October 4, 2026 - (Toronto,ON) Multiple top retailers of e-bikes in the Greater Toronto Area, including well-known big box and specialty shops, were visited by CBC Marketplace with hidden cameras and found that e-bikes and e-scooters are being sold with top speeds much higher than provincial speed limits, and were also shown how to bypass built-in speed limits.
Most provincial traffic laws limit e-bikes and e-scooters to 32 kilometres per hour or less, while age restrictions vary across the country, ranging from 12 to 18 years. Investigators also found age recommendations that contravene Ontario laws.
The retailers visited included Amego, Emmo, EZbike, Best Buy, Canadian Tire and Costco. While most stores reminded the undercover investigators of Ontario rules, 10 of 12 stores visited sold e-bikes or e-scooters with maximum speeds beyond Ontario limits.
Recent data shows that injuries and hospitalizations are up according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information which indicates that 150 people ages 15 and under were hospitalized for falls involving an e-scooter across Canada in 2025-2026, compared to 54 the period prior.
Head injuries related to e-scooters have tripled over recent years, while fractures, dislocations and or muscle and tendon injuries have more than doubled in the same period. The Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program released its own survey in August and found 10 children have died from using devices like e-scooters and e-bikes in 2025.
According to the report, sales for the electric mobility devices have more than quadrupled in Canada since 2019, with roughly 372,000 e-bikes and 76,000 e-scooters sold so far this year, according to Statista.
“They’re not toys; they’re motorized vehicles,” said April Kam, an emergency physician at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton. “We’re seeing kids who are presenting with brain bleeds, with abdominal injuries, solid organ injuries.”
Some of the outlets visited issued statements to Marketplace claiming that customers should follow local laws.
Read and watch the full report here.
