
Federal government report on UFOs is expected to be made public by June
A final report on unidentified flying objects should be released by June, the office of the federal government's chief science advisor has confirmed.
Article content
Article content
The Sky Canada Project, led by the Office of the Chief Science Advisor of Canada, was launched in the fall of 2022 to review current practices surrounding public reporting of unidentified aerial phenomena or UAPs in Canada.
Article content
Article content
Some public sources estimate that Canadians report somewhere between 600 and 1,000 UAP sightings annually, according to a preview report from the Sky Canada Project released earlier this year. That initial report found that one in four Canadians surveyed say they have personally witnessed a UAP in their lifetime. But only 10 per cent reported what they saw.
Article content
Article content
'The full report will come out later this spring, most probably in May or early June,' confirmed Luc Gauthier, the chief of staff at the Office of the Chief Science Advisor in Ottawa.
Article content
He told the Ottawa Citizen that the production of the report and preparation to put it online is in the final stages.
Article content
The Sky Canada Project was spurred on by increased public interest and recent developments in other countries, particularly the United States, where formal procedures for addressing UAP sightings are in development. The study explores the current reporting methods, identifies gaps, and provides recommendations to enhance transparency and scientific inquiry on UAP issues in Canada, according to the Office of the Chief Science Advisor.
Article content
Article content
The Sky Canada Project team gathered information from federal departments and agencies, stakeholders, experts, and other organizations, on how UAP observations reported by the public are handled in Canada.
Article content
A Sky Canada Project briefing for the Department of National Defence pointed out that among the reasons behind the initiative were support for national security through surveillance activities, as well as to promote more transparency.
Article content
'It is not meant to prove or deny the existence of extraterrestrial life or extraterrestrial visitors,' said the February 2023 briefing, which was obtained by the Ottawa Citizen through an access-to-information request.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


National Observer
4 days ago
- National Observer
Is Canada's pollution database hiding toxic spills in plain sight?
Canada's federal database for tracking the toxic chemicals companies and some government facilities dump into the environment is "really very misleading," researchers say. The National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) is a federal database that tracks emissions of more than 300 chemicals from thousands of factories, oil and gas wells, wastewater treatment plants, airports and other industrial facilities scattered across the country. The data are meant to help Canadians determine which chemicals that industrial facilities are releasing into the environment, whether they pose a threat and track if those amounts are increasing or not. But some experts say that quantities alone are not enough to help Canadians keep their health and the environment safe. "Quantity alone is one way to measure trends, but it doesn't account for the relative toxicity of any given compound released to the environment," explained Tony Walker, a professor at Dalhousie University and former environmental consultant. For instance, his lab analyzed NPRI data on the 10 largest chemical releases in Nova Scotia, using 2015 data. The study found that list didn't reflect the actual risks chemicals posed to people in the province. That's because the top 10 chemicals released in the province were less dangerous than other products that companies released in smaller quantities, but which could have more severe impacts. The database currently doesn't offer this kind of interpretation — instead, users need to find and analyse the toxicity themselves — rendering it "virtually meaningless" to the general public, said Walker. Reporting thresholds also problematic Still, some advocates say that efforts to include relative toxicity in the NPRI's data analysis could detract from more urgent problems with the system — namely, that it doesn't track enough things, nor track things well enough, as it is. The data help Canadians determine which chemicals that industrial facilities are releasing into the environment, whether they pose a threat and track if those amounts are increasing, but some experts say quantities alone are not enough. "It would become even harder than it already is to expand the NPRI if they included relative toxicity," said Elaine MacDonald, director of Healthy Communities for Ecojustice. "Proposals to add substances receive a lot of industry pushback as it is." "Reporting thresholds have always been too high, and certainly aren't being used to address the cumulative exposures that occur in hotspots such as Chemical Valley," Cassie Barker, toxics program manager at Environmental Defence, added in an email. The NPRI was created in 1993 to help the government track pollution. Its structure generally mirrors its US equivalent, the EPA's toxics release inventory, explained John Jackson, who works with the Citizen's Network on Waste Management and joined consultations on creating the NPRI. The idea was to make it easier for regulators and the public to use data from both systems, though in practice Canada included more facilities, such as wastewater treatment plants, and potentially polluting facilities with more than 10 full-time employees. Some facilities, such as university labs or drycleaners, are generally exempted from the reporting rule. That leaves plenty of gaps. Take the 10-employee threshold, which in practice means that hundreds of small industrial facilities using toxic chemicals don't need to report. Fracking operations are also exempted from reporting requirements, despite the well-documented health and environmental impacts linked to fracking chemicals. Earlier this year, the government added 131 individual PFAS chemicals to the list, a move environmental groups said was a good step forward, but isn't enough to capture the full impact of the class of about 16,000 chemicals, said Fe de Leon, researcher at the Canadian Environmental Law Association. The reporting threshold for the chemicals is also too high, particularly because even small quantities of the chemicals can be dangerous. Jackson added that Carney's push to cut government spending by 7.5 per cent for the 2026-27 fiscal year, 10 per cent the following year and 15 per cent in 2028-29 could also hurt the NPRI's ability to function effectively — let alone add new types of analysis to the database. A spokesperson for Environment and Climate Change Canada said in an emailed statement the ministry has taken early steps toward including relative toxic impacts of chemicals it tracks, and "continues to analyze the NPRI data from a variety of perspectives, including health and environmental impacts of NPRI substances, to build on what has already been started. Still, Jackson was clear it's imperative for Canada to keep the database. "The NPRI is really important. There is no other place that gives us Canada-wide, facility-specific data on what they dump or what they send off-site to a dump somewhere else. It's an incredibly important thing. And because it's so important, we are dedicated to making it better all the time. So it's not to get rid of it, but to keep making it better.'


