Within Sightings
Why Saskatchewan UFO Reports Rose in 2020
Saskatchewan's 2020 rise occurred during a Canada-wide reporting boom linked to pandemic routines, online submissions and satellite confusion.
On this page
- How Saskatchewan compared with the national increase
- Pandemic era changes in skywatching and reporting
- Satellites and other likely sources of mistaken sightings
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Introduction
Saskatchewan’s increase in UFO reports during 2020 was part of a much broader Canadian pattern rather than an isolated provincial mystery. The province recorded 35 reports during the year, but the more significant story is why reporting rose across the country. The COVID-19 pandemic changed daily routines, more people spent evenings outdoors or at home looking at the sky, online reporting became easier, and the rapid expansion of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network introduced unfamiliar sights that many observers had never encountered before. These factors combined to increase the number of reported unidentified objects without necessarily indicating an increase in genuinely unexplained aerial phenomena.[Canadian UFO Report]canadianuforeport.caCanadian UFO Report ANNUAL SURVEYSCanadian UFO Report ANNUAL SURVEYS
Within Saskatchewan, the available evidence suggests that 2020 was primarily a reporting surge rather than a distinct provincial sighting wave. Reports remained geographically dispersed, with no well-documented cluster of similar incidents centred on one community or supported by independent technical evidence.
How Saskatchewan compared with the national increase
The 2020 Canadian UFO Survey recorded one of the largest national increases since systematic modern reporting began. Saskatchewan’s total of 35 reports fitted comfortably within that wider national rise rather than standing out as an exceptional provincial anomaly. Provinces with much larger populations, particularly Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta, also experienced increased reporting, indicating that the forces driving the increase operated across Canada rather than within Saskatchewan alone.[Canadian UFO Report]canadianuforeport.caCanadian UFO Report ANNUAL SURVEYSCanadian UFO Report ANNUAL SURVEYS
This distinction matters when interpreting provincial statistics. A higher annual total does not automatically indicate that more unusual aerial events occurred. Instead, it may reflect changes in public behaviour, awareness and willingness to submit reports. The Canadian UFO Survey has consistently treated annual totals as records of reported unidentified observations, not evidence that extraordinary objects became more common.[Canadian UFO Report]canadianuforeport.caCanadian UFO Report ANNUAL SURVEYSCanadian UFO Report ANNUAL SURVEYS
Unlike historical “flap” periods sometimes described in UFO literature, Saskatchewan’s 2020 reports did not centre on a single recurring object, a defined geographical hotspot or a sequence of closely connected events. The increase therefore fits the pattern of a nationwide reporting boom rather than a province-specific wave.
Pandemic-era changes in skywatching and reporting
Several pandemic-related changes help explain why Saskatchewan followed the national trend.
First, lockdowns and altered work patterns meant many Canadians spent more time at home, often outdoors during evenings. Researchers involved in the Canadian UFO Survey noted that people simply had more opportunities to observe the night sky than during normal commuting and work routines.[Global News]globalnews.cacanadian ufo sightings down 2019Global NewsCanadian UFO sightings down in 2019, but expected to rise amid coronavirus pandemic | Globalnews.ca…
Second, internet reporting had become increasingly accessible. Witnesses could submit sightings through multiple online databases, social media groups and investigator websites with little delay. Reports that might once have remained private were now much more likely to enter national databases. The annual surveys themselves recognise easier online reporting as one contributor to rising case numbers.[Canadian UFO Report]canadianuforeport.caCanadian UFO Report ANNUAL SURVEYSCanadian UFO Report ANNUAL SURVEYS
Third, public interest in astronomy briefly increased during 2020. Media coverage of celestial events, including Comet NEOWISE, encouraged more people to spend time observing the night sky. While this produced genuine public engagement with astronomy, it also increased opportunities for unfamiliar lights and objects to be reported as unidentified before being recognised.[Global News]globalnews.cacanadian ufo sightings down 2019Global NewsCanadian UFO sightings down in 2019, but expected to rise amid coronavirus pandemic | Globalnews.ca…
Together, these mechanisms created conditions in which more observations were made and more observations were reported, even if the underlying number of unusual aerial events remained unchanged.
Satellites and other likely sources of mistaken sightings
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of 2020 was the growing influence of Starlink satellite trains.
