Wildlife, humans face potential dangers from drones

It just got more expensive to fly drones illegally.

As of June 2019, an individual can be fined $1,000 for flying a drone where it is not allowed. A company or corporation can be fined $5,000.

This comes after the City of Windsor has made it illegal to fly drones in parks without a proper permit. The legislation was passed in July 2018, by Windsor city council.

Federally, drones have been illegal in parks since 2017.

In Canada, all drone operators need to apply for a drone license. This requires you to get a drone operator’s certificate, which can be obtained by taking a course from an accredited drone ground school. In this course, you will learn about different concepts like the basic principles of flight, weather and airspace.

According to Transport Canada, flying drones in Canadian parks is illegal without proper permission from park officials.

“Drone pilots must carry a valid drone pilot certificate and only fly drones that are marked and registered. If you are flying a drone that is less than 250 grams, you do not need to register the drone or get a drone pilot certificate,” according to a press release from Transport Canada.

The reason for this is that drones can pose a danger to visitors and can disturb wildlife.

“Animals can have post-traumatic stress disorder from exposure to drones. They have been known to leave their young. It can lead to loss of life,” said Ryan Cant, founder and CEO of EnviroDrone, a Windsor-based company that uses drones to inspect job sites.

People can sustain injuries from propellers of drones, such as cuts, black eyes and potential damage to limbs.

“You want to make sure you are not impacting other people. I get it. I know exactly where they are going with this,” said Cant.

Cant thinks a lot of drones not being allowed in parks comes down to being responsible.

“A lot of this comes down to being a responsible drone pilot,” said Cant.

According to Transport Canada, the number of drone-related incidents have been on the rise since 2014. In 2016, there were 148 reported incidents involving drones, 41 in 2014 and 85 in 2015.

In May 2019, a Journey Air pilot spotted a drone passing their plane at approximately 305 meters. The incident happened at Windsor International Airport.

For more information on drones not being allowed in parks can be found on Parks Canada’s website. Information on drone licensing can be found on Transport Canada’s website.