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
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.