Warmer weather brings calls for caution as bike usage increases in Canada

Toronto is leading Canadian cities with almost 3,000 stolen bikes reported in what police say are largely crimes of opportunity. Paul Hollingsworth explains.

Halifax Deputy Mayor Tony Mancini is proud of the infrastructure and bike lanes in his home city and communities across Canada. He believes it’s a major reason why bicycle usage continues to be a popular mode of transportation across the country, according to Statistics Canada.

“The population is younger, and more people are riding, so bikes are something that is really happening at this time,” said Mancini.

With more bikes comes more occurrences of theft. Thieves appear to be taking advantage of what police say is “a crime of opportunity”.

“With the growing city in Halifax, people are using their bike as their main transportation now, and we are constantly seeing people on their bikes, even during the wintertime,” said Cst. Martin Cromwell with Halifax Regional Police, who is asking people to be vigilant about possible bike theft.

According to the website thebestbikelock.com, Toronto is leading all Canadian cities with almost 3,000 stolen bikes reported.

In Halifax, the stolen bike numbers are much lower, but they almost doubled in a year, with thieves taking 68 bikes from January to May in 2024, according to statistics provided by Halifax police.

Cromwell said the trend is keeping police busy, causing a major inconvenience for some cyclists.

“It is their main transportation, not just for activities on the weekend but to and from work,” said Cromwell, who also urged bike owners to have pictures and the serial number of their bike on hand.

“They can register their bike on the 529 Garage Program which will assist us in getting their bike back to them, if it is recovered by us.”

The owner of Cyclesmith bike shop in Halifax has heard reports of a recent jump in stolen bikes.

“Like anything, theft is up for a lot of different stuff,” said Andrew Feenstra, who always tells his customers when they make a purchase protect their investment. “Get a proper lock, one that is hard to break and then lock it up in a good spot that is well lit, with lots of people moving around.”

Feenstra also said it’s best to store bikes, locked indoors to avoid theft.