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Notice of Motion – Electric Kick Scooters and Powered Personal Transportation Devices

NOTICE OF MOTION

Moved by: Chair Knoll

Seconded by:  Lisa Kearns

Electric Kick Scooters and Powered Personal Transportation Devices

Prevention, Enforcement, Injury Reduction and Legislative Action

WHEREAS the use of electric kick scooters, power assisted bicycles and other powered personal transportation devices has increased significantly, including their use by children and youth;

AND WHEREAS powered devices capable of travelling at significant speeds present potential road safety, community safety and injury prevention concerns for riders, pedestrians, cyclists and motorists;

AND WHEREAS the commercial availability or purchase of a powered personal transportation device does not mean that the device may lawfully be operated on a public road, sidewalk, trail, pathway, park or other public property;

AND WHEREAS Ontario Regulation 389/19 establishes a provincial pilot governing electric kick scooters and provides that an electric kick scooter may not be operated on a highway, sidewalk, trail, path, walkway, public park or exhibition ground under municipal jurisdiction unless such operation is permitted by the Regulation and specifically permitted by municipal bylaw;

AND WHEREAS Ontario Regulation 389/19 prohibits any person under the age of 16 from operating an electric kick scooter;

AND WHEREAS an electric kick scooter permitted under the Ontario pilot must meet prescribed requirements, including a motor not exceeding 500 watts and a maximum speed of 24 kilometres per hour;

AND WHEREAS the Ontario electric kick scooter pilot continues until November 27, 2029, after which the Province will determine whether and under what conditions electric kick scooters should be permanently permitted in Ontario;

AND WHEREAS electric kick scooters are presently prohibited from public operation in the Town of Oakville, Town of Milton and Town of Halton Hills, unless operated entirely on private property, and are permitted within the City of Burlington only within locations specifically authorized through Burlington’s participation in the provincial pilot;

AND WHEREAS Ontario law separately regulates power assisted bicycles, commonly referred to as electric bicycles, and currently prohibits a person under 16 from operating a power assisted bicycle on a highway and prohibits an owner or person in possession or control of such a bicycle from permitting a person under 16 to do so;

AND WHEREAS compliant power assisted bicycles may otherwise be lawfully operated by eligible riders in accordance with provincial law and applicable municipal restrictions, and the purpose of this resolution is not to discourage lawful forms of active transportation but to address unlawful operation, underage operation, non compliant devices and preventable injury;

AND WHEREAS powered devices that do not meet the legal requirements of an electric kick scooter, power assisted bicycle or another vehicle classification authorized under Ontario law cannot lawfully be operated on public roads or sidewalks merely because they are commercially available;

AND WHEREAS parental or guardian permission does not override provincial legislation or municipal bylaws and cannot make otherwise unlawful operation lawful;

AND WHEREAS pediatric hospitals, trauma centres, emergency physicians and injury prevention specialists across Canada have reported increasing numbers of serious injuries associated with electric scooters and other powered personal mobility devices and have called for stronger prevention, regulation, public awareness and enforcement;

AND WHEREAS a 2025 one time national survey conducted through the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program reported 57 cases of severe injury or death associated with powered personal mobility devices, including electric scooters and electric bicycles, among children and youth, including 10 deaths, 12 intensive care admissions and 26 prolonged hospitalizations;

AND WHEREAS the same survey reported that head injuries accounted for 47 per cent of severe cases, with neurosurgery being the most common surgical intervention, and that most reported cases involved recreational electric scooter use on public roads, sidewalks or pathways;

AND WHEREAS the Canadian Paediatric Society has stated that these findings demonstrate significant morbidity and fatalities associated with powered personal mobility devices and has called for coordinated injury prevention, surveillance, policy and public awareness measures;

AND WHEREAS The Hospital for Sick Children reported that electric scooter injuries presenting to its Emergency Department increased from five cases during June and July 2023 to 16 cases during the same period in 2024;

AND WHEREAS SickKids further reported a significant increase since 2020 in serious injuries involving battery powered devices, with electric scooters accounting for 85 per cent of battery powered device related injuries recorded in its Trauma Registry from 2021 through 2024;

