. The Canadian Armed Forces concerns itself with credible threats, and this falls outside the scope of our operations.” In response to a Canadian ‘Access to Information Request’ to clear up the matter, the Dept of National Defence responded that it “neither confirms or denies records exist …” and that “if documentation did exist, it is exempted in its entirety” from Access to Information Requests due to national defence.
• Matthew Hayes, a filmmaker and UFO researcher said, “There were many attempts over the years and decades to ignore the UFO phenomenon and requests for information about UFOs, as something outside the scope of the [Canadian government].” While some individuals within the Canadian government take the UFO issue seriously, “most efforts were put toward debunking the subject.” Says Hayes, “[T]hey really wanted the whole thing just to go away.”
• While the various Canadian governmental agencies attempt to make light of UFOs, the data indicates this issue is not going away. Canada saw a reduction in sightings in 2019, but has seen a dramatic increase during the first few months of 2020. When the role of the government and the military is to protect that nation, pretending something does not exist is more politically palatable than admitting there has been an intelligence failure.
• In America however, politicians and intelligence experts have publicly expressed their opinions that perhaps a foreign adversary has developed a superior system of propulsion or technology that can trick sophisticated radar and video recording systems. Or, this phenomenon could be something else entirely. “In the past, the Canadian government has certainly tried to take its lead from the U.S. when it comes to UFO information,” said Hayes. Now that the United States is taking the UFO issue seriously. Canada ought to take it seriously as well.
In April, 2019, a Sunwing airliner was on approach into Toronto’s Pearson International Airport when it was ordered by air traffic control operators to climb in altitude because an unknown aircraft had entered into its flight path. The Sunwing pilots reported that the “target appeared momentarily to them then disappeared.” Two months later, in June, an airliner on final approach to the St. Hubert airport near Montreal was notified by air traffic control of “unidentified traffic.” The airliner’s collision avoidance system confirmed the object was roughly 3.5 nautical miles ahead of the aircraft and climbing in altitude to 2,700 feet. The pilots eventually made visual contact as the object continued to gain altitude and crossed into controlled airspace without radio contact or clearance from air traffic control. A month later, air traffic controllers in Langley, B.C., reported to Transport Canada that “radar targets were coasting in and out to the Northwest (NW) of the airport” and “Random targets popping up, radar tags swapping, targets jumping to random locations.”
The recently released 2019 Canadian UFO Survey indicates Canadians see about two or three unidentified flying objects a day, and while many will laugh UFOs off as being a silly fringe delusion, several sighting events reported to Transport Canada present in the 2019 survey, such as those outlined above, involve pilots coming into close proximity with unknown aerial objects, and indicate a clear risk to air safety. While the U.S. government is actively investigating UFO reports and Congress is calling for more public oversight on unknown aerial incursions, the Canadian government seems to be doing nothing.
It is easy to dismiss UFOs, or as they are called today, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). Nearly a century of mass media has turned a curious phenomenon into a tinfoil hat-wearing enterprise filled with extraterrestrials, martian invasions and far-future technology. It is unlikely that pilots are being harassed by pop culture aliens in flying saucers. However, our southern neighbours seem to be concerned with the fact that something is zipping around North American airspace and no one seems to know how to deal with it.
A recent congressional report indicates that the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence has an active task force that investigates incursions of UAP into U.S. airspace. Recently, Senator Marco Rubio, who chairs the Senate intelligence committee, introduced a congressional bill giving this intelligence-gathering operation 180 days to disclose its findings regarding these incursions. The Americans seem to consider this an important issue that needs more attention.
Canadian science writer and researcher Chris Rutkowski, who diligently collects nearly all of Canada’s UAP reports from civilian research organizations and those reported to Transport Canada, told me that Canada is experiencing a “possible public safety issue.” While Canada has had 849 reports in 2019, somewhat lower than the usual yearly average, Mr. Rutkowski disclosed that a more in-depth look into Transport Canada’s Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System, known as CADORS, seems to portray that pilots have been reporting unknown objects frequently within Canadian airspace for decades. While many of those sightings can be attributed to misidentification or commercial drones and quadcopters, some reports defy prosaic phenomena.
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