Drone Delivery Canada Transporting COVID Supplies to First Nation Community

Drone Delivery Canada is partnering with the Georgina Island First Nation (GIFN) to provide delivery services to the Ontario community.

Working with sales agent Air Canada and the Pontiac Group, DDC will launch a two-way delivery flight route to the First Nation’s mainland community using its Sparrow drone and the DroneSpot takeoff-and-landing zones.

“All operations will be conducted in accordance with the Canadian Aviation Regulations and Transport Canada flight authorizations,” a DDC statement said. “Flights will be remotely monitored by DDC from its Operations Control Centre located in Vaughan, Ontario.”

GIFN will use DDC’s delivery drones to limit person-to-person contact on its island ferry service by transporting COVID-19 related cargo such as personal protection equipment, hygiene kits, test kits and test swabs.

“Indigenous Services Canada is looking at this project as a pilot to provide a “Proof of Concept” for future consideration of the use of drone delivery as an effective means to limit person-to-person contact during the pandemic while maintaining the provision of COVID-related medical supplies.”

“As a leader in the industry, we are pleased to announce Georgina Island First Nation as a drone logistics customer,” Drone Delivery Canada CEO Michael Zahra said.

Zahra added:

“The community is expected to benefit from our drone delivery solution during the COVID-19 pandemic by limiting person-to-person contact between the mainland and Georgina Island, while keeping their medical supply chain open.  This is yet another example showing our drone delivery solution is ideally suited for this type of application and we look forward to helping the Community.”

“We are pleased to be working with Drone Delivery Canada, Air Canada and the Pontiac Group on this project to maintain our supply chain for COVID-19 medical supplies while limiting person-to-person contact during the current pandemic situation,” Georgina Island First Nation Councilor William McCue said.  “Drone delivery is an innovative solution and we look forward to seeing the benefits for our community.”

Drone Delivery Canada News Roundup

• Last month, DDC prepared to fly into the U.S. market, sparking discussions with potential American partners. A company spokesperson said several companies had expressed interest in working with the Toronto-based UAV firm to “provide [DDC’s] proprietary systems to support drone delivery solutions for multiple vertical markets and use-cases in multiple geographies.”

• June: DDC captured its second contract with DSV Air & Sea Inc. Canada, a subsidiary of Danish conglomerate DSV Panalpina A/S.
• June: Drone Delivery Canada announced a collaboration with GlobalMedic and Air Canada to deliver COVID-treatment cargo to Christian Island, a remote territory governed by the Beausoleil First Nation Community in Ontario.
• November: DDC announced its first partnership with European logistics/transport group DSV Panalpina A/S to provide a drone-based delivery platform to the Danish conglomerate’s new Canadian air and sea division.
• February 2019: Drone Delivery Canada unveiled its largest and longest-range drone, the Condor. Under development over the past year, the single-rotor vehicle offers a payload of 400 pounds and can travel up to 124 miles on a tank of gas.
• 2018: DDC announced a partnership with Toyota Tsusho Canada – a subsidiary of the well-known Toyota Group. The effort will see TTCI participate with DDC’s commercial pilot program in Canada for flight testing and development of international markets for drone delivery.