Transport Canada yesterday (Oct 21 2014) started a new campaign to educate the public and commercial operators on the proper use of UAVs (“drones”) in Canada.

“As Minister of Transport, it’s my job to make sure we keep our skies safe for aircraft of all sizes. This campaign will help build awareness so that Canadians always think safety first and understand how to operate their drones safely and legally.”
The Honourable Lisa Raitt
Minister of Transport

This is a great step forward as there was a lot of unknowns and confusion in the market from new users that were not aware of or confused by the current regulations.

The bigger question will be how Transport Canada staff will be able to handle the additional SFOC applications that will no doubt result from the regulations becoming better known.  There is already a backlog in most regions running well beyond the 20 day noted time frame.  Hopefully there will also be some changes to address this going forward before new regulations come into effect.

For more information see the following links:

• http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=895629
• http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/standards/general-recavi-uav-2265.htm