The mayor of Sarnia is raising concerns after the U.S. deployed surveillance drones in the Great Lakes. It comes after at least one of the unmanned vessels was spotted in the St. Clair River recently between Sarnia and Port Huron. “This is a huge slap again to Canada on our sovereignty, and the lack of communication,” said Mike Bradley, who saw the unusual watercraft, and wondered what it was. It turns out, what he saw was a so-called Saildrone. Bradley says he has since learned that U.S. Coast Guard, under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is deploying the unmanned watercraft. Six of the 33 foot drone sailboats are patrolling the Great Lakes gathering data. “We have no understanding of what they’re going to do with the information. And we have thousands of boaters, thousands of boaters who use this area for boating. And now they’ve got this drone following them, sailing around, collecting their information. They’re saying they’re looking for drug smuggling, and immigration issues, and all that. But there’s really no evidence that’s a big problem on the great lakes,” exclaimed Bradley. The drone patrols come as relations between the two countries have reached their lowest point in decades. The presence of the strange watercraft is unnerving to some Sarnia area residents. “It’s their right to guard their border, but I wish they’d keep an eye on other things instead of Canada. I don’t think we’re anything to worry about. As if we’re going to attack them,” said Ed Daly “I really don’t get what’s going on with the States, and I wish things were a lot different. We’ve always had a good relationship,” remarked Craig Cormier. “You’re invading my privacy, kind of, right? I don’t think that’s right,” said Patricia Myers. Paul Samson, head of the Canada U.S. Relations program at the Centre for International Governance and Innovation, says Canadians shouldn’t necessarily be alarmed. “My assessment of this is just that’s kind of like posturing, and it’s trying to be annoying. Sure, they might be taking photographs and doing some kind of intelligence gathering, but it’s actually just for the purpose of kind of asserting power and kind of being bullying,” he explained. In the meantime, unrelated to the Saildrone surveillance, U.S. President Trump is scheduled to appear at a rally in Port Huron, just across the river from Sarnia on Sunday.
