Overview
- The government, which announced the change on May 20, ordered the Ontario Provincial Police to immediately stop using Chinese‑made drones in highly sensitive operations and banned future provincial purchases.
- Officials said affected units will be phased out and replaced with drones built in Canada or from approved jurisdictions under a Buy Ontario‑style procurement program.
- The province will open consultations with drone manufacturers, public‑sector agencies and industry experts in the coming weeks to map replacement options and avoid disrupting frontline services such as policing, emergency response and infrastructure inspection.
- Key implementation details remain unresolved, including the number and models of Chinese drones in use, a replacement timeline, and the expected costs to swap fleets.
- Ontario framed the move as consistent with recent steps by the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP and U.S. regulators that restricted Chinese‑made drones on national‑security grounds, and the shift could boost domestic makers while raising near‑term budget and logistics challenges for police and emergency teams.