Coroner's office calls for clearer definition of e

An expert panel is calling on the Ontario government to tighten its definition of what counts as an e-bike, in an attempt to improve safety and reduce the number of fatal crashes.

That recommendation is one of seven found in a review of e-bike deaths that was prepared by Ontario's office of the chief coroner and other stakeholders and released this week to the public.

It emerged from work that began in 2021 by the Ottawa Fatal Collision Review Committee, a local group made up of police, public health officials, city staff and other experts.

That year, the committee noticed there had been five recent local deaths involving e-bike riders:

A man in his 60s who'd been hit by a car while turning at an intersection.

A man in his 50s who lost control of his e-bike, jumped the curb and stru