New rules promote safer drones
System more accessible and will require pilot certification, experts say
New federal regulations governing the operation of drones in Canada will make using the unmanned flying devices safer and more accessible, according to experts.
The new rules, which were announced on Wednesday, will come into effect on June 1.
“We’re looking at a set of regulations that is clear and simple for people to become permitted pilots,” said Paul Bennett, founder of Aeronautika, a Coquitlam-based drone consulting and education company. “The system is just easier to understand.”
The new rules, which cover drones weighing between 250 grams and 25 kilograms, apply to all drone operators, whether they fly for fun, work or research. Nothing will change for those flying smaller or larger drones.
The regulations have two main categories of drone operation: basic and advanced. Operators will have to pass an online exam and get a pilot’s certificate, and will be required to register their drones and mark them with the registration number.
A minimum age limit of 14 for basic operations and 16 for advanced will be introduced.
Pilots will have to keep their aircraft below 122 metres above ground and stay away from air traffic.
Those wishing to fly outside the rules must obtain a special flight operations certificate from Transport Canada.
Unmanned Systems Canada, the national association representing the unmanned systems sector, has co-chaired the remote piloted aircraft systems working group with Transport Canada since 2010.
“We have leveraged over a decade of experience and technology development to arrive at these rules, which strike an appropriate balance between assuring safety while enabling economic growth,” association chair Mark Aruja said in a news release.
Because the regulations are more straightforward, it is expected that there will be more drones in the air after they come into effect.
“They’re far more accessible to the diligent and responsible commercial operator, and they’re also simpler to adopt by the general public that wants to fly drones recreationally,” said B.C. Institute of Technology geomatics instructor Eric Saczuk, who uses drones in research, consulting work and recreationally.
Saczuk doesn’t believe privacy will be an issue under the new regulations.
Basic operators will be required to fly at least 30 metres horizontally from bystanders and not fly over bystanders, but advanced operators will be allowed to fly over and within 30 metres of bystanders.
However, legal requirements under the new rules include following Criminal Code sections regarding air safety, breaking and entering, and mischief, provincial trespass acts, laws related to voyeurism and privacy, and all municipal, provincial and territorial laws about drone use.
Bennett said there should be a renewed conversation about privacy. In 2013, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada released a report about drones.
“I would expect and hope to see an update on that,” he said.
Transport Canada and the RCMP will be responsible for enforcing the rules.
Fines begin at between $1,000 and $3,000 for individuals, but can rise much higher for corporations or anyone deliberately breaking the rules. Violators who deliberately fly near an aircraft’s flight path could be subject to fines of up to $25,000 and prison.