Strong action will be taken for planes, drones violating G7 no-fly zone, says RCMP

Bill Graveland · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 31, 2025 2:35 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

The RCMP says aerial restrictions volition beryllium successful spot successful 2 main areas during the upcoming G7 Leaders' Summit successful Alberta this June and officials volition marque definite that nary unwanted drones oregon craft participate airspace.

Sgt. Mark Basanta from RCMP Protective Operations said the no-fly zones volition see some the Calgary International Airport and Kananaskis, wherever the leaders volition be.

He said the radius astatine Kananaskis Village volition beryllium 30 nautical miles (56 kilometres), portion it volition beryllium 20 nautical miles (37 kilometres) astatine the airport.

The restrictions are acceptable to statesman astatine 6 a.m. MT June 14 and stay successful effect until 11:59 p.m. connected June 17.

Basanta said unauthorized craft and drones volition beryllium met by RCMP oregon Canadian Forces craft and could beryllium changeable down arsenic a past resort.

"Shooting is an utmost measure, but yeah, we person the capableness to instrumentality them down," Basanta said Friday successful an craft hangar astatine the Springfield airport, located connected Calgary's occidental edge.

"Our anticipation is if they're heading toward it, determination volition beryllium a broadcast implicit their frequence and fundamentally they'll beryllium told to alteration their heading," helium added.

"Short of doing that, they tin expect to beryllium intercepted by the Canadian Armed Forces that are flying. They volition beryllium met. They volition beryllium intercepted. We bash person F-18s flying a combat aerial patrol. Hopefully that's capable of a deterrent."

Canada volition big leaders from the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy, arsenic good arsenic the European Union astatine the gathering scheduled from June 15 to 17.

Basanta said his biggest interest is the usage and popularity of drones. He said determination volition beryllium a counter-drone squad deployed successful the Kananaskis portion to curb their behaviours.

"We person a batch of radical successful the country, a batch of drone enthusiasts that volition beryllium flying, but we bash person measures wherever we tin instrumentality them down," Basanta said.

He didn't specify what the measures could beryllium but said drones airs a "grave risk."

"Our main interest is the hobbyists flying the drones inadvertently flying into the aircraft. A menace from a drone is 1 happening … it's besides ensuring the information of our ain craft that are successful the air."

In January, a California antheral was charged aft operating a drone that crashed into a Quebec h2o bomber warring the Palisades Fire successful Los Angeles.

The CL-415 level was grounded aft the tiny remote-controlled craft flew into it connected Jan. 9, leaving a sizable spread successful its wing.

Basanta said the restrictions volition not impact regularly scheduled commercialized flights.