HALIFAX -- At a time when there is heightened awareness about e-scooter and e-bike safety, Chris Milligan was quick to point out thatrenting an e-scooter in downtown Halifax is convenient.
“It is a hot day, and it is nicer to be renting this than to be walking,” Milligan said, adding that e-scooter rentals only cost him a few dollars.
That convenience aside, as e-scooters and e-bikes increase in popularity in Canada, so do the number of deaths, injuries and traffic violations.
Recent statistics released by the Canadian Paediatric Society showed that of the 57 severe injuries related to e-scooters in 2025, there were 10 deaths among children under the age of 18.
Last year, the Canadian Institute for Health Information reported 498 e-scooter hospitalizations from 2023 to 2024.
Cities cracking down across Canada
Prior to launching a recent two-week traffic safety enforcement campaign, the Toronto Police Service issued 447 tickets and warnings for e-scooter and e-bike violations.
Earlier this month, Nova Scotia announced children under 14 will be banned from riding e-bikes as of this coming fall. It is the same age restriction that was put in place in 2022 for Nova Scotia e-scooter drivers.
“It’s the speed that they can actually travel, they can go up to 30 or 32 kilometres per hour or more and so you start to get into a different level of conveyance than a traditional bicycle,” Nova Scotia Public Works Minister Fred Tilley said in an interview with CTV Atlantic earlier this month.
“I have kids in that age range, and I think 14 is probably the right age,” Milligan said when asked if he supported the restrictions on e-bikes and e-scooters.
Halifax hot dog vendor Elizabeth Boittiaux, who spends her workdays outside, said she would support easing the ban on children from using e-scooters if proper regulations were strictly enforced.
“Maybe those who are under 14 need parental sign-offs, where you need proof of wearing a helmet,” Boittiaux said.
Halifax Regional Municipality Coun. Shawn Cleary told CTV News that based on his observations, most people drive e-scooters responsibly in his home city, but he has heard increased complaints from seniors.
“Largely, it is around young people riding on sidewalks, very fast and not paying attention to who is around them,” said Cleary, who added the fast speed of the e-scooters is a good reason to implement education programs and safety requirements for people of all ages, not just children.
With files from CTV News’ Elianna Lev, CTV News Atlantic’s Jesse Thomas and The Canadian Press
