TORONTO — Loblaw says the PC Health drone display over the Toronto waterfront late Thursday was a one-time launch stunt for its new PC Chat tool, and that it had airspace approval from NAV CANADA and ground-space approval through Fort York.The company answered a Western Standard query Friday after residents posted video of a swarm spelling “Ask Away” and the PC Health logo over the harbour around 11 p.m. “Inspired by the health questions many Canadians find themselves asking late at night, the one-time drone show held in the downtown core was designed to illuminate those moments of uncertainty and help bring awareness to the launch of PC Chat,” a Loblaw public-relations reply said. It called the flight “intentionally short and carefully considered to minimize brightness and disruption.”Loblaw tied the ad to an Omnibus survey by Harris Poll Canada this summer: 88% of Canadians searched online for health information in the past year, nearly half were unsure the information was accurate, one-third hit conflicting advice, and more than a quarter said there was too much to sort through. PC Chat is the free, Canada-hosted AI health tool the company announced Thursday as “built in Canada, by Canadians.”.Video hit reddit and X within hours. One user’s clip of the swarm — captioned “OH HELL THE F@#$ NO” — drew tens of thousands of views. Redditors wrote “my sky is not your billboard,” claimed the lights nearly caused a crash on the Gardiner, and told neighbours to complain to the city. Others used the logo as a chance to pile onto Loblaw and Shoppers Drug Mart. Loblaw says it obtained “all appropriate permissions,” and it named NAV CANADA for the air and Fort York for the ground.
