The federal government is bringing in strict measures and fines for anyone who flies a drone too close to an airport or plane.

Transport Minister Marc Garneau on Thursday unveiled restrictions to curb the number of incidents in which recreational drones have come too close to planes, which has more than tripled since 2014.

Garneau says the government wanted to make the changes before a drone hits an airplane and causes a catastrophe.

“That’s the kind of nightmare scenario that keeps me awake at night as your transport minister,” Garneau said at Toronto’s Billy Bishop airport, where he was accompanied by law enforcement officials and representatives from airlines, airports and pilot associations.

Garneau said that until now, Transport Canada had only provided guidelines on drone use without any penalties or regulations attached. Garneau said the new rules that come into effect today are an interim measure until formal regulations are enacted, likely in June.

“If you are a pilot, you have very strict rules that you have to work by, so it is also important that we establish strict rules for other unmanned objects that are going to go into the airspace, because they are going to be sharing the airspace,” Garneau said.

Picture above taken by a drone.