A company developing a drone-based system for delivering packages to remote communities has announced its first test site in northern Ontario.
Toronto-based Drone Delivery Canada says a new pilot program will launch next month around the James Bay coast.
In an announcement on Tuesday, DDC said the project will be a joint undertaking with the Pontiac Group, an aboriginal socioeconomic development organization.
The plan includes delivering essential goods between the mainland community of Moosonee and a First Nations community on Moose Factory Island.
According to the Pontiac Group, supply trips to the mainland for residents of the island can cost up to $75 each—cost-prohibitive to some— and delivery by drone is "a potential solution."
DDC said beyond-visual-line-of-sight testing of drones will also be part of the next stage of flight testing in Alberta next month.
Two new drones involved in testing this summer will include a smaller, more capable multi-rotor drone with built-in safety systems, and a single-rotor drone capable of higher payloads and greater distances.
DDC previously identified Thunder Bay as a potential base for drone-based deliveries in northwestern Ontario.
In an e-mail to tbnewswatch.com on Tuesday, CEO Tony Di Benedetto said the company continues to look at a number of test sites, and added "stay tuned for more updates."
