Editorial: Ontario's Battery Fire Rules Are a Welcome First Step. Now Finish the Job

This is an editorial. It reflects the view of The Toronto Journal's staff, not a news report.

Toronto's firefighters have been sounding the alarm about lithium-ion batteries for years. On Thursday, Queen's Park finally said it was listening. Solicitor General Michael Kerzner told reporters his ministry would finalize regulations to ban changes to the batteries early next year. That is good news. It is also overdue, and it should not be the last word.

A record that keeps breaking

The numbers speak for themselves. Toronto Fire Services recorded 91 lithium-ion battery fires in all of 2025, which was an all-time high at the time. By early September of this year, the count had already reached 97. As of Thursday, it stood at 124, with nearly two months still left in 2026.

Fire Chief Jim Jessop says the city has seen "well north of a 200 per cent increase" in these fires since 2023. He calls them the single "greatest public fire safety risk" in the country. Toronto Fire has reported 14 injuries linked to this year's incidents as of September. In one stretch this summer, the city saw four battery-related fires in about 24 hours, one of which injured four people.

These are not ordinary fires. Jessop has explained that they move faster than typical blazes, that the batteries can explode and become projectiles, and that toxic chemicals leave carcinogens on firefighters' gear. Toronto Fire says the e-bike and e-scooter batteries that are overcharged, modified or damaged are driving the increase.

What the province is proposing

The proposed Fire Code changes go beyond modified batteries. According to a summary of the provincial proposal, they would prohibit charging, parking or storing e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries in public corridors, in lobbies with an exit to the outdoors, or near other exits. They would ban commercial battery activity, such as charging, retail, storage or recycling, inside residential buildings. Batteries would have to be charged and used according to the manufacturer's instructions, and disposed of properly.

If the rules pass, Toronto's fire inspectors would gain the power to issue orders or penalties, including when people use modified batteries. Jessop calls the first round of amendments "absolutely a good first step." We agree. Keeping e-bikes out of hallways and exits is common sense in a city where so many people live in towers.

Where the plan still falls short

A first step is not a finish line. Asked how the rules would be enforced and what violators would pay, Kerzner said the details are still being worked out, according to Sing Tao Daily. Those details matter. A ban on modifying batteries is only as good as the ability to spot a modified one and act on it.

The bigger gap is upstream. Ontario's Fire Code can govern where batteries are charged and stored. It cannot keep uncertified products off store shelves. Toronto city council asked the province in May to mandate top-tier safety certification (UL 2849 and UL 2271) for the electrical systems and batteries of many micromobility vehicles sold in Ontario. Council also asked Ottawa for mandatory federal safety regulations. Health Canada has said it is looking into proposing rules. Fire chiefs have raised concerns about offshore products without safety ratings. Both governments should treat those calls with the same urgency Toronto's firefighters bring to every call.

Don't let "early next year" slip

Jessop put it well in the summer: regulators should not rush into bad rules, but "this cannot continue to go on for years and years of consultation." Public comments on the province's proposal are open until Nov. 16. After that, the government should hold to its own timeline, publish clear enforcement rules and fines, and keep pressing Ottawa on certification.

In the meantime, the safety advice is simple. Toronto Fire says to use only devices that have been safety-tested and certified, follow the manufacturer's charging and storage instructions, and keep batteries away from anything flammable. That advice costs nothing to follow. The province's rules should make it the law.