Ontario is proposing to ban storing electric bikes and electric scooters in hallways of condos and apartments amid a rise in lithium-ion battery fires. Solicitor General Michael Kerzner told reporters at Queen’s Park on Thursday that the government plans to amend the Ontario Fire Code in response to what he said was a “serious issue” firefighters are facing. Kerzner is also proposing to make the modification of batteries for unintended purposes illegal. “What we want to do is we want to make sure that people do not modify batteries for an unintended purpose or juice them up. We want to make sure that a battery that has been certified is used for the purpose that it is,” Kerzner said. The changes, he said, are based on the feedback he got from Toronto Fire Chief Jim Jessop and other stakeholders, including the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs and the Ontario Provincial Firefighters Association. Jessop has raised concerns about the surge of fires involving lithium-ion batteries found in e-bikes and e-scooters across the city. As of Oct. 28, there have been 119 lithium-ion battery fires, according to the chief. “Every time I hear that there’s been another lithium-ion battery fire, it’s really bothering me, and the root cause is people using a device for an unintended purpose. I did not know people are juicing up, modifying a lithium-ion battery for a purpose that was not originally intended. That’s wrong,” Kerzner said. When asked how the new rules will be implemented and how much the fine will be, the solicitor general said details are being worked out, but suggested that it will be up to each fire service to enforce. “This is part of our lives now using e-bikes, e-scooters, and electric cars. We have to use it the way it was intended,” he said. Kerzner noted that he is also working with Toronto MP Judy Sgro on pushing the federal government to regulate and ban knockoff batteries that are coming to the country, which Jessop has also been calling for. “The federal government has a role to play,” Kerzner said.
