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Border security enhanced as RCMP establishes drone route across Certain U.S. Border Segments

Canadian authorities, specifically the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), are establishing a drone pathway along a portion of the Canada-United States border to enhance border security.

Canadian law enforcement agency RCMP sets up a drone-designated route along a section of the U.S....
Canadian law enforcement agency RCMP sets up a drone-designated route along a section of the U.S. border in an effort to enhance security.

Border security enhanced as RCMP establishes drone route across Certain U.S. Border Segments

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has established a drone corridor — also known as a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) corridor — along the Canada-U.S. border in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. The corridor, which extends from the ground up to 500 feet in altitude and covers an area of one nautical mile (approximately 1.85 kilometers) north of the border inside Canadian territory, is aimed at enhancing border security through intelligence-driven aerial patrols.

The primary purpose of this corridor is to target illegal activities such as smuggling and trafficking, including illicit drugs moving across the border, people illegally entering Canada between official ports of entry, and human smugglers facilitating unauthorized border crossings.

The drone corridor enables the RCMP to conduct frequent, intelligence-based surveillance flights with advanced drone technology in a defined airspace, improving their capacity to detect and respond to border threats without disrupting civilian aviation. Although the corridor formalizes drone use, it does not restrict other flight activities. Local pilots, agricultural operators, and recreational aviation users are requested to notify the RCMP before entering the airspace to coordinate safely.

This initiative is a trial in collaboration with Transport Canada, assessing operational value, cost, community impact, and compliance with air safety regulations. The data and feedback from this trial will help determine whether drone corridors should be expanded to other parts of the Canadian border. This initiative is part of a broader $1.3-billion federal effort to strengthen border security in response to various threats and geopolitical concerns.

The report was first published on Aug. 11, 2025, by The Canadian Press. The increased presence of the RCMP at the border with drones, helicopters, and more is part of Ottawa's $1.3-billion pledge to boost security. The aim is to stave off tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump. This new approach to addressing illegal activities along the Canada-U.S. border is expected to provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of drone technology in enhancing border security.

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