A hidden camera probe in Ontario found retailers selling some e-scooters as kids' products, and several salespeople explained how to bypass speed restrictors.
Across Canada, injuries involving these devices continue to rise.
Here's what to know
Undercover reporting by CBC's "Marketplace" found that employees at six large retailers and specialty shops in the Greater Toronto Area either described or demonstrated ways to get around speed limiters. CBC visited 12 stores and reported that 10 sold e-bikes or e-scooters that exceeded Ontario's speed limits.
In Ontario, riders must be at least 16 to use either an e-bike or an e-scooter. The province limits e-scooters to 15 mph (24 km/h) on flat ground and caps e-bikes at 20 mph (32 km/h).
CBC reported that seven stores were also selling e-scooters with manufacturer-recommended rider ages under 16. The lowest age guidance it found was at Canadian Tire, where a Razor e-scooter with a top speed of 10 mph (16 km/h) was recommended for children 8 and older.
April Kam, an emergency physician at McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton and president of the Canadian Paediatric Society's emergency medicine section, told CBC that marketing like this can mislead families about what these devices are.
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"It's very concerning that there's this huge market for selling children these motorized vehicles, essentially, and deceiving the parents and family, marketing them as toys," she said, per CBC.
More background
Hospitalizations among people 15 and under after e-scooter falls reached 150 in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, CBC reported, citing data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information. That compares with 54 in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, an increase of about 178%.
The data also showed 157 head injuries linked to e-scooters in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, up from 50 in 2022-2023. Over the same period, fractures, dislocations, and muscle or tendon injuries more than doubled, reaching 544 cases in the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
The Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program said 10 children had died in 2025 while using devices such as e-scooters and e-bikes. Statista data cited by CBC show that Canada sold about 372,000 e-bikes and 76,000 e-scooters.
Michael Pasquali, founder of the Canadian Electric Bicycle Association, told CBC, "Shops that are selling products that are way beyond the legal limit, they're putting a lot of people in danger."
"It's not just a toy; it's a motorized vehicle," Kam said. "We're seeing kids who are presenting with brain bleeds, with abdominal injuries, solid organ injuries."
What's being done?
Asked about the findings, several companies said following the law is up to riders. CBC reported that Best Buy, Canadian Tire, and Emmo said customers are expected to follow local laws, while Best Buy added that the rules are evolving and it works to keep product information current.
Razor said the scooter, which it markets for children, complies with U.S. guidance for low-speed motorized vehicles and is not meant to be ridden on public roads.
At an Emmo store in Toronto, a salesperson said the shop could alter a bike for off-road riding at up to 93 mph (150 km/h). At an Amego store in North York, CBC said a salesperson removed a 20 mph (32 km/h) limiter in front of undercover reporters and revved the motor past it.
On Oct. 2, Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon told CBC's "Marketplace" that provinces and municipalities also have room to act, while the federal government needs "to absolutely consider what we will do in terms of regulating the safety of those devices."
Newfoundland and Labrador has no rules for e-bikes or e-scooters. CBC reported that a Government Services spokesperson said the province has consulted the public and is considering changes to the Highway Traffic Act to cover micro-mobility devices.
Where can I learn more?
Questions about speed limits, youth riders, and enforcement are popping up elsewhere, too, as these stories show.
• In Florida, lawmakers pushed fines for dangerous e-bike modifications as tampering became a top safety concern.
• In New Jersey, critics blasted a new e-bike law as discriminatory and unnecessary.
• In New York, officials advanced Priscilla's Law restrictions as other states weighed similar rules.
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