When it comes to electric bikes it depends who you ask Petersen scelzi who works with e-bikes for a living says it’s a bicycle with power assist Ontario’s minister of transportation Bob Chiarelli disagrees stating it’s considered a motor vehicle under the criminal code it’s not considered a motor vehicle under the highway traffic act and that probably needs some rectification
this discrepancy has real implications especially when it comes to impaired driving Toronto police don’t keep specific stats but this year they have charged several e-bike drivers with being drunk here’s the catch even if you’re impaired while operating an e-bike once you’re sober you can continue to ride it because there is no license required by law to operate one federal law says you can’t drink and drive an e-bike but the province can’t take it away or forbid you from using it because it’s technically considered a bicycle
Should e-bike riders need licenses
some believe that e-bike drivers should require licenses that’s something that could be considered says one observer however they add that’s not only going to employ more bureaucrats—absolutely—but whether it’ll do any good or not i don’t know
Rules for e-bikes in Ontario
there are some specific rules for e-bikes in the province
- you must be over 16 years of age to drive one
- helmets are mandatory
- the bike cannot go more than 32 kilometers an hour
- most importantly it must have pedals
if you take off the pedals the e-bike has no other way to power it except by the electric motor this by definition permanently makes it a motor vehicle
Bottom line
Even though the province says this is a bike it doesn’t always treat it that way
