Although many who visit the Toronto Islands during the summer glorify the idea of living there, they rarely consider the accessibility issues that come with it. 

Hover, a new Toronto company, has set out to fix that, using drones to deliver food and other essential items to the Toronto Islands all year round. 

The aptly-named delivery service currently employs four drones which are able to travel at 60km/h, allowing Hover to fulfill their promise of dropping off packages within 15 minutes of ordering.  

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Hover founder and CEO Cameron Rowe says that he initially had the idea for the company back in 2018, but it culminated in 2021 while he was caring for his grandparents and spending time on the Islands. 

"It's very difficult to get to the Toronto Islands, even in ideal conditions. When the harbour freezes up and you only have that one ferry to get across, it must be challenging for somebody who's in their mid-80s," he says.

"We built up this system that allowed for an [easy] way to do deliveries to the Islands, specifically focusing, initially, on pharmacy/over-the-counter stuff for senior citizens."

Rowe says that he and his team did rigorous research and resident polling in order to ensure that there was demand for the service and that they could safely (and legally) fly their drones to the Islands. 

By last summer, the fleet of drones was off making deliveries and instantly became a hit with tourists as well, who have been capitalizing on the expansive mobile menu to avoid the Islands' slim pickins.

Though the service is new, Toronto's no stranger to drones. In fact, this summer alone had it's fair share of shows planned featuring the flying little gizmos.

Hover is gearing up for a busy end to the year, with a feature on the Toronto-filmed Dragon's Den on the way this fall and an expansion to nearby York Region arriving in early 2024.