Below are a few items that I think you might find interesting:
Let's start with some good news. The second round of federal active transportation funding is finally flowing! Although funding announcements for the National Active Transportation Fund (ATF) have been ongoing since 2022, all projects announced had been part of the first round of applicants. As confirmed a few weeks ago by Vélo Canada Bikes, a funding announcement for the expansion of the Riverside Trail in Tecumseh, ON officially marks the release of funding for round two projects! This is great news amongst much uncertainty about the program. Shout out to Vélo Canada Bikes for their ongoing advocacy, including a letter signed by 101 organizations (including Stuckless Consulting Inc.).
In Ontario, municipalities continue to struggle with Bill 60 restrictions on building new bike lanes, and the provincial government recently won their legal appeal for the right to remove about 19km of existing bike lanes in Toronto. Billing the appeal win as “victory for common sense”, the government is now looking to move forward with restoring motor vehicle lanes along key cycling corridors. An RFP for this restoration was released Sept 1. Despite what the province says, the research clearly shows that removing bike lanes and making more lanes for motor vehicles is not a common sense approach to reducing congestion. It's also a distraction, waste of money, unnecessary construction, provincial overreach, and a risk to the safety and lives of vulnerable road users. Cycle Toronto has posted a detailed update on where things are at, and I encourage you to check it out for more information.
Advocates in Alberta are rising up after the provincial government launched a webpage specifically to collect complaints about bike lanes. With echoes of political arguments in Ontario, the webpage cites concerns about municipal bike lanes that remove traffic lanes and increase congestion. Notably, the provincial webpage does not provide options in the dropdown menu for anything positive about bike lanes. That's where Bike Edmonton has stepped in. The advocacy group has created their own webpage where people can show their support for bike lanes and send a letter to provincial and municipal representatives.
The Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program 2025 Results includes a survey aimed at better understanding hospitalizations and deaths from using micromobility devices. Of the 800 paediatricians and paediatric subspecialists who responded, 4% report treating a micromobility related injury resulting in a hospitalization over 48 hours, ICU admission, or death in the past 12 months. Respondents reported 57 cases, in which 10 were tragically deaths. The large majority of cases involved an e-scooter and the age group most affected was 10 to 15 year olds, followed by 5 to 9 year olds, which is alarming given that this is under the legal minimum age for e-devices in most provinces. The most commonly injured body parts were the head and extremities. The cases were reported across seven provinces, but more than half of the deaths were in Ontario (6 of 10). I encourage policy makers to read the report, linked below.
The Gordie Howe bridge has officially opened and its walking and cycling path has been super popular! The 2.5km multi-use pathway has been seventeen years in the making and saw 3,400 users on opening day. A huge congratulations to everyone who helped make this one-of-a-kind path possible, including Todd Scott of the Detroit Greenways Coalition and Lori Newton of Bike Windsor Essex, who talked about their cross-border advocacy partnership with Streetsblog.
The North American Bikeshare and Scootershare Association (NABSA) has released its 7th annual State of the Industry report with data on shared micromobility in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Overall, shared micromobility trips increased 5% in 2025 from the previous year, and trips taken by electric devices grew by 11%. The percentage of trips taken to connect to transit also increased from 18% to 21%. Although the number of cities with shared micromobility decreased slightly across North America, it continued to expand in Canada with systems in 60 cities, up from 52 in 2024. Download a copy of the report today for more insights.
Women in Urbanism Canada (WiUC) is looking for contributors to share their perspectives in gender equitable urban design through their blog. Selected contributors will receive an honorarium of $150-$250 for their piece, and they welcome writers of all experience levels. WiUC is especially interested in hearing from equity-deserving groups whose voices are often underrepresented in urbanism conversations. The intake form is open until September 22.
Regular newsletter readers will know I am especially interested and engaged with the e-bike policy file here in Ontario. In a September 1 interview with the Toronto Sun, Minister Sarkaria, Ontario's Minister of Transportation, indicated that new rules for e-bikes would be released in the coming weeks. This is following consultations conducted by the Ministry on a proposed framework earlier this spring. There was a lot to like about the proposed framework, and a few points of contention. I've shared my thoughts on the proposal on my blog, as well as a summary of the comments I heard during a webinar I hosted with 65 partners.
TransLink and the provincial government in British Columbia have released a new “School Neighbourhood Activation Playbook”! The playbook consolidates best practices, strategies, and tools to support active school travel for elementary school children. Check it out online for inspiration and guidance.
Students in Hebbville, Nova Scotia (Mi'kma'ki) launched a Bike Buddies club in 2020, purchasing 24 bicycles with a grant for students to access the trail network adjacent to the school. Bike Buddies also ride the trails and report any issues to the local volunteer group that maintains them. In an exciting new addition, the Bike Buddies club has now launched a bike bus in the community of about 800 people! The initiative is highlighted on the Mobilizing Justice blog.
Lithium-ion battery fires are an increasing public safety concern in communities across Canada, with Toronto seeing a 200% increase since 2022. Despite this (or, because of it), there are currently no specific regulatory requirements for lithium-ion batteries in Canada. Experts, including Toronto's Fire Chief, have been calling on the federal government to look into mandatory safety standards. As I have discussed on my blog, there is a current proposal with Health Canada to regulate lithium-ion batteries through the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, but e-bike and e-scooter batteries are excluded because they are vehicles, not consumer products. Regulation for e-micromobility will need to come through Transport Canada.
Toronto City council has voted to make side guards mandatory on all commercial trucks operating under contract to the city to protect pedestrians and cyclists. This follows a council decision last December to install side guards on all city-owned heavy duty trucks. Side guards - strong panels fitted between the front and back wheels - have long been recommended to prevent people from being pulled under the wheels of the truck. Advocacy group Friends and Families for Safe Streets had been urging council to approve this motion.
Canada's newest Cycling Without Age chapter will soon be opening in Yellowknife! With multi-year funding from the Healthy Choices Fund, SHIFT NWT plans to purchase a trishaw, storage shed, and equipment this winter and get volunteers trained so they can start offering rides in summer 2027. SHIFT NWT's Co-Founder Becca Denley was inspired to launch the program after participating in a Cycling Without Age ride with her mom along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa.
Applications are now open for Maytree Policy School 2027. This six-month Toronto-based program invites 20 to 25 senior non-profit policy professionals to elevate their strategic influence through in-person and virtual learning. I'm an alumni ('18) of this program where I learned so much about policy and connected with a wonderful cohort of peers. The application deadline is October 14 and the program runs January to June 2027.
