Proper regulations and enforcement are definitively the right path forward, especially when the safety of our youth and significant municipal liabilities are on the line.
Under current provincial guidelines, no one under 16 is permitted to operate an e-scooter.
When municipalities fail to establish clear, enforceable local bylaws, it leaves young riders exposed to severe injury risks and leaves the town legally vulnerable if a serious accident occurs on public property.
However, Milton’s culture of reactive planning is a systemic issue that has been evident since 2001, so it is not something that can be blamed solely on the current council.
Shifting the Council and staff mindset towards implementing proactive planning and objective, auditable decision-making frameworks requires a complete overhaul of our standards for oversight and accountability.
I encourage voters to ask and assess what tangible steps our current and former elected officials actually took, if any, to address these systemic challenges when they had the chance.