Owning an electric bike in Canada is easy. These vehicles, also known as electrically assisted bicycles, electric scooters, electric bicycles and electric scooters, don't require a license, license plate, or insurance to own or operate. In Alberta, you don't need a driver's license, vehicle insurance, or registration. However, eBike riders must be at least 12 years old.
In British Columbia, you don't need a license to drive an electric bicycle, but riders must be at least 16 years old. In New Brunswick, there are no age limits or licensing requirements to operate an electric bicycle, as long as the bicycle complies with current New Brunswick regulations. Labrador has its own set of unique regulations. E-bike owners in Labrador who are 18 and older do not need a license.
However, cyclists between the ages of 14 and 17 must have a permit that authorizes them to operate an electric bicycle. By removing the pedals, the electric bicycle becomes a motor vehicle, which requires a license, insurance and registration to operate. It is also illegal to modify the electric motor of the electric bicycle to make it more powerful or to increase the assisted speed of the bicycle. Canada is much more open and prepared for the introduction of electric vehicles than other places like the United Kingdom.
In this province, all users of electric bicycles and electric scooters have the same rights as drivers of other vehicles. Newfoundland's road traffic law proposed a one-meter rule for every electric bicycle and scooter in the province. It's legal to use privately owned electric scooters in Montreal as long as you comply with current laws. Electric scooters are classified as electrically assisted bicycles and both follow many of the same federal laws and regulations.
While all this controversy has led to a ban on shared electric scooters in Montreal, privately owned electric scooters are still perfectly legal. Gas-powered bicycles and electric bicycles without connected pedals do not qualify as electric motor-assisted bicycles and will not pass a provincial motor vehicle inspection that allows them to meet registration, licensing and insurance requirements for road use. The city of Montreal created more than 200 parking spaces designed specifically for electric scooters shared by companies like Lime and Bird, but a Feb. 19 city report revealed that people were leaving them anywhere and everywhere, preventing general traffic. An electric bicycle, or motor-assisted bicycle, is a two- or three-wheeled bicycle with a seat, pedals and one or more electric motors (the output power does not exceed 500 watts in total). Electric bicycles are equipped with an electrical power system.
