Drone program for delivering medical supplies to remote B.C. First Nation takes flight
A new drone delivery project is officially underway in a remote Northern B.C. First Nation.
The University of British Columbia has partnered with the Stellat’en First Nation and Drone Delivery Canada in a 12-month project to deliver medical supplies with DDC’s sparrow drone.
The deliveries, which will consist of pharmaceuticals and COVID-19 tests, will go to both Stellat’en First Nation and the Village of Fraser Lake, roughly 100 kilometres west of Prince George.
The study will help determine if the newly named “Sky medic” drone can successfully transport the supplies through the elements of rural and remote areas.
“As this is a four-season project, were going to learn about how well the drone can perform under certain weather conditions,” said UBC chair of rural health, Dr. John Pawlovich.
"We need to understand how the institution of UBC can embed itself both physically and virtually into rural, remote and Indigenous communities in this province."
Stellat’en First Nation Chief Robert Michell says they’re excited to be included in such a unique initiative.
"When new technology comes into play in Canada, First Nations communities are usually at the back of the bus, we don't get to be participants in the technology until after, but this is brand new and we're at the forefront,” said Michell.
Michell says the pandemic has had a serious impact on many of their members, and that the deliveries will be a huge help.
"It allows some flexibility for some of our members that are not very mobile within the community to receive these supplies after participating in virtual health," Michell said.
While DDC, which is based in Vaughn, Ont., has previously taken part in several delivery projects to remote First Nation, this will be its first in B.C.
"They often lack the same ... infrastructure, and people might not realize that they're actually more susceptible to a pandemic because of greater underlying health-care issues, so it's very important for us to do these projects,” said DDC CEO Michael Zahra.
The project is being funded by a 2020 TD Ready Challenge grant of $750,000.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.