SpaceX launched increasing numbers of satellites during this period, producing long chains of evenly spaced lights crossing the evening sky. For observers unfamiliar with the phenomenon, these formations could appear highly unusual. Researchers with the Canadian UFO Survey repeatedly identified Starlink as an important source of public confusion during 2020.[Global News]globalnews.cacanadian ufo sightings down 2019Global NewsCanadian UFO sightings down in 2019, but expected to rise amid coronavirus pandemic | Globalnews.ca…
Saskatchewan provides clear examples of this mechanism. Public discussions from Saskatoon in April 2020 show residents observing long strings of lights before identifying them as Starlink passes, illustrating how unfamiliar satellite formations quickly attracted attention.[Reddit]reddit.comDid people see the 20 odd streak of satellites just now?Did people see the 20 odd streak of satellites just now?April 19, 2020…
Some formal UFO reports from Saskatchewan also explicitly questioned whether observed lights were Starlink. One Regina report described dozens of lights moving across the sky in March 2020 and even acknowledged the possibility while arguing the formation appeared different from photographs the witness had seen. Regardless of the witness’s conclusion, the report demonstrates how Starlink had become part of the explanation process almost immediately.[nuforc.org]nuforc.orgNUFORC UFO Sighting 154675April 9, 2020…
This was not unique to Saskatchewan. Canadian researchers repeatedly cited satellites, alongside aircraft, planets, bright stars and meteors, as among the most common explanations for reports submitted during the pandemic period.[Global News]globalnews.cacanadian ufo sightings down 2019Global NewsCanadian UFO sightings down in 2019, but expected to rise amid coronavirus pandemic | Globalnews.ca…
The importance of satellite confusion has since been recognised more broadly. Canada’s Office of the Chief Science Advisor has highlighted how modern satellite constellations can easily be mistaken for unfamiliar aerial phenomena by observers who lack contextual information, especially when relying on social media rather than authoritative astronomical resources.[ISED Canada]ised-isde.canada.caISED CanadaManagement of Public Reporting of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in CanadaJune 1, 2025…
What the 2020 increase does—and does not—show
The evidence supports several conclusions about Saskatchewan’s place within the 2020 surge.
It shows that the province responded to the same social and technological influences affecting the rest of Canada. Pandemic routines, increased public attention to the night sky and unfamiliar satellite displays all contributed to higher reporting activity.
At the same time, the increase does not demonstrate that Saskatchewan experienced an exceptional outbreak of unexplained phenomena. The reports remained varied in location and description, lacked a single dominant case linking them together, and reflected mechanisms that investigators identified nationwide.[Canadian UFO Report]canadianuforeport.caCanadian UFO Report ANNUAL SURVEYSCanadian UFO Report ANNUAL SURVEYS
Subsequent Canadian surveys have also cautioned against interpreting the 2020 spike as evidence of a permanently rising trend. National reporting fell again after the peak year, suggesting that the pandemic represented an unusual period in reporting behaviour rather than the beginning of continuous growth.[Canadian UFO Report]canadianuforeport.comCanadian UFO Report Microsoft WordCanadian UFO ReportMicrosoft Word - 2023 Canadian UFO Survey V2.1March 2, 2024…
Viewed in the wider history of Saskatchewan UFO reporting, 2020 is therefore best understood as a year when national circumstances temporarily amplified the number of reports reaching investigators. It remains an important example of how changes in public behaviour, technology and reporting systems can reshape UFO statistics without necessarily changing the underlying phenomenon being observed.
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Endnotes
1.
Source: reddit.com
Title: Did people see the 20 odd streak of satellites just now?
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/saskatoon/comments/g413jd
Source snippet
Did people see the 20 odd streak of satellites just now?April 19, 2020...
Published: April 19, 2020
2.
Source: nuforc.org
Link:https://nuforc.org/sighting/?id=154675
Source snippet
NUFORC UFO Sighting 154675April 9, 2020...
Published: April 9, 2020
3.
Source: ised-isde.canada.ca
Link:https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/science/en/office-chief-science-advisor/sky-canada-project/management-public-reporting-unidentified-aerial-phenomena-canada
Source snippet
ISED CanadaManagement of Public Reporting of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in CanadaJune 1, 2025...
