Winnipeg-based UFO expert skeptical of Trump’s latest remarks

In this Oct. 29, 2016 file photo, UFO researcher Chris Rutkowski is seen in his Winnipeg home. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods)

A Winnipeg resident who has spent decades researching UFOs says significant questions remain after U.S. President Donald Trump called for the release of government records related to aliens and unidentified flying objects.

On Thursday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he will direct government departments and agencies to “begin the process of identifying and releasing” files connected to extraterrestrial life and UFOs—also referred to as unidentified aerial phenomena.

However, Chris Rutkowski, a longtime UFO researcher, said the details surrounding the proposed release are still unclear. Rutkowski, who has been interested in the topic since the 1970s, has investigated numerous cases and authored many articles and books on UFOs.

“It’s an interesting statement from President Trump, because it actually doesn’t say much about what’s going on,” Rutkowski said.

“It doesn’t say anything about classified files, it doesn’t say anything about secret files, or compartmentalized files. Just sort of files about aliens and extraterrestrial life and UFOs.”

Rutkowski, 67, noted that the Pentagon has already released many UFO-related documents over the years and pointed out that no timeline was provided for when any additional files might be made public.

“We don’t really know what this means. Are we simply going to be getting more of the same, or are we going to get some true revelation? It doesn’t seem like it, but it remains to be seen, I suppose.”

Rutkowski also said the president’s post about releasing alien files is “a little puzzling,” pointing to the absence of scientific evidence that extraterrestrials have visited Earth.

Trump’s social media comments came after remarks by former U.S. president Barack Obama about the existence of aliens.

“They’re real,” Obama said during a podcast interview. “But I haven’t seen them and they’re not being kept in Area 51. There’s no underground facility.”

Obama later clarified on social media that he never saw evidence of extraterrestrial contact during his presidency but said the vastness of the universe makes it likely that life exists elsewhere.

Over 25,000 Canadian UFO reports since 1989

Rutkowski is the founder and research coordinator of the Canadian UFO Survey, a publicly accessible database that compiles UFO sightings reported across Canada.

“The Canadian UFO Survey begun by a series of meetings held here in Manitoba with researchers from all across Canada—like-minded individuals like myself—who simply are fascinated with what’s going on but want to approach it from a scientific point of view to gather the data.”

Rutkowski, who holds degrees in astronomy and education, said the survey gathers information from institutions such as Transport Canada and the Department of National Defence, as well as directly from members of the public.

Since launching the project in 1989, more than 25,000 UFO reports have been catalogued. On average, about 1,000 reports are filed each year.

“Only a small fraction of those are unexplained or not easy to explain,” Rutkowski said. “The vast majority are stars and planes and satellites.”

According to an overview of 2024 data, 1,008 UFO reports were received that year, with 3.77 per cent classified as “unexplained.”

“So, we do wonder what those things are,” he said. “We can’t say those are the ones that are alien spacecraft, because we simply don’t have any proof.”

Rutkowski noted that the most commonly reported UFO is simply a light in the night sky.

“Very rarely do we get sightings of things a little more concrete with some structure,” he added. “But they do exist… we’ve had triangles, we’ve had flying rectangles, flying cubes, and even things described as missile-shaped."

‘Very rich history’ of UFO sightings in Manitoba

The ufology expert—ufology being the study of unidentified flying objects—said Manitoba sees several dozen sightings each year.

According to Rutkowski, the province has a “very rich history” of unidentified objects reported in the sky, with records dating back to 1792.

He pointed to an early sighting near what is now Thicket Portage in northern Manitoba.

“Explorer David Thompson was with a companion and reported seeing a sort of light moving in the sky that appeared to fall on the ice there, as they were camping out there and made a very loud, distinct noise,” he said.

“It didn’t seem to be a meteor. He actually saw a second one the following day. So we’ve had cases going back for quite some time.”

One of Manitoba’s most well-known UFO cases occurred in 1967, when Stephen Michalak was prospecting near Falcon Lake.

“He had seen, for lack of a better word, a Hollywood-style flying saucer come down and land near him,” Rutkowski said. “He approached it, and he was severely burned and eventually was treated in hospital, and there was radioactive material found at the site.”

The case was investigated by several Canadian authorities, including the RCMP, but no definitive explanation was ever provided.

As for whether Rutkowski believes in extraterrestrial life, he said they’re “out there somewhere.”

“But we simply have no way of knowing exactly where and to what extent, and what they look like,” he said. “The contact simply hasn’t been made ... we don’t have the proof.”

More information on UFO sightings is available on the Canadian UFO Survey website.