AND WHEREAS the Montreal Children’s Hospital Trauma Centre reported approximately 80 children and adolescents treated for electric scooter related injuries during 2025 and more than 80 children and adolescents already treated as of August 2026;

AND WHEREAS injuries reported by the Montreal Children’s Hospital have included traumatic brain injuries, abdominal trauma, facial and dental trauma, fractures, lacerations and sprains;

AND WHEREAS the Montreal Children’s Hospital reported in June 2026 that almost 20 per cent of its electric scooter injury cases that year involved very severe injuries requiring hospitalization, critical care management and the involvement of multiple trauma specialists, compared with approximately 9 per cent requiring hospital admission in previous years;

AND WHEREAS the Montreal Children’s Hospital further reported that close to 60 per cent of electric scooter injuries treated during the first part of 2026 involved children under 14 and has characterized many such injuries as serious, potentially life altering and preventable;

AND WHEREAS BC Children’s Hospital recorded 81 Emergency Department visits involving electric scooter injuries among children and youth between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026, compared with 37 during the preceding year;

AND WHEREAS 54 per cent of those BC Children’s Hospital patients were between 13 and 15 years of age, 35 per cent sustained fractures and 17 per cent sustained concussion or mild brain injury;

AND WHEREAS the emerging medical evidence demonstrates that unlawful and underage operation of powered personal transportation devices is not merely a matter of regulatory compliance but represents a significant and preventable child and youth injury concern;

AND WHEREAS the Halton Police Board recognizes that enforcement is an important component of addressing unlawful use but that police enforcement alone cannot reasonably prevent the behaviour;

AND WHEREAS effective prevention requires coordinated action involving police, municipalities, Municipal Enforcement Services, schools, parents and guardians, Public Health, health professionals, retailers, manufacturers and the Province of Ontario;

AND WHEREAS public education must first and foremost clearly communicate what is lawful and what is prohibited and must not inadvertently suggest that helmets, reduced speeds, responsible riding or parental permission make otherwise unlawful operation lawful;

AND WHEREAS other Canadian and international jurisdictions have adopted measures including express parental responsibility, retailer obligations, device identification and certification, controls against unlawful modification, enhanced enforcement powers and technology based controls for authorized shared electric scooter programs;

AND WHEREAS, for greater certainty, nothing in this resolution is intended to restrict the lawful use of wheelchairs, mobility scooters or other mobility aids or accessibility devices used by persons with disabilities;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

 

1.  Board Community Safety and Injury Prevention Priority

The Halton Police Board identifies the unlawful and unsafe operation of electric kick scooters and other powered personal transportation devices, particularly by children and youth, as an emerging road safety, community safety and injury prevention priority.

 

2.  Police Prevention, Public Awareness and Enforcement Strategy

The Board requests that the Chief of Police develop or enhance, as the Chief determines operationally appropriate, a Region wide prevention, public awareness and enforcement strategy respecting the unlawful operation of electric kick scooters and other powered personal transportation devices.

The strategy should clearly communicate that:

  1. persons under 16 are prohibited from operating electric kick scooters;
  2. electric kick scooters may only be operated where their use is authorized under provincial law and applicable municipal bylaw;
  3. electric kick scooters are presently prohibited from public operation in Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills;
  4. Burlington presently permits electric kick scooters only within locations specifically authorized through its municipal pilot;
  5. persons under 16 may not operate a power assisted bicycle on a highway;
  6. devices that do not meet the legal requirements of an authorized vehicle classification cannot lawfully be treated as electric bicycles, electric kick scooters or other permitted vehicles merely because they are marketed or sold as such; and
  7. parental or guardian permission does not override provincial legislation or municipal

3.  Clear Public Messaging

The Board requests that public messaging clearly distinguish between lawful safety education and education intended to prevent unlawful use.

Where a person’s age, the classification of the device or the location in which the device is being operated makes operation unlawful, the primary message should be clear:

Do not operate the device there.

Public information should not create the impression that wearing a helmet, travelling more slowly, riding carefully or having parental permission makes otherwise unlawful operation permissible.

