Starting this fall, Canada will embrace groundbreaking updates to its drone regulations, ushering in a new era for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. These changes mark a departure from the labor-intensive, case-by-case approval process previously required by Transport Canada, paving the way for greater accessibility to low-risk BVLOS flights across the country.
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Transport Canada has given its approval to Ontario Power Generation to operate inspection drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), without an onsite visual observer, at McConnell Lake Control Dam. Percepto, whose drone-in-a-box solution will make this feat possible, points out this is the first time regulators are allowing autonomous drone operations in Canada.
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The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has released its report on a 2021 collision between a Cessna 172N plane approaching the Toronto area’s Buttonville Municipal Airport and a police drone operating in the restricted airspace without the required waiver – an incident that sparked controversy when it belatedly became public.
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Drone services, hardware, and training company Volatus Aerospace has been granted a special certificate by regulator Transport Canada to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) missions without a flight observer.
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Canadian aviation authorities have issued a Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) certificate to drone logistics firm Drone Delivery Canada. The Toronto-based company says it is the only drone service provider in Canada approved to deliver dangerous goods using drones.
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Iris Automation says its onboard Casia collision avoidance product for commercial drones has been selected for testing in Transport Canada’s Detect and Avoid trials next year.
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An aircraft attempting to land at Buttonville, an airport with proximity to Toronto’s suburbs, sustained “major damage” after being hit by a York Regional Police (YRP) drone earlier this month. Strangely enough, the country’s air navigation service provider, NAV Canada, was not even informed of the police drone operation.
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Canadian Unmanned Traffic Management and fleet management company AirMarket, in partnership with mobility and IT Company Telus, have carried out a successful live demonstration of a system designed to safely operate multiple drones for surveillance, infrastructure monitoring, and more.
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Transport Canada (TC) has announced the formation of CanaDAC – where those last three letters stand for Drone Advisory Committee. The committee will serve “as a national forum for industry stakeholders to inform priority policy and regulatory areas of focus for TC.” Let’s see what it’s about.
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An online drone Flight Review network is launching in Canada. It aims to make things easier for drone operators seeking a Flight Review, where a Transport Canada-endorsed Flight Reviewer observes proficiency with flying and quizzes the pilot about airspace and other safety regulations.
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There’s no doubt drones are here to stay. But as their roles increase, regulators are addressing a more comprehensive vision of how these devices fit into overall policies and priorities. Now, Canada has released a document outlining its vision until 2025.
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We believe rules are there for a reason. And both the Federal Aviation Administration and its Canadian equivalent, Transport Canada, have tried to strike a balance between maintaining safe airspace and letting drone pilots go about their business. But there will always be those who ignore the rules.
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It may be Friday the 13th, but it’s also National Drone Safety Awareness day in Canada. It’s Canada’s inaugural drone safety day — and comes just before the FAA launches its National Drone Safety Awareness week. Let’s find out more.
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A drone company in Canada has been granted a one-year permit for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights. Transport Canada is allowing In-flight data to use drones day or night, anywhere in Canada, providing the risk to public safety is low.
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Today, Transport Canada granted the first certificate for beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) for special flight drone operations to MVT Geo-solutions, in partnership with Iris Automation, using only onboard detect-and-avoid (DAA).
Are you planning to fly your drone in Canada this summer? Well maybe watch this video from Peter McKinnon before you do so. As you may have read here on DroneDJ, the drone rules in Canada have changed as of June 1, 2019. And they haven’t become any easier. Not at all actually… In another one of his excellent videos, Peter explains how the new Canadian drone rules have made flying your drone in Canada pretty much impossible for anyone. Unless you are willing to study a 300+ page pdf document and sit out a 3-day course and exam. Yes, you read that correctly. Watch the video to learn why Peter and Matti Haapoja have given up on flying their drones in Canada.
Earlier this year, new rules were announced for ‘larger’ drones (250 grams to 55 Lbs) in Canada. The announcement was made by federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau. The new rules will come into effect on June 1 and will apply to all drone operators, regardless if they fly for fun or for work. DJI now announces that nine of their drones are fully compliant with the new Transport Canada requirements for advanced operations. See DJI’s official statement below.
New rules for Canadians flying ‘larger’ drones. When you fly a drone of a certain size (250 grams to 55 Lbs) you will have to pass an online exam and get a pilot’s certificate. These new drone rules were announced today by federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau. The new rules will come into effect on June 1 and will apply to all drone operators, regardless if they fly for fun or for work.
Canadian authorities are looking into a suspected drone collision with a Cessna 172 that caused $4,000 USD in damage. The drone incident occurred near an airport in British Columbia. During a training flight, the Cessna 172, owned by Abbotsford-based Chinook Helicopters, was making its final approach at Chilliwack Airport when its left wing collided with the suspected unmanned aerial vehicle. The collision “left blue bits on the wing” of the Cessna, according to the flight school owner Cathy Press.
Transport Canada granted permission to the company Drone Delivery Canada to start testing drone deliveries in the Northern Canadian Communities of Moose Factory and Moosonee, Ontario. Toronto based Drone Delivery Canada made its first successful flights earlier this month in a partnership with Moose Cree First Nation. The partnership aims to establish a drone delivery service that would bring food, medical supplies and other necessities to the island of Moose Factory in the Moose River.
DJI just released an official statement on the report of a plane striking a drone in Quebec that we wrote about earlier today. Currently, it is not known (or at least not officially) what kind of drone and what brand exactly has collided with the commercial airliner. However with DJI being the largest drone manufacturer, chances are, it may have been one of their products. DJI states that they are ready to assist the Canadian aviation authorities. The collision took place at about 1500 feet of elevation and DJI’s drones are programmed by default to not exceed 4oo feet. In their release, DJI stresses that many people are using drones safely and responsibly and that DJI is pioneering new technologies such as geo-fencing and AeroScope to allow for safer sharing of the airspace.
On Sunday the Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau said that for the first time in Canada a drone had collided with a passenger airplane. The commercial Skyjet plane was struck as it was approaching Jean Lesage airport in Quebec City on Thursday. Garneau confirmed that the airplane only sustained minor damage and was able to land safely. He was extremely relieved that nobody got hurt. He continued to say:
“This should not have happened. That drone should not have been there. It could have been much more serious. If the drone had collided with the cockpit or the engine, the incident could have been catastrophic.”