Editor's note: BayToday will be taking a closer look at drone regulations in the North Bay area in the coming weeks as people open Christmas gifts and are pleasantly surprised to receive a drone. However this letter should tweak people to do a little research before they break out their new toy.
By Jeff Shoults.
I am launching a public awareness campaign regarding the growing number of UAVs (Drones) being flown in our city that are operating in contravention of the regulations set out by Transport Canada who’s number one concern is safety and for good reason.
The regulations clearly state that operating a UAV within 9km of any aerodrome is absolutely prohibited and carries massive fines and potential for criminal charges. North Bay has three aerodromes, Jack Garland Airport, the heliport at the hospital and the aquadrome on Trout Lake. Drawing a 9km radius from these airports, one can clearly see that the entire City is off limits to all UAV operations ranging from backyard flights with a $40 toy helicopter from a convenience store all the way up to a $3,000 professional grade drones. This is just one of many regulations and the fact is that people often assume that these are basically toys and they do not even realize they are breaking the law and placing the public on the ground as well as local air traffic in danger.
I propose to make these regulations known to our residents to protect them from unknowingly breaking the law and potentially causing property damage or worse still, injury and possible casualties. As well as educating our residents on legalities and dangers and how to handle sightings and reporting procedures, there are potential applications of this new technology in the commercial sector. From traditional photography to aerial surveys, mapping, precision agriculture, mining, construction and inspection, commercial uses of UAV’s are being discovered every day and the industry is on the rise in a big way.
North Bay has a rich history of aviation and if we would like to take advantage of the legitimate business opportunities, we should place ourselves at the leading edge of public information where drones are concerned. The Christmas season is coming up and there will be an estimated two million drones sold in the U.S. alone and countless more sold around the world including North Bay residents who will find a drone under the tree, and armed with ignorance of the regulations they will fill our skies in the spring. Lets inform our residents before they spend hard earned money on equipment they are not allowed to fly without travelling out of town to enjoy the hobby. Education with regards to the regulations will help prevent unintentional infringement on public safety as well as absolutely intentional infringement, especially by unregistered, unlicensed, unlawful and unsafe operators attempting to call themselves a business.
With the rising popularity of UAVs there is no doubt that this will eventually become an issue to be addressed by North Bay and its policy makers so I propose that we hold an information session in order to formulate a strategy to deal with these issues before they surprise us.
Thank you for your consideration as I truly believe we should tackle the issue before it is a problem. Please note that I am not trying to ban drones in North Bay, Transport Canada has already done so.
Sincerely, Jeff Shoults (Jeff is a long-time drone operator)
