A drone that was caught hovering around a downtown Vancouver apartment building is causing controversy.
Vancouver resident Conner Galway says he was having dinner on his patio when he heard what he thought was a swarm of bees, but what he actually saw was a drone or unmanned aerial vehicle.
“A robot-looking thing came over the patio and was hovering right by it,” says Galway. “I have seen a drone before, but it was a little bit shocking.”
The pizza-box sized machine was hovering around the building Sunday night.
“I thought it does not seem safe, so I am going to go ahead and call VPD,” says Galway.
He had to call again when the drone reappeared later that night.
A quick search on Twitter revealed other people in the area also spotted the drone.
Safety surrounding drones continues to be a public concern.
Vancouver police issued a warning ahead of this summer’s Celebration of Light fireworks display, saying there could be safety concerns when drones are flown near fireworks.
But that’s all that’s being done right now, with little legislation in place.
Transport Canada continues to work on more specific rules for the use of drones.
“Drones are such a new thing and they are so readily available, and nobody is saying this is what you can or can’t do with them,” says Galway.
He says he does not think there was any malicious intent by whoever was flying the drone Sunday night, but he would like to see more education around the use of drones.
There have been a few close calls involving drones in Vancouver skies in recent months.
On Canada Day, the pilot reported the incident with the unmanned, remote-controlled aerial vehicle that measured about half-a-metre square.
No one was hurt.
Earlier this year, a drone used to shoot a commercial in downtown Vancouver hit a building and crashed to the ground.
Once again, no one was injured, but the incident prompted a review by the city.
READ MORE — Drones: The Good, the bad and the ugly
With files from Asa Rehman
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