Ontario drone company to begin comprehensive testing in Foremost

LETHBRIDGE – An Ontario based company that hopes to be the first drone- parcel delivery company in Canada will begin comprehensive testing in the Village of Foremost in the next few weeks.
 
Tony Di Benedetto is Drone Delivery Canada’s CEO. He says the company has already signed deals with NAPA Auto Parts and Office Supply Chain, Staples. He hopes that actual deliveries can begin in early 2018.
 
“These are commercial drones. We’ve been devloping technology, working with our research partners to create a commercial drone logistics platform to work within Canada. The current version that we’re working with…. they’re approximately 90 inches by 90 inches in terms of dimensions, so they’re a little bit bigger than what you’re gonna find at a local retailer. But they’re more industrial. They’re designed for weather …. they’re more durable. It’s just a more robust platform.”
 
Di Benedetto says a team of engineers will be testing the drones for payload durability, longevity, beyond-visual-line-of-site capabilities, reaction to weather conditions and geography. The drones must first be approved by Transport Canada, and flight plans must be filed with pre-determined routes, so they don’t interfere with local aircraft.
 
He adds that at some point this year, they may even work with local airports in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat to do some test runs.
 
“We operate a managed service. We own the drones and we operate on behalf of our client, no different than an airline. So it’s a fleet for us, and based on the requirments there’s a different type of vehicle. Just like a delivery company would… there’s a car, there’s a truck, there could be a plane. Same concept with our fleet. Different vehicles for different applications.”
 
The Village of Foremost operates one of only two Unmanned Aircraft Systems ranges in the country. The other centre is in Alma, Quebec.