By: Hailey DeWitt Williams
From guidelines to law, there is now a new set of rules for recreational drone users in Canada.
Transport Minister Marc Garneau has announced the new safety restrictions and fines on these increasingly popular remote controlled devices.
Before now police could not do much about dangerous drone operation, unless the drone was used in committing a crime outlined in the Criminal Code.
But now users could face $3,000 fines for breaking any number of the new rules. Users could also face much heftier fines for committing some of the more hazardous offenses, such as threatening the safe landing of an aircraft.
Drones lighter than 250 grams or heavier than 35 kg. require special permission from Transport Canada for recreational use.
Since becoming popular, Transport Canada has noticed the number of incidents involving drones increase year by year. The new guidelines aren’t meant to deter people from using drones recreationally, but rather to help keep everyone safe.
Some of the new rules include flying a drone no higher than 90 meters, and not flying a drone at night or in cloudy conditions.
For a full breakdown on the new regulations, see the infographic below.