Built on Principles of Co-Creation
The Stellat’en First Nation and the Village of Fraser Lake worked in partnership with the UBC Faculty of Medicine to co-create a project that addressed distinct local priorities. Phase I was conducted in collaboration with the First Nations Health Authority, Carrier Sekani Family Services, the Rural Coordination Centre of BC, LifeLabs, and School District 91, and drone technology was provided by Drone Delivery Canada.
Community-Led Integration of Drone Technology
Phase I focused on examining the integration of drone technology into the local healthcare infrastructure. A key priority was building strong health system partnerships and engaging meaningfully with community members. The project began by testing the feasibility of transporting surrogate medical cargo from the Village of Fraser Lake’s Medicine Centre to Stellat’en First Nation. As Phase I progressed with successful test flights, the project’s scope expanded to include pharmacy deliveries and process mapping for laboratory transport.
The drone operated along a pre-programmed route between the Village of Fraser Lake and Stellat’en First Nation, completing the 5 km flight in 7 minutes at 200 feet above ground. From Monday to Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., 14–16 flights per day were scheduled between designated drone sites in each community. Over a 12-month period, the project successfully completed 1,228 flights and achieved significant regulatory milestones, including Transport Canada approval for Transport of Dangerous Goods and Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations.
Community Engagement
A key priority within Phase I was to meaningfully engage with community members of all ages to foster a sense of ownership, involvement, and shared responsibility for the project. In October, 2021, the project kicked off with an official Opening Ceremony, bringing together members from Stellat’en First Nation and the Village of Fraser Lake to mark the beginning of the Drone Transport Initiative’s one-year demonstration project.
Youth engagement events brought drone technology into the classroom, giving students a hands-on experience and real-world examples of potential career paths in science, technology, engineering, and related fields. The Drone Naming and Logo Contest invited students from School District 91 to get creative. Jasper, age 11, chose the winning name – Sky Medic – and student-designed logos were selected for both drone launch sites.
Phase I Impact
Phase I demonstrated the potential for drones to support healthcare access by improving supply chain agility and responsiveness. This work showed an initial glimpse into a future where drone technology is strategically integrated into BC’s healthcare landscape to improve access and equity. During Phase I, the Drone Transport Initiative received approval from Transport Canada approval for beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operation and Transport of Dangerous Goods. These regulatory achievements enabled simulation of real-world conditions in which drones could fly without human oversight, and real patient medications could be transported. The Drone Transport Initiative also hosted an in-community event, bringing representatives from Transport Canada together with communities and rural first responders to inform policy development.
Funding
The DTI was one of 15 projects across North America to secure funding from the 2020 TD Ready Challenge, a grant aimed at supporting innovative proposals to address inequities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Phase I was launched with additional financial support from the Government of Canada, Canfor, LifeLabs, and the Air Canada Foundation.