Are drones keeping you up at night?

With drones growing in popularity and increasingly accessible, their presence in the sky is augmenting. Like many new phenomenons, drones are satisfying the mania of some but remain the source of unhappiness for at least one Aylmer resident.

“I was unable to sleep last night. The drone was buzzing around my place with flashing red and white lights for about 15 minutes. It was certainly after midnight,” said Aylmer resident Joanne on August 18.

Unsure who to call, she sent her city councillor Josée Lacasse an email who told her to call 3-1-1 to lodge a complaint. Residents should also contact Transport Canada.

“Those who observe such activities should communicate with their local police service or with Transport Canada by email at services@tc.gc.ca,” explained spokesperson Natasha Gauthier. Transport Canada is the government body responsible to regulate the use of drones and to keep the public and other airspace users safe.

In many cases, operators of drones must obtain permission from Transport Canada. An operator does not require a permit only if the aircraft weighs 35 kg or less and is used for the fun of flying. Otherwise, the operator requires a permit from Transport Canada and needs to apply for a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC).

Even without a permit, operators are asked to follow basic rules. They are asked not to fly their drones closer than nine km from any aerodrome, such as an airport, higher than 90 metres (300 feet) above the ground, closer than 150 metres (500 feet) from people, animals, buildings, structures, or vehicles. Transport Canada also asks operators not to fly their drones in populated areas or near large groups of people or anywhere they could endanger or distract drivers.

Transport Canada states that if they receive a report of an incident, one of their inspectors will check if the operator followed the rules and safety guidelines. Local police may also be involved if other laws were broken, including the Criminal Code and privacy laws. In Joanne’s case the challenge is finding the operator.

With the craze around drones and their growing presence, Transport Canada is currently developing new regulations that will address the safety requirements to integrate them safely into Canadian airspace.

According to Transport Canada, if an operator doesn’t meet a condition in one of the exemptions, they will no longer qualify to fly under the exemption and must apply for an SFOC.

If an operator flies a UAV without an SFOC and should have one, Transport Canada can issue fines up to $5,000 for a person and up to $25,000 for a corporation. If an operator does not follow the requirements of their SFOC, Transport Canada can issue fines of up to $3,000 for a person and up to $15,000 for a corporation.