Published: June 1, 2025
4.
Source: saskatchewan.ca
Link:https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/parks-culture-heritage-and-sport/hunting-trapping-and-angling/wildlife-population-surveys
5.
Source: saskatchewan.ca
Link:https://www.saskatchewan.ca/business/environmental-protection-and-sustainability/wildlife-and-conservation/wild-species-research-permitting/species-detection-survey-permits
6.
Source: publications.aws.tpsgc-pwgsc.cloud-nuage.canada.ca
Link:https://publications.aws.tpsgc-pwgsc.cloud-nuage.canada.ca/site/eng/9.897271/publication.html
7.
Source: canadianuforeport.ca
Title: Canadian UFO Report ANNUAL SURVEYS
Link:https://canadianuforeport.ca/annual-surveys
8.
Source: globalnews.ca
Title: canadian ufo sightings down 2019
Link:https://globalnews.ca/news/7223495/canadian-ufo-sightings-down-2019/
Source snippet
Global NewsCanadian UFO sightings down in 2019, but expected to rise amid coronavirus pandemic | Globalnews.ca...
9.
Source: canadianuforeport.com
Title: Canadian UFO Report Microsoft Word
Link:https://www.canadianuforeport.com/survey/essay/Surveyessay2023.pdf
Source snippet
Canadian UFO ReportMicrosoft Word - 2023 Canadian UFO Survey V2.1March 2, 2024...
Published: March 2, 2024
10.
Source: globalnews.ca
Link:https://globalnews.ca/news/11723579/ufo-sightings-in-canada-2025/
11.
Source: globalnews.ca
Link:https://globalnews.ca/news/11456027/space-junk-debris-falls-to-earth-saskatchewan/
12.
Source: globalnews.ca
Link:https://globalnews.ca/news/7827693/alberta-rcmp-ufo-sightings/
13.
Source: documents.theblackvault.com
Link:https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/ufos/canada/
14.
Source: globalnews.ca
Title: UF O sightings up in Saskatchewan | Globalnews.ca
Link:https://globalnews.ca/news/2636162/ufo-sightings-up-in-saskatchewan/
15.
Source: canadianuforeport.ca
Title: survey data
Link:https://canadianuforeport.ca/survey-data
Additional References
16.
Source: thecanadareport.ca
Title: The internal staff response evolv
Link:https://www.thecanadareport.ca/nrc-ufo-reports-after-1995/
Source snippet
NRC UFO Reports: Canada's Quiet Sightings Log After 1995May 14, 2026 — In most cases, the public caller had first contacted local media —...
Published: May 14, 2026
17.
Source: sencanada.ca
Link:https://sencanada.ca/en/senators/simons-paula/interventions/689271/37
Source snippet
Global Affairs Canada only learned of the issue from media reports. SpaceX was supposed to tell the American government of the incident...
18.
Source: canadanewsmedia.ca
Link:https://canadanewsmedia.ca/ufo-sightings-across-canada-have-spiked-during-the-pandemic/
19.
Source: sasknow.com
Link:https://sasknow.com/2022/08/11/studies-show-ufo-sightings-rising-in-sask-and-canada/
20.
Source: publications.gc.ca
Link:https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.886874/publication.html
21.
Source: publications.gc.ca
Link:https://publications.gc.ca/site/fra/9.886874/publication.html
22.
Source: science.gc.ca
Link:https://science.gc.ca/site/science/en/office-chief-science-advisor/sky-canada-project/preview-sky-canada-report-ocsa
23.
Source: toronto.citynews.ca
Title: ca Survey suggests Canadians looked to the skies, saw more UFOs during pandemic
Link:https://toronto.citynews.ca/2021/03/30/survey-suggests-canadians-looked-to-the-skies-saw-more-ufos-during-pandemic/
24.
Source: vice.com
Title: Here Are 20 Years of UFO Sightings We Got From the Canadian Government
Link:https://www.vice.com/en/article/canadian-government-ufo-reports-release/
25.
Source: src.sk.ca
Title: src shows strong performance 2020 21 despite covid 19 pandemic
Link:https://www.src.sk.ca/news/src-shows-strong-performance-2020-21-despite-covid-19-pandemic