There were two reported UFO sightings in the Peace Country last year. The 2017 Canadian UFO Survey done by Manitoba-based Ufology Research found that of the 1,101 UFO sightings reported in Canada, one was in Grimshaw and the other in Valleyview.
The sighting in Valleyview has been deemed probable. There was one witness who spotted a starlike stationary object wavering side to side around 8:30 p.m. on October 5, 2017. It reportedly took off to the east.
In Grimshaw, another person reported seeing a white unidentified flying object at around 1:10 a.m. on August 27, 2017. The witness says it changed speed, but Ufology says there’s not enough evidence to come to a conclusion.
Overall, Canadians reported an average of three UFO sightings a day last year. The study found 43 per cent of them were simply lights in the sky, but about eight per cent are considered unexplainable.
“Results of this study show that many people continue to report unusual objects in the sky, and some of these objects do not have obvious explanations,” the report reads. “Many witnesses are pilots, police and other individuals with reasonably good observing capabilities and good judgment.”
It’s believed UFO sightings remain high because “more UFOs are present and physically observable by witnesses.” Other explanations include more secret or classified military exercises, more people taking the time to
observe their surroundings, and more people having access to the internet and portable technology to report their sightings.
“UFO report data does not prove that aliens are visiting Earth,” the survey says. “In fact, if anything, the UFO report data show that most often, the average witness is misidentifying conventional objects or ordinary phenomena.”
Ufology suggests more research on the phenomenon is needed.