The Province
5 days ago
- The Province
Three factors will stall dementia and the aging process, according to new U.S. study
The senior director of research strategy at Banner Alzheimer's Institute presented the findings at an annual conference of experts in Toronto Illustration of dementia as memory loss due to brain degeneration and decline. Photo by wildpixel / Getty Images By 2050, over 1.7 million Canadians are projected to be living with dementia. This represents an increase of 187 per cent compared to 2020, when approximately 597,300 Canadians were living with dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Society of Canada. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Dementia describes the decline of mental ability, while Alzheimer's Disease is the medical term for the brain disease that commonly causes dementia. Researchers are now saying certain lifestyle changes can stave off mental decline. A new U.S. study sets out what Alzheimer's researchers are calling the strongest evidence yet regarding what is involved in slowing the aging process and improving cognition. It comes down to three key factors: a diet heavy on leafy greens, berries and grains, regular moderate exercise and ongoing social interaction. Regular cardiovascular monitoring is also a factor. Jessica Langbaum, senior director of research strategy at the Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Phoenix was not involved directly in the research but she presented the findings at an annual conference of experts in Toronto on Wednesday. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) is the largest international meeting dedicated to advancing dementia science and clinical practice. This year's gathering brought together 8,000 scientists and clinicians from all over the world, with the goal of improving diagnosis, risk reduction and treatment. The study pulled together diet, exercise and socialization in one substantial, structured study of 2,100 people in their 60s and 70s at risk of developing dementia, showing that bad habits 'can really slow down memory and thinking' in adults at risk for cognitive impairment and dementia, Langbaum told the PBS New Hour in an interview on Wednesday evening. The subjects who participated in the study changed their habits, shifting from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one and improving their diet over a two-year period, resulting in cognitive function scores on par with people one or two years younger. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. That might not sound like much, but Langbaum says the results are significant evidence that change can occur without medication. 'And so, it's showing that we can change the trajectory of aging,' she said. There were two groups in the study. In one, lifestyle changes were structurally prescribed. In the other, the changes were self-directed. The results for the prescribed group were much better, but Langbaum says both groups showed improvement. The biggest challenge that study participants faced was sustaining a new exercise regime. Langbaum recommends people find something that they enjoy doing. 'If (you're) frustrated by it, (you're) just going to give up. But do something that you enjoy. Better yet, do it with somebody else or others around you because socialization is key, and lastly, something that you can adhere to, if you can schedule it. It's something that you can stay committed to.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Regarding nutrition she notes: 'We say what's good for the heart is good for the brain, so a nice balanced … nutritious diet with … those leafy greens, low in saturated fats, all of those things.' The American Alzheimer's Association spent close to US$50 million on the study. The National Institutes of Health spent even more to ensure many of the participants underwent brain scans, blood tests and sleep studies aimed at provide additional information down the road. Meanwhile, Langbaum expresses concern that structured intervention may not be sustainable in most communities. 'I think that's really the next stage of the research is, how do we make this scalable in communities so that people can implement these things into their daily lives?' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The American Alzheimer's Association is planning to spend another US$40 million on implementing the lessons of the study. Langbaum says that will come with a change in the mindsets of doctors. They 'should be treating lifestyle interventions as they would a drug,' she told NPR. That would mean prescribing improved exercise and eating regimens and getting insurers to cover those prescriptions, she added. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here. Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Canucks Sports Vancouver Whitecaps Celebrity


Calgary Herald
5 days ago
- Calgary Herald
Three factors will stall dementia and the aging process, according to new U.S. study
By 2050, over 1.7 million Canadians are projected to be living with dementia. This represents an increase of 187 per cent compared to 2020, when approximately 597,300 Canadians were living with dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Society of Canada. Article content Dementia describes the decline of mental ability, while Alzheimer's Disease is the medical term for the brain disease that commonly causes dementia. Article content Article content Article content Researchers are now saying certain lifestyle changes can stave off mental decline. A new U.S. study sets out what Alzheimer's researchers are calling the strongest evidence yet regarding what is involved in slowing the aging process and improving cognition. Article content Article content It comes down to three key factors: a diet heavy on leafy greens, berries and grains, regular moderate exercise and ongoing social interaction. Regular cardiovascular monitoring is also a factor. Article content Jessica Langbaum, senior director of research strategy at the Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Phoenix was not involved directly in the research but she presented the findings at an annual conference of experts in Toronto on Wednesday. The Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) is the largest international meeting dedicated to advancing dementia science and clinical practice. This year's gathering brought together 8,000 scientists and clinicians from all over the world, with the goal of improving diagnosis, risk reduction and treatment. Article content Article content The study pulled together diet, exercise and socialization in one substantial, structured study of 2,100 people in their 60s and 70s at risk of developing dementia, showing that bad habits 'can really slow down memory and thinking' in adults at risk for cognitive impairment and dementia, Langbaum told the PBS New Hour in an interview on Wednesday evening. Article content The subjects who participated in the study changed their habits, shifting from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one and improving their diet over a two-year period, resulting in cognitive function scores on par with people one or two years younger. Article content That might not sound like much, but Langbaum says the results are significant evidence that change can occur without medication. 'And so, it's showing that we can change the trajectory of aging,' she said. Article content There were two groups in the study. In one, lifestyle changes were structurally prescribed. In the other, the changes were self-directed. The results for the prescribed group were much better, but Langbaum says both groups showed improvement.