4.  Parents and Guardians

The Board requests that particular emphasis be placed on communication with parents and guardians concerning:

  1. minimum legal operating ages;
  2. locations in which particular devices may or may not lawfully be operated;
  3. the distinction between being able to purchase a device and being legally entitled to operate it;
  4. devices marketed to children that cannot lawfully be operated by them on public property;
  5. existing legal responsibilities applicable to owners and persons in possession or control of power assisted bicycles; and
  6. the responsibility of parents and guardians to understand the legal status and operating restrictions of a device before purchasing or providing it for use by a child.

5.  School Board Action

The Board requests that the Halton District School Board and Halton Catholic District School Board review and strengthen their policies concerning electric kick scooters and other powered personal transportation devices.

The Board specifically requests clear, Board wide and consistently enforced policies that:

  1. prohibit students from operating on school property any powered personal transportation device that they cannot lawfully operate because of their age or the legal classification of the device;
  2. prohibit students from bringing onto, parking or storing on school property an electric kick scooter or other powered device that the student cannot lawfully operate in the circumstances;
  3. establish clear rules regarding electric kick scooters and other powered personal transportation devices on school property, including consideration of a general prohibition on electric kick scooters on school property regardless of rider age where the school board considers such a prohibition appropriate for student safety;
  4. distinguish lawful power assisted bicycles operated by eligible riders from electric kick scooters and other devices that are unlawful for public operation;
  5. clearly communicate applicable rules to students and parents;
  6. provide for parent or guardian notification where a student brings a prohibited device onto school property;
  7. establish appropriate procedures for removal of prohibited devices from school property;
  8. provide for appropriate consequences in accordance with provincial requirements and applicable progressive discipline policies; and
  9. provide appropriate exemptions for mobility aids, accessibility devices and devices required as an accommodation under applicable law.

6.  Province Wide School Standard

The Board calls upon the Minister of Education to establish a clear and consistent province wide standard concerning electric kick scooters and powered personal transportation devices on school property.

The Board requests that the Minister consider amendments to the Provincial Code of Conduct, Ministry policies, regulations or legislation as necessary to:

  1. require school boards to establish policies addressing electric kick scooters and powered personal transportation devices;
  2. prohibit students from operating or bringing onto school property devices that they cannot lawfully operate because of their age or the legal classification of the device;
  3. authorize and encourage school boards to establish broader restrictions on electric kick scooters and similar powered devices on school property where appropriate for student safety;
  4. require parents and students to be clearly advised of applicable legal restrictions;
  5. provide for appropriate parental notification and removal of prohibited devices; and
  6. preserve appropriate exemptions for accessibility and accommodation

7.  Municipal Bylaw and Enforcement Review

The Board requests that the Chief of Police work collaboratively with Municipal Enforcement Services and other appropriate municipal officials within the City of Burlington, Town of Halton Hills, Town of Milton and Town of Oakville to identify opportunities, within existing legislative authority, to strengthen the local response to unlawful powered personal transportation device use.

This review should include:

  1. existing bylaws governing motorized vehicles, highways, sidewalks, trails, parks, pathways, public spaces and municipally owned property;
  2. opportunities to amend or strengthen municipal bylaws within lawful municipal authority to provide clearer prohibitions and enforcement mechanisms;
  3. opportunities for Municipal Enforcement Officers to enforce applicable municipal bylaws respecting municipal property, parks, trails, sidewalks and other matters where they presently have lawful authority to do so;
  4. opportunities for Municipal Enforcement Officers to support education, observation, documentation and appropriate referrals to HRPS where direct enforcement authority does not presently exist;
  5. appropriate coordination and referral protocols between HRPS and Municipal Enforcement Services;
  6. municipal policies concerning operation, parking and storage of prohibited powered devices on municipally owned property;
  7. improved regulatory and warning signage at parks, trails, pathways, community facilities, business districts and other appropriate public locations;
  8. opportunities to achieve greater consistency among Halton’s four municipalities concerning definitions, restrictions, signage and enforcement
  9. opportunities for coordinated police and municipal enforcement initiatives where legally authorized and as determined operationally appropriate by the Chief of Police and the respective municipal authorities; and
  10. identification of gaps in existing municipal or provincial authority together with recommendations to address those gaps.

