In this episode of Canada Is Boring: The Tinfoil Tuke, Rhys Waters and Jesse dive into Project Magnet, Canada’s secretly funded UFO research program from the 1950s, led by government engineer Wilbert Brockhouse Smith.
They unpack how a respected radio and broadcasting expert went from establishing ionospheric monitoring systems and TV allocation standards… to claiming telepathic contact with “space brothers” and linking UFOs to psychic phenomena.
Along the way, they explore:
How Project Magnet tried to harness geomagnetism as a propulsion system
Why Smith believed UFOs were intelligent extraterrestrial craft
The mysterious status of never-fully-declassified Canadian government files
Parallels with Star Trek’s Prime Directive and modern UFO lore
What happens when a serious scientist appears to lose his grip on reality
The episode wraps up with small talk in the Small Talk Dimension, including ADHD, trying Vyvanse, near-miss pool-water drinking incidents, and a tease for the next East Coast cryptid/conspiracy story.
If you’re into UFO history, Cold War weirdness, Canadian conspiracies, or just well-crafted rants, this one’s for you.
