When the Highway 17 Kenora bypass was constructed through a section of the Canadian Shield in northwestern Ontario in the 1980s, drone technology did not exist as a surveying tool for construction companies.

Now, with the long-awaited announcement that two new lanes of highway 17 located on a 40-kilometre stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway between the Manitoba/Ontario border confirmed, First Nations communities in that area anticipate a greater advisory role in the highway’s twinning, thanks to drone technology.

“When they first blasted the bypass around Kenora, there was no telling how many wildlife fisheries, no telling how many medicine fields were destroyed,” said Dennis Major of Animakee Wa Zhing #37 First Nation. As a recent graduate of MCSC SkySkills, Major, said he will take his drone training back to his First Nation, eliminating the need to outsource drone surveying and providing a resource for developers on land in and around his community. “Now, with drones our company can actually map out and chart that we can’t cross this path. We can’t go over here because there’s an eagle’s nest here. With this technology, we can map out that we cannot go here and we have to go around.”

Animakee Wa Zhing #37 First Nation was one of four First Nations from Manitoba and Ontario that had invested in MCSC SkySkills training for six participants from their communities. The other First Nations included Niiischewan Anishinaabe, Shoal Lake #40, and Washagamis Bay.

The training also marked the first time that the content was facilitated by a company that had recently completed MCSC SkySkills Train the Trainer program. “It’s quite the honour to be able to be the first one to put this program on,” beamed Parker Klassen, a project manager at Wanless Geo Point Solutions, who is now also a drone trainer for the company. “It’s great to see the government taking more initiative to bring drones (to the industry), which is such a fantastic technology, and make it available and useful to more.”

Delivered in five full-day sessions, Wanless Geo Point Solutions taught participants about the knowledge and practical skills required in order to become successful drone pilots and challenge the basic exam put on by Transport Canada. Additionally, the training covered general knowledge and legislation required to become a drone pilot in Canada, completing practical exercises, testing out different drone technologies, and exploring challenging flying scenarios. Each student did a practice test flight at a quarry, and they had a demonstration with a larger LIDAR drone. “I feel like I’ve given these people a new skill and having them really grasp onto it and seeing them develop and get better with it. Most of them hadn’t even flown a drone before, and by the end, they were confidently flying around the gravel quarry. It’s great to see.”

For Major, having drone technology “in-house” at his First Nation will not only save time and money, but also prevent serious injury. “It’s also a safety feature. If there’s marshlands we can’t cross over because we’re not prepared for it, or sudden weather changes. We can just hop in the truck, fly out (the drone) and map out if there’s a danger.”

Injury prevention, fire preparedness, embracing new technologies, preservation of ancestral burial grounds, and wildlife conservation, plus saving time and money navigating challenging terrain are just some of the reasons why a growing base of companies and organizations across Manitoba are investing in purchasing drones, along with learning how to use them properly with MCSC SkySkills training.

To learn more about MCSC SkySkills, visit www.mbcsc.com