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A growing trend in the encroachment of privately-flown unmanned aerial vehicles into controlled airspace is forcing the federal government to take a more aggressive stance. Transport Canada investigated 61 incidents in 2014 and 96 last year, and Transport Minister Marc Garneau said, “We expect those numbers to rise again.”
Announced June 13 at Ottawa International Airport, the new approach would include a ban on amateur drones within a nine-kilometre radius of airports, an area defined by “no drone zone” signs. Violators would be liable for fines up to $25,000 and Garneau said there would be “jail time” for particularly egregious offences.
A draft of the proposed regulations, including “robust safety guidelines” and categories for registering drones, will be published in the Canada Gazette for at least 60 days of industry and public comment before a final version is published. While no date has been set, a Transport Canada spokesperson said the plan is to have the new regime in place by mid-2017.
Garneau said that although most drone operators “want to do so legally and safely . . . it seems some don’t understand the risk involved.” Operating near airports was “not only stupid, it could be extremely dangerous.”
He told Skies that his department has been working with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which has been wrestling with the drone issue for months. “It’s not to say that we’ll have identical rules, but we try to harmonize as much as possible,” he said.
