"The next step"? Where does it go from there? Well, Leblanc said National Defense keeps track of paranormal investigations, although the budget for such activities is shrinking all the time. Jim Bronskill, a reporter with the Canadian Press, recently researched UFO sightings files at the National Archives in Ottawa. He said UFOs have been active in the North for as long as records have been kept. "Sightings are fairly evenly spread out across the country, including Northern sightings," Bronskill said. While doing research, he saw files from Pond Inlet and a few other NWT communities in which authorities documented sightings of strange lights and hovering objects. He also recalls a sighting in Lynn Lake, Man. Two observers there told a RCMP officer of a green fireball falling slowly from the sky. In his report, the constable said meteorites and the Northern lights had been seen in the area recently. He said he also detected the unmistakable odor of marijuana while taking witness statements. "The North is a little bit different from the rest of Canada because of the Northern lights and other atmospheric irregularities," he concluded. "Quite often, Northern sightings are explained away because of those types of things."

"Casting doubt" Fort Simpson elder Leo Norweigian came forward with information about a November UFO sighting after hearing of the Fort Resolution report. He said he had seen a lot of things in his life, but nothing like these lights. He said he had seen lots of Northern lights and other atmospheric phenomena, he had even seen an unexplained glowing fireball shoot across the sky - that was 25 years ago. But on Nov. 13, when he and an eight-year-old child witnessed lights on a hovering craft near Fort Simpson similar to what was reported in Fort Resolution, he was baffled. "I'm just glad that someone else has seen it too," he said, admitting he didn't tell too many people about his sighting because he feared he wouldn't be believed. Bronskill said Canadians used to file close to 200 official non-meteoric sightings a year with the National Archives. That figure changed last August when the federal government canned the recording program - a budget cutting measure. (or something more? - Blaine)

"Where do UFOs go?" What happens to UFO reports isn't clear. Northern RCMP officers say UFO investigations aren't within their jurisdiction any more. RCMP in Ottawa say they're only concerned with UFOs which threaten the national capital. Meanwhile, Department of National Defense officials say they're not sure what happens when people spot UFOs, either. "There used to be a Project Blue Book that looked into those reports, but that's no longer operational," one official said. Military police officials said they would house an alien prisoner if required, but have nothing to do with investigating UFO sightings. They thought National Defense public exhibition staff might know something - they didn't. "Staff Sgt. Eric Lafoy, a spokesman for the RCMP in the NWT, said that if a UFO ever landed in the North, police, military and territorial officials would just have to deal with it, policy or not.