The man who phoned in Canada's most famous UFO sighting became the face of the mystery

Laurie Wickens, who died recently at age 76, became the public face of the 1967 Shag Harbour UFO incident in Nova Scotia, one of Canada’s bestknown unexplained sightings. The CBC report says Wickens was 17 when he saw flashing lights in the sky while driving home from a dance on Oct. 4, 1967. He told police he watched an object crash into the Atlantic near Shag Harbour, then called the RCMP from a phone booth. Officers initially questioned whether he had been drinking, but soon multiple calls came in reporting the same event. The article says the case drew wide attention because of the number of witnesses, the official search effort, and records left by police and National Defence. RCMP officers, local fishermen, and naval divers searched the water over several days but found no clear explanation. Authorities later ruled out several ordinary causes, though the incident was never definitively solved. Wickens later worked in fishing and remained involved with the Shag Harbour UFO Incident Society, which operates a museum and annual conference. Friends and family said he was sometimes reluctant to retell the story, but he helped keep the local history alive and even pushed for a commemorative coin honoring the incident.