After Summer of Drone Dramas, BC Calls for Crackdown
Province tells feds all UAVs should be registered and pilots certified.
The British Columbia government wants all drones to be registered and pilots certified, according to a submission to a federal panel looking at the expanding technology. Whether it’s reports of near-misses with airplanes or spying on neighbours, Victoria is in a race to catch up with the burgeoning technology.
The submission is in response to federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt’s call for opinions on proposed amendments to drone regulations in Canada.
Drones weighing 35 kilograms or less can fly without authorization, but operators must conform to Canadian Aviation Regulation rules and respect federal, provincial and local laws about trespassing and privacy. Those who fly larger drones or for commercial purposes must apply for special flight operations certificates from Transport Canada.
”The advantages and opportunities that [unmanned aerial vehicles] present must be balanced with government’s interest in protecting the personal safety and privacy of its citizens,” said the B.C. report.
”Rapid development, growth and adaption of UAV technology are challenges to both the aviation sector and the public that require the attention of policy makers and regulators. Of particular concern to British Columbia is the unsafe use of UAVs in proximity to other aircraft, violation of personal privacy and the current inability for provincial or municipal enforcement.”
The report includes a list of civil aviation near-misses with drones in 2014 and 2015, mostly around B.C. airports, and a much-publicized allegation that a drone-sighting near Oliver, B.C. wildfires grounded water bombers for more than four hours for safety reasons in August. The only description of the drone in the Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System, filed Sept. 1, was that it was ”fluorescent orange-coloured from above.”
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