LAC LA BICHE - Lac La Biche County councillors have approved $30,000 in initial funding to equip community peace officers with aerial drones.
The approval will enable enforcement services to fund training of six local drone operators, two training drones and two working machines. Before the program flies, however, council has stipulated that policy frameworks must be pursued simultaneously with industry leaders for the operation of the unmanned aircraft.
The possibility of a drone project was first discussed earlier this year by community members of the Safer Municipalities Advisory Committee as a tool to assist municipal and provincial law enforcement agencies with emergency situations and disaster relief.
The drones could be used for search and rescue, property inspections, fire and flood monitoring and potentially for land surveying for the County, said Chris Clark, the manager of the municipality's Enforcement Services department.
According to Clark, the drone program could save time and money when it comes to emergency response in the region.
Rather than chartering a helicopter— something municipal officials have done a few times in recent years to monitor emergency situations like floods, fires or missing persons — which can can cost thousands in aviation fuel alone and creates delays in emergency responsiveness, the drones can be deployed by trained local operators in 60 seconds and costs fractions less over the long-run.
Once operational, the municipal drone program could assist local RCMP, Fish and Wildlife and fire services when required.
“I am glad to see that we are using technology to our advantage. We're not just buying these drones for a single service level unit,” Coun. Lorin Tkachuck said. “We are adapting and seeing where else we can use them.”
Currently, Fish and Wildlife is the only department that owns and operates a drone within the County, however, there is only one certified operator for the aircraft in the region, greatly limiting the capacity for application in the area, adds Clark.
What about sunbathers?
With excitement over the possible applications of the drone, serious concerns about privacy laws and Freedom of Information and Privacy (FOIP) were also posed by the Council.
“I am going to uncomfortably support this motion,” said Coun. George L’Heureux,explaining that it is easy to support the use of drones when you are searching for your missing grandchild in the bush, however, it is a different story all together when you are sunbathing in your backyard and a drone passes overhead.
L'Heureux and other council members want to see policies put in place before the program gets airborne.
The Enforcement Services boss agreed.
“The public will definitely see us out using these... We need to be transparent when and how we use them,” Clark said in response to privacy concerns. "We are not going to start flying these without the policies and procedures.”
To prevent delay and the training of operators, Council approved the transfer of $30,000 to the Drone Program with the condition that administration return with an intended policy framework.
Recommendations by the County’s Enforcement Services suggest a collaboration with Volatus Aerospace, which operates as a collection of aviation companies that promote and assist in the use of unmanned technologies in Canada and internationally.
“Other communities are doing it and we can definitely reach out,” said Coun. Charlyn Moore. “It’s great for our large landmass.”
The drone program will receive an operating budget out of the municipality's current operating budget. Yearly maintenance and operations are expected to cost the County approximately $2,000 annually. Drone upgrades, pilot training and other maintenance, which is likely to occur every five to seven years, is projected to cost an additional $15,000.
