Drone delivery service one step closer to reality in northern Ontario community

A remote northern Ontario community got its first look at drone delivery technology earlier this month.

Toronto-based company Drone Delivery Canada travelled to the James Bay Coast recently to run tests, for a partnership with Moose Cree First Nation.

The goal of the partnership is to establish a drone delivery service that would bring food, medical supplies and other necessities to the island of Moose Factory. The company saidthe drones will be able to travel up to 10kilometresand carry up to 10 pounds.

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Moose Factoryis often isolated from the mainland during the spring and fall, when it's not safe to drive across the ice, but the water is still too icy for boats.

Tony Di Benedetto, the CEO of Drone Delivery Canada, saidthis technology will have a positive impact on similar isolated communities.

"It's really about trying to service communities that lack infrastructure, where basic goods are very difficult to obtain, and when you can obtain them it is very, very expensive," he said.

Real-world testing of drone technology

Di Benedetto says the company wanted to test the technology to better understand how it would work in a real-world environment.

"Climate was a big aspect that we were looking to understand, and we were faced with different extremes during our testing," heysaid.

The tests also looked at flight durationand terrain, as well as other air traffic in the area.

"When we look at this technology and how it will move forward, we have to be able to demonstrate how this technology safely operates in an existing sky."

• Pilot project could see drones deliver much-needed items to northern Ontario First Nations

Di Benedetto also had the chance to meet with community leaders and local high school studentsto discuss how they might able to use the technology in the future.

"They're very fascinated with this type of technology, and they see innovation, they see technology as a way that they can better themselves and solve problems that the face on a day to day basis," he says.

Drone Delivery Canada plans to run further tests in Moosonee and is working with regulators, including Transport Canada, to get the delivery service up and running.