TORONTO – Toronto police say they have seized seven unauthorized drones near World Cup events since festivities began last week.
On Tuesday, police confirmed a seventh drone was intercepted after someone was caught flying an unauthorized drone near the training site at Centennial Park.
Police are reminding the public about the no-fly zones currently in place around World Cup-related events, with restrictions enforced even on days when no match is being played. Toronto police say they have detection technology in place to track down any unauthorized drones.
The crackdown isn’t limited to Canada. In the United States, the FBI says it seized drones near Los Angeles Stadium on Friday.
“An event like FIFA in town ... changes things,” said Henry Shephard, an advanced drone pilot and owner of Films First. “It ups the stakes a lot,” he said.
Shephard says there are risks of flying drones, even unintentionally, near a packed downtown core.
“Let’s say, if it’s windy, for example, and you’ve got a smaller drone in your downtown, you may lose control of that easily enough, or you may fly behind a building and lose the signal for a second,” he said. “So, the wrong person, without the experience flying it in these situations, a lot can go wrong.”
While safety is one reason authorities have adopted a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to unauthorized drones, security is another.
“With drones, it’s really a no-win scenario for the authorities,” said Spencer Haslam, a security co-ordinator with Healix International, a risk management company. Haslam says that drones have been identified as a tool that could help bad actors bypass security perimeters on the ground, or conduct aerial reconnaissance of a venue’s security measures.
“Again, this isn’t something that has a very high probability of taking place, but that’s the worst-case scenario that the authorities are probably using as their baseline when it comes to security measures for drones,” he said.
In addition to local rules, federal regulators have also banned drones near team training sites, in addition to stadiums. The restricted zones in Toronto include Toronto Stadium and nearby Exhibition place, along with training sites at Downsview Park, Centennial Park and Nottawasaga Resort.
In Vancouver, the restricted zones include BC Place and nearby Pacific National Exhibition grounds, as well as training venues at Killarney Park and the University of British Columbia.
The rules are meant to manage crowded airspace and protect event security, but the restrictions could also serve another purpose: preventing teams from spying on one another.
Drones have been used for exactly that in the past. Canada flew drones over two New Zealand practices ahead of the two countries’ opening match at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
