Canada Is Seeing Lots of UFOs These Days

Perhaps aliens have taken a liking to the Great White North. The annual Canadian UFO Survey by Winnipeg-based Ufology Research shows "the second highest level of sightings that we've recorded since we started doing the survey back in the 1980s," with 1,267 across Canada in 2015, rep Chris Rutkowski tells the CBC. Only 2012 had more, with 1,981 sightings. The provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland each saw an increase in reports over 2014, but Quebec outpaced them all, according to data from 17 sources, including Transport Canada and YouTube. The province, which typically produces 5% to 15% of all UFO reports in Canada, generated 35% of reports in 2015, reports the Canadian Press.

Montreal led Canadian cities with 97 reports, followed by 78 in Toronto, and 69 in Vancouver. That doesn't mean there were that many unexplained cases; about 88% of unidentifiable objects turn out to be stars, planets, airplanes, or helicopters, Rutkowski says. Ufology Research investigates the remaining cases—by visiting a site and talking to witnesses—to determine if a case is "high quality." About 1% to 3% of cases fall into this group, Rutkowski says. One of the perhaps not-so-high-quality ones: A resident in Sainte-Brigitte de Laval, Quebec, recalled seeing three 4-feet-tall "humanoids" with huge heads and "big, black slanted eyes," and hearing a high-pitched hum. "We're not saying the little grey guys are here," Rutkowski tells CTV News. "This is simply what people are reporting." (Aliens might also have a thing for Florida.)