Coroner's office calls for clearer definition of e-bikes in Ontario
CBC
An expert panel is calling on the Ontario government to tighten its definition of what counts as an e-bike, in an attempt to improve safety and reduce the number of fatal crashes.
That recommendation is one of seven found in a review of e-bike deaths that was prepared by Ontario's office of the chief coroner and other stakeholders and released this week to the public.
It emerged from work that began in 2021 by the Ottawa Fatal Collision Review Committee, a local group made up of police, public health officials, city staff and other experts.
That year, the committee noticed there had been five recent local deaths involving e-bike riders:
The report noted certain similarities in all the crashes, including that all the e-bikes appeared to have been modified "to increase their speed beyond design specifications."
Each e-bike was more akin to a motorcycle or moped and could not "be used as a pedal-assisted bicycle," the report said.
As well, three men had suspended licences at the time of their deaths, while the other two had previous suspensions, leading the report's authors to suggest they were using e-bikes as "a substitute for a registered, licensed vehicle."
Four of the five also had drugs in their system when they died.
"We noticed all those things, and we said, 'Wait a minute, this is really concerning from a safety [perspective],'" said Dr. Louise McNaughton-Filion, regional supervising coroner for eastern Ontario.
Under the current rules in Ontario, e-bikes cannot travel faster than 32 km/h, nor can they be modified to go faster than that.
They can weigh up to 120 kilograms, however. The revised definition put forward in the report would more than halve that, cutting the maximum weight to just 55 kilograms.
The report also urges Ontario's Ministry of Transportation (MTO) to consider a separate classification for larger, motorcycle-style e-bikes, and potentially require their users to have a licence and insurance. (Currently, e-bike users do not need to be licensed.)
It also calls for agencies to be more thorough and consistent when it comes to collecting and tracking statistics on e-bike injuries and fatalities.
"If you are able to say that any vehicle .... that looks like a motorcycle or looks like a scooter is treated like a motorcycle or a scooter, that should resolve some of the problems," McNaughton-Filion said.
More Albertans are waiting longer than clinically recommended for critical cardiac and cancer surgeries, sparking concern among health experts and calls for urgent action.
There have been four collisions involving transport trucks in northwestern Ontario in three days, prompting renewed calls for action to address ongoing safety concerns along Highway 11-17.
Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives will huddle behind closed doors at a policy convention this weekend as some Tories question the party’s direction after nearly eight years in power.
The father of a three-year-old girl that was killed after being struck by a vehicle in Cambridge in mid-December says recent charges laid to the driver bring little comfort and relief.
The start of kindergarten can be a time of excitement or anxiety for parents, guardians and children — and also for Prince Edward Island's education officials as they try to staff schools appropriately.
Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation (NNC)’s proposed hydro project is facing some backlash in Pangnirtung.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will take to the stage Friday for what could be one of the most important speeches of his political career as he tries to convince delegates at the party's Calgary convention to keep him in the job.
As his flight departed from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport en route to Kuwait via Istanbul, Canadian crypto fugitive Andean Medjedovic was unaware that his globe-trotting lifestyle would soon be halted.
One of the largest taxi companies in Toronto will be down to three wheelchair-accessible cabs by the end of March, as advocates and providers say the city is failing to support accessible taxi drivers.
As a deep freeze continues to envelop southwestern Ontario at the same time municipalities deal with a pressing shortage of road salt, there's a renewed focus on finding different ways to melt road ice.
Dave Lawson is a proud Canadian who has bumper stickers that say "Canada is not for sale." He's fed up with grocery products plastered with maple leaves and patriotic logos that turn out to be American imports.
The Town of Badger has issued an evacuation order for some residents as water levels on the Exploits River continue to rise.
The head of a national seniors' advocacy organization says protecting nursing home residents from sexual abuse is an important but challenging issue.