1990 - The Place Bonaventure Incident - Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Montreal, Quebec, Canada - November, 1990

On Nov. 7, 1990, a woman swimming at the 17 floor Place Bonaventure hotel spots something in the sky. She sees a round, metallic object projecting a series of brilliant light beams.

Her sighting sets off a chain reaction.

She tells the lifeguard who calls the hotel security guard, who contacts the police and a journalist from La Presse newspaper. The RCMP, the military and even NASA are called in.

The aerial phenomenon lasts almost three hours from 7:20 p.m. to 10:10 p.m.

The incident sparks sensation due to the excellent documentation and the large number of very reliable witnesses.

Some theorize it is nothing more than the result of northern lights, dismissing the possibility of a UFO sighting. The event catches the attention of Bernard Guénette, a UFO researcher in Montreal.

In 1992, Guénette and Dr. Richard Haines, a former NASA scientist, publish a 25-page report on the sighting. The report concludes that the "evidence for the existence of a highly unusual, hovering, silent large object is indisputable."

It suggests some sort of huge physical object, about 540 metres wide, caused the lights but fails to identify its origin.

Thanks to Lise for telling us about this case.