8.  Coordinated Community and Public Health Response

The Board requests that the Chief work with the four local municipalities, Halton Region, Halton Region Public Health, school boards, health care partners and other appropriate community organizations to promote clear and consistent information throughout Halton concerning:

  1. which devices may lawfully be operated;
  2. who may lawfully operate them;
  3. where they may lawfully be operated;
  4. the consequences of unlawful operation; and
  5. the incidence and potential severity of injuries associated with these

Where operation is unlawful because of age, device classification or location, injury prevention messaging should reinforce compliance with the law rather than imply that unlawful operation can be made acceptable through safer riding practices.

9.  Retailer and Distributor Responsibility

The Board requests that the Chief and appropriate community partners engage retailers and distributors concerning responsible point of sale practices for electric kick scooters, power assisted bicycles and other powered personal transportation devices.

The Board further calls upon the Province of Ontario to consider requirements applicable to devices marketed or sold as suitable for lawful public operation in Ontario, including:

  1. prominent disclosure of minimum legal operating ages;
  2. disclosure of restrictions concerning where a device may lawfully be operated;
  3. clear distinction between devices that meet Ontario requirements for public operation and devices intended only for private property;
  4. disclosure of applicable maximum speed, motor output and equipment requirements;
  5. warnings that modification of a compliant device may result in the device no longer meeting the requirements for lawful public operation;
  6. clear notice that commercial availability does not establish that a device may lawfully be operated by the purchaser or intended rider on public property;
  7. prohibition against representing a non compliant device as lawful for public road, pathway or trail use; and
  8. prohibition against commercial modification intended to defeat speed, power or other requirements necessary to maintain lawful vehicle classification.

10.  Provincial Legislative and Regulatory Reform

The Board calls upon the Government of Ontario to undertake a comprehensive review of the legislative and regulatory framework governing electric kick scooters and emerging powered personal transportation devices, taking into consideration pediatric injury evidence, municipal and police enforcement experience and regulatory practices adopted elsewhere.

The Board requests consideration of:

  1. clearer classifications for the expanding range of powered personal transportation devices available to consumers;
  2. clearer distinctions between compliant power assisted bicycles, electric kick scooters and devices that do not qualify for lawful public operation;
  3. an express prohibition against an owner or person in possession or control of an electric kick scooter, including a parent or guardian, knowingly authorizing or permitting a person under 16 to operate the device in circumstances where that operation is prohibited by law;
  4. mandatory point of sale disclosure of minimum age, vehicle classification and operating restrictions;
  5. regulatory requirements for retailers and distributors marketing devices as suitable for public road, pathway or trail use;
  6. restrictions against advertising or representing non compliant devices as lawful for public operation;
  7. prohibitions against commercial modification of powered personal transportation devices where modification causes the device to exceed applicable legal speed, motor output or other technical limits;
  8. stronger provisions addressing modification, circumvention or defeat of speed limiters, motor controllers or other equipment intended to maintain a device within its lawful classification;
  9. requiring powered personal transportation devices offered for sale as suitable for lawful public operation in Ontario to bear a readily visible, durable and tamper resistant compliance label identifying relevant information including vehicle classification, manufacturer, model, maximum designed speed and maximum continuous motor output;
  10. consideration of a provincial certification, registration or identification system for appropriate classes of powered personal transportation devices so consumers, police and other enforcement officers can more readily determine whether a device complies with applicable requirements;
  11. consideration of initial or periodic compliance inspection requirements for appropriate classes of devices where justified by safety and enforcement needs;
  12. appropriate distribution, retail sale, marketing and consumer disclosure requirements intended to reduce the availability of devices falsely represented as lawful for public operation in Ontario;
  13. clear statutory authority, subject to appropriate procedural safeguards, for police or other authorized enforcement officers to seize or impound a device where legislation determines that seizure or impoundment is warranted because of serious unlawful operation, material non compliance or repeated offences;
  14. appropriate enforcement mechanisms for repeated serious violations involving the same device;
  15. whether additional statutory authority should be provided to appropriately trained Municipal Enforcement Officers or other Provincial Offences Officers to enforce prescribed electric kick scooter or powered device offences, including any stop and identification authority necessary for that purpose and subject to appropriate safeguards;
  16. appropriate enforcement mechanisms for unlawful operation involving children and youth while recognizing protections applicable to young persons under provincial law;
  17. clearer authority for municipalities to regulate powered personal transportation devices on municipal property and within areas of municipal jurisdiction;
  18. review of whether approved helmets should be mandatory for all persons lawfully operating electric kick scooters;
  19. consideration, should Ontario continue or permanently authorize electric kick scooters for public operation, of whether operators should be required to demonstrate basic knowledge of applicable operating rules;
  20. standardized provincial requirements for identifying compliant devices;
  21. standardized provincial collection and reporting of collision, injury, enforcement and usage data;
  22. enhanced requirements for municipalities participating in the electric kick scooter pilot to report standardized data sufficient to assess compliance and safety outcomes; and
  23. a province wide public awareness initiative clearly communicating legal restrictions, minimum ages, vehicle classifications and the consequences of unlawful use.

