Ontario is restricting the purchase and use of Chinese-made drones by the provincial government and police, citing security concerns.
The restriction is part of the government’s plan to protect provincial data and strengthen security across the province, and includes an immediate ban on the use of Chinese drones in highly sensitive provincial police operations, the province said on May 20.
Ontario currently uses drones for law enforcement, emergency management, wildfire monitoring, road and bridge inspections, and environmental monitoring.
The province said it is in the process of phasing out broader government use of Chinese-made drones, which will be replaced with Canadian-made alternatives. It will also hold talks with Canadian drone manufacturers and industry stakeholders in the coming weeks to discuss procurement under its Buy Ontario initiative, the province said….