On a holiday evening at 11pm, a resident was intrigued by a blinking red light that appeared to be hovering just outside their patio doors. As they walked out to investigate the light, reality sunk in that this was a video drone. A drone, whose operator might be somewhere out on the dark boardwalk and at that very moment was watching them – watching it.

The drone quickly sped off out over the Fraser river, heading east to the Fraser Surrey Docks where it was observed flying low and slow over the freighters and cranes. The drone then flew back across the river to hover over the rail bridge connecting Queensborough and Quayside.

[‘Drone’ Feature continues below video and Site Sponsor…read below]
[The drone red light is very hard to see. Look in the middle of the screen for a light moving right to left heading toward FSD]

The drone then travelled East along the boardwalk, stopping over numerous balconies to settle again over the balcony of the resident who reported the drone in the first place. It disappeared from sight presumably when it realized that this resident was videoing it – videoing them.

While the drone was flying, the resident called New Westminster Police to report the incident. While the initial phone conversation with the Police operator offered little support for the residents concerns for their privacy or security, less then an hour later an more sympathetic Officer called to express their understanding and offered to try to locate and question the operator of the drone. In fact, the Officer said [paraphrase], “I wouldn’t want that happening at my place”.

There is no doubt drones can be useful; providing footage of landscapes such as that See What The Seagulls Saw by ANDREW ROSE who showed the freezing of the Fraser River [Jan 2017] or perhaps providing first responders with search support.

While it is likely that nothing nefarious is going to happen with drone operators in our neck-of-the-woods, one can’t help but ask… Where does Public interest stop and the Private interest of the citizen begin? Given the current political climate worldwide, is the FSD or the Rail companies (both national distribution infrastructures) not concerned at what, or who might be surveilling their properties? Should residents or Police be concerned that drones are surveilling private property (home invasions, peeping Tom)? Should the city, council or police not enforce the existing guidelines/rules established by Transportation Canada for Drone Operators within the city? If not, who does enforce these rules and who does one call to report infractions to these rules?

So many questions – so few answers? If you have concerns on this issue or others, please bring them to the AGM on February 7th, where you will have an opportunity to express them.

For your information, please READ THE TRANPORTATION CANADA RULES FOR DRONE OPERATION HERE.