Transport Canada has announced new rules and regulations for drones, which will take effect on June 1, 2019.
REALTORS® using drone photography for their business may be impacted. The new regulations no longer differentiate between recreational and commercial drone operations and will require drone pilots to register and mark their drones, as well as pass an exam for their pilot certificate.
NEW DRONE REGULATIONS & TIPS FROM TRANSPORT CANADA:
Drones are aircraft—which makes you a pilot. When you fly your drone, you’re sharing the skies with other drones and aircraft. Before you fly, understand the rules you must follow and review our safety tips.
Drone pilots must follow the rules in the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs). Part IX – Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systemscontains most of the rules that apply to drones. You should read these regulations in full before you fly your drone for the first time.
Drone pilots must carry a valid drone pilot certificate and only fly drones that are marked and registered.
You must respect all other laws when flying your drone. We encourage you to read the following documents before you fly for the first time:
You must respect the privacy rights of others when you fly.
We investigate reports of unsafe flying. We may involve local police if you break other laws.
It’s important that you fly your drone responsibly to avoid harming others. Here are the rules you need to follow.
To keep yourself and others safe, fly your drone:
Always respect the privacy of others while flying.
You could face serious penalties, including fines and/or jail time, if you break the rules.
If you break more than one rule, you could receive multiple penalties.
We recommend buying public liability insurance for your drone. However, it is not required. Note that most standard home insurance policies do not cover the use of drones.
We use the term “drone” on these pages to refer to any type of Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS). There are a number of different terms for this technology. In Part IX of the Canadian Aviation Regulations, we use the term Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems to align with our international partners.
Visual-line-of-sight means keeping your device in sight at all times without visual aid (for example, binoculars or video feed). This means not flying into clouds or fog, or behind trees, buildings or other (even partial) obstructions.
Bystander refers to anyone that is not directly associated with operating the drone. Among others, this excludes the pilot and crew.