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The numbers reflect how fast the activity is growing and hint at Ottawa’s difficulty in keeping pace.

“We’ve seen a tremendous increase,” Aaron McCrorie, director-general of civil aviation for Transport Canada, confirmed in an interview from Ottawa. “Most of it is legitimate, but we are also seeing an increase in the number of incidents that cause safety concerns.”

McCrorie said that the federal government is expecting to introduce new rules in 2017 to tighten up the rules on drone use to guard against crashes in aircraft and to protect people on the ground.

He describe the current regulations as “permissive” and “have not keep kept up with the growth in the technology. … We need to modernize the rules, to deal with the growing safety risk around airports and built-up areas where they shouldn’t be.” But he said the rules will also reduce rad tape for legitimate users.

One of the new regulations may require persons flying drones under 25 kilograms, and under visual line of sight, to pay a fee to complete an on-line course — similar to anyone wanting to obtain a boating licence — to demonstrate a basic level of training and skill. Other regulations proposed by Ottawa include the requirement to mark and register drones, as well as minimum age restrictions of 16 years to pilot a drone, reduced to 14 under adult supervision.

Currently, recreational users do not require a Special Flight Operations Certificate to fly drones weighing less than 35 kilograms. They are required to follow safety guidelines, including: staying at least nine kilometres away from any airport or heliport; staying no higher than 90 metres above ground; flying only during the day and in good weather; keeping at least 150 metres from people, vehicles, animals, and buildings; and avoiding crowds, such as sporting events, festivals or concerts.