Online shopping giant Amazon says it is testing its potential drone delivery system on Canadian soil.

Spokeswoman Kristen Kish says the Seattle-based retailer has set up a testing facility in rural British Columbia, declining to provide more specifics.

Kish says the B.C. site is one of several testing locations set up beyond U.S. borders. Amazon executives have publicly stated that international aviation rules are less rigid than those put in place by the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority.

Transport Canada says it granted permission for Amazon's testing site in December of last year, adding the facility is currently allowed to operate for a full year.

Amazon has said it hopes to one day use drones to deliver small packages to its customers within 30 minutes of the time they place an order.

Transport Canada says the permission certificate issued to Amazon was one of nearly 1,700 such agreements reached last year.