Halton Police Debate How Far to Go on E-Scooter Enforcement

Kids on e-scooters have become a regular sight on Oakville streets, and the question of what police should do about the ones riding dangerously went to the Halton Police Board at its August meeting.

Halton Regional Police Chief Steve Tanner called the scooters "a public safety concern, no doubt," and said the service is still weighing whether enforcement belongs in the response at all. If officers do act, he said, the focus would be people riding dangerously. He also warned about the other side of it: "It can be seen as somewhat heavy-handed by some people in our society if the police, the fully trained armed police officers, are stopping a 13-year-old on a scooter and charging them." Cases involving younger riders also eat up officer time, since parents have to be tracked down and notified and the file may end up in court.

Ontario's framework already bars anyone under 16 from legally operating an e-scooter, even in municipalities taking part in the province's pilot. Board chair Jeff Knoll, an Oakville councillor, noted the machines are still easy to buy regardless. "We can't ticket our way out of this problem," he said. "It has to be an initiative where we get the parents educated, get the schools involved, we get the province involved."

The injuries are what keeps pushing the issue up the agenda. Across Canada, 837 people were hospitalized with e-scooter related injuries between April 2025 and March 2026, up nearly 40 per cent from the year before, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Board members said hospitals are seeing fractures and concussions tied to the devices.

No vote was taken in August. Knoll said the motion comes back to the board in September after more discussion with police and other partners, and that it could change before it returns. In the meantime, MPP Zee Hamid told an e-scooter town hall in Milton that the province is working on new regulations, with an announcement expected before the October 26 municipal election.