Draganfly Innovations wants to fly drones over city land

A Saskatoon-based drone company is asking the city for access to its skies. 

Draganfly Innovations is requesting permission to operate remote flyers on and above City of Saskatoon property. The company builds drones designed to be used in a number of situations — from search and rescue missions to aerial photography to academic work. 

Draganfly wants to conduct business over the city's land for purposes of industrial inspections and search and rescue operations.

Zenon Dragan, the company's owner, presented a letter to a city committee today.

"For the most part the operations generally take place over private property but in some cases such as search and rescue, crime scene or accident investigation, inspection or evaluation of infrastructure, riverbank areas, bridge inspections it may be necessary to take-off, fly over or land on city property including parks," the letter said.  

Right now, the company can't take off or fly over property without permission from the land owner. Dragan said his company is adequately licensed and insured. 

"We're not looking in people's backyards. We're not looking at people's houses," said Dragan. "We're doing it for helping the public safety agencies and for industrial inspections."

Some councillors have questions about the rules on flying and privacy. Councillor Mairin Loewen said she received a few calls from residents with concerns about drones, but said the proposal by Draganfly is about a commercial business looking for clarity on what it can and can't do.

"So that's a bit different than the questions I've heard in the past from residents," she said. "But I think the general issue is the same which is 'what is the regulatory approach to these kinds of technologies in the city and in an urban context?'"

The City Solicitor has been ordered to prepare a report into the proposal.