11.  Technology Requirements for Authorized Shared Electric Scooter Programs

Without expressing support for the expansion of electric kick scooter use, the Board recommends that, where a municipality chooses to authorize a commercial or shared electric scooter program under provincial law, the Province and participating municipality consider appropriate technology and operating requirements, including:

  1. geofencing to prevent operation outside authorized areas;
  2. automatic speed reduction within designated slow zones;
  3. automatic prevention of operation within designated no ride zones;
  4. designated parking locations where required to prevent obstruction of sidewalks and accessibility routes;
  5. unique and readily visible identification of each commercial device;
  6. technology capable of assisting operators and enforcement authorities in identifying devices associated with reported incidents, subject to applicable privacy law;
  7. meaningful age verification measures;
  8. appropriate insurance requirements;
  9. collection and reporting of collision and injury data;
  10. prompt removal of improperly parked, abandoned or damaged devices; and
  11. appropriate road safety assessments before new operating areas are

12.  Provincial Review of the Electric Kick Scooter Pilot

Given that Ontario’s electric kick scooter pilot remains in effect until November 27, 2029, the Board calls upon the Minister of Transportation to use the remaining pilot period to comprehensively assess:

  1. pediatric and adult injury data;
  2. compliance with minimum age requirements;
  3. helmet use;
  4. unlawful sidewalk operation;
  5. operation of privately owned electric kick scooters in municipalities that have not authorized their use;
  6. prevalence of devices that do not meet provincial speed, power or equipment specifications;
  7. modification and tampering;
  8. effectiveness of existing police enforcement tools;
  9. municipal enforcement challenges;
  10. retailer practices and consumer understanding;
  11. experience in other Canadian and international jurisdictions; and
  12. additional safeguards that should be implemented before consideration is given to a permanent provincial framework.

13.  Report Back to the Board

The Board requests that the Chief report back to the Board within a reasonable period determined by the Chief with:

  1. available data concerning collisions and injuries involving electric kick scooters and other powered personal transportation devices in Halton;
  2. available information concerning complaints and calls for service;
  3. available aggregate information concerning warnings, charges and other enforcement activity;
  4. recurring enforcement challenges;
  5. the results of discussions with Municipal Enforcement Services and municipal partners;
  6. identified gaps in municipal or provincial legislation;
  7. recommendations arising from discussions with school boards, Public Health and community partners;
  8. opportunities for coordinated municipal and police action;
  9. identified difficulties in determining whether devices encountered by police comply with applicable legal requirements; and
  10. any further recommendations the Chief considers appropriate to improve prevention, compliance and

14.  Distribution and Advocacy

The Board Chair is authorized to forward this resolution to:

  1. the Premier of Ontario;
  2. the Minister of Transportation;
  3. the Solicitor General of Ontario;
  4. the Minister of Education;
  5. the Minister of Health;
  6. Halton Region;
  7. Halton Region Public Health;
  8. the City of Burlington;
  9. the Town of Halton Hills;
  10. the Town of Milton;
  11. the Town of Oakville;
  12. the Halton District School Board;
  13. the Halton Catholic District School Board;
  14. the Association of Municipalities of Ontario;
  15. the Ontario Association of Police Service Boards;
  16. the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police;
  17. the Canadian Paediatric Society;
  18. The Hospital for Sick Children; and
  19. such other organizations as the Board considers appropriate;
  20. and to request their consideration and support for a coordinated approach to preventing unlawful powered personal transportation device use and reducing associated injuries in Ontario.
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