For the past few weeks, Monique Curci has noticed some strange things going on in the skies of southern Manitoba. Curci said she and her neighbours have spotted large drones, complete with cameras and lights, hovering around the Town of Kleefeld and along the highway near Steinbach. “It’s only at nighttime that we’re hearing and seeing these things,” she said. “It has raised a lot of concern, the fact that there’s so many and it’s so many frequent sightings. Nobody knows anything.” She’s reported it to the municipality and the RCMP, but she said there have been no answers as to what’s behind the sudden uptick in drone activity. “So far, nobody knows what these things are,” she said. “They’re just these big, large drones that have been flying around.” Steinbach RCMP confirmed it did receive one report of drones flying over the city, hovering near houses, and waking people up. Mounties said, as of Monday, no other reports have been made. Cpl. Ryan Cadotte is the Remote Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) program manager for the Manitoba RCMP. He said depending on a drone’s size and weight, there are different regulations guiding where and when it can be flown. He said operators need to make sure they are familiar with the regulations before taking flight. Residents frustrated with a drone can report it to the RCMP, though Cadotte noted it can be difficult to track down a drone’s operator. “It’s tricky, because a lot of these drones have considerable range,” he said. “Unless you can find the pilot, there’s not a whole lot we can really do about it, unfortunately.” Cadotte said it is a bad idea for residents to take matters into their own hands, particularly if they are thinking of taking a shot at a drone. “I know that can be annoying, and I know that can be a nuisance in some respects, but I would strongly, strongly recommend against that. You could see yourself getting into more trouble than it’s worth,” he said, noting that can lead to criminal charges. As for Curci, this is a mystery she wants to solve. That’s why she’s created the community drone watch. She posted about the drone sightings and suggested forming the group to keep an eye out for the aircraft. Though her post was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, she said several area residents have responded, sharing their own videos and photos of similar drone sightings. While not taking herself too seriously, Curci does hope this will lead to some answers, like who is flying these drones around her neighbourhood and why.
