Drones offer possibilities — and potential problems

Sudbury business owners are considering taking their firms to new heights as the use of unmanned aerial vehicles — known as drones — continues to gain popularity.

Reg Fitchett is using the technology to augment his Sudbury business with aerial photos and videos — and he's getting a positive response.

"When [people] do see the video and the pictures that come off it, they're actually pretty stunned by it."

Fitchett is thinking of expanding his drone usage with a driving school he owns, and giving students a new perspective on parallel parking.

But not everyone puts the same positive spin on the emerging technology.

The chief information officer at Laurentian University said drone usage is raising privacy concerns.

"I don't want to suggest spying. But now you can actually pretty well go anywhere if you want to and start looking through windows, for example,” Luc Roy said.

“So I hope … people have curtains and they use them properly. The drone takes a picture or a video of your house or you inside the house, but you cannot confirm nor is it even presented where the location of the picture is. So it brings a really dynamic in terms of to what extent is it OK to use a drone.”

Transport Canada is in the process of tightening the rules governing how drones can be used.

It's something that Fitchett welcomes.

“Not everyone should be flying … you know, a five pound object or six pound object in the air that could fall on someone's head,” he said.