After an 18-year-old was killed in an e-scooter accident in Kamloops, B.C., earlier this month, a petition has been started to end the pilot program in the city.
Kamloops RCMP said they were called to the intersection of Battle Street and Lee Road around 4 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16, for reports of an incident involving an e-scooter.
An online post identified the victim as Hunter Dennis, also known as Bannock.
Almost 1,000 people have now signed an online petition to prohibit e-scooters in Kamloops in Dennis’ memory.
The City of Kamloops launched the pilot project in an effort to “expand active transportation opportunities that support council’s strategic goals on mobility and climate action.”
It comes as new national numbers show a surge in e-scooter hospitalizations across the country.
“For whatever reason, we’ve seen a real tipping point this past summer of just the prevalence of people using these devices,” Dr. Daniel Rosenfield, Pediatric Emergency Physician at Sick Kids Hospital and the Chair of the Injury Prevention Committee for the Canadian Pediatric Society, said.
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“And as a result, the more people that are on them, the more injuries we’re going to see.”
Michael Temer with the Canadian Institute for Health Information said it is important to understand the risks of e-scooters.
“This is still a relatively new and rising technology,” he said.
“The devices are gaining more in popularity and as governments seek to regulate them, as people decide whether to buy them or allow family members to have them.”
The Canadian Institute of Health Information says e-scooter crashes requiring hospitalization doubled in B.C. over the past four years to 172 cases.
The B.C. Coroners Service said it has investigated nine e-scooter-related deaths since 2021.
Kamloops resident here. I find this petition to be ridiculous. Of course it is sad that an 18 year old lost his life however the circumstances of the death are unknown other than that he was not wearing a helmet. People are killed on bicycles all the time – including and especially children. Should we ban those? If this boys family feel like their grief needs to be assuaged by blaming someone or something, or they need to campaign for something – why not raise awareness about using helmets? A helmet might have actually saved his life. Ending what is pretty much the only successful active transportation pilot project the City of Kamloops has ever had will not bring Hunter back – nor will it prevent nearly as many similar tragedies as awareness and education around helmet use would do. This is one of the many reasons I hate Facebook – it takes nothing, including a moment of thought, to mindlessly click on emotionally charged content with a link to an ill-conceived petition.
REPLY TO : Try This
August 25, 2026 at 8:12 pm DON’T WANNA MESS THEIR HAIR UP, ALSO THEY KNOW THERE’S NO ENFORCEMENT
END THIS B/ SH IT EVERYWHERE !!! F/ ING RIDICULOUS !!! NO LICENSE , NO ELBOW, OR KNEEPADS, NO HELMETS ! FLYING AROUND THE STREETS, OBEYING ZERO RULES !!! COPS DOING ZERO, NADA, NOTHING !!! THEN COMPLAINING
What is wrong in this picture? 1. They have helmets but do not have them on. 2. They are on a street 3. they are crossing a street while riding. 4. they are riding tandem instead of single file, as per bicycle rules.5. no elbow or knee pads.
Yep these are the people who say we are taking away their mobility, when we try to promote safety for all.