Thank you, Madam Chair.
I'm a retired air force officer and aerospace engineer. I spent 27 years in the regular force and some time after that in the supplementary reserves. Following my time in the regular force, I transitioned to industry, where I worked in the nuclear industry for several years, later on forming businesses of my own.
My reason for being here today is regarding the ever-expanding world of drones—the industry itself, its applicability to veterans and the training opportunities that VEdTS offers. VEdTS was formed about three years ago to offer training to vets that could be accessed, or at least would have funding access, through the funding programs for both the short course and the formal program funding.
In March 2023, VAC made an unexplained policy change to allow only short course funding to apply to drone training. Drones are also known as RPAS, which is remotely piloted aircraft system. We'll continue to use the name “drone” just for simplicity here.
That began to limit the availability of the expansion of qualifications for veterans undertaking drone training, because the certifications required through Transport Canada require, in some cases, formal training. That can burn up the $5,000 pot that's available through short course funding in a very short period of time.
Some of the industries that drones are used in now.... We see them in cinematography. People see drone shows at various public events. What they don't see are areas such photogrammetry, where 2-D images are taken from the air to form 3-D images. These are used in geophysical surveys, water resource management, agriculture and accident site reconstruction. Thermal imaging is used by law enforcement and also search and rescue to detect, in this case, the temperature differential of a warm body or live body—pardon the term—out where someone could be lost and the forces that be are trying to locate them. That can be done remotely from several miles away by a single operator.
Veterans are ideally suited for this vocation, for some of the reasons our previous witness mentioned. They're focused. They have a nature of ingrained self-discipline. They spent a career where training is prevalent throughout. As an instructor, I've even had experience with students diagnosed with PTSD who have found the focus and skill set development of drone operations to be very therapeutic.
VEdTS has a bona fide, Transport Canada-approved RPAS training facility. It has trained over 350 veterans to date and employs over 50 instructors, including myself, across Canada. A good portion of those individuals have gone on to form their own businesses. However, the training in the advanced areas that I was mentioning puts a ceiling on their ability to undergo that and to be employable.
The final summation comment I can make is that these are not toys. They're highly complex devices that require extensive training to be utilized. The potential is growing all the time. The surface is only being scratched.
Our objective is to have the approved eligibility list for the education and training benefit under the formal training program funding for drone-related training.
Thank you.