Yes. Wait, no. Yes?
In this week’s Opinion piece, Mark addressed the current legality of riding a motorcycle following the announcement that new restrictions would be put in place by the Ontario government. Well, the rules changed. And then, they changed again.
Premier Doug Ford announced late Friday afternoon that Ontario was extending the state of emergency and stay-at-home orders by an additional two weeks, as well as placing restrictions on interprovincial travel. As case counts continue to soar out of control, new restrictions were also placed on recreational activities, including playgrounds and golf courses. The new directive was, if it isn’t essential – stay home.
Perhaps the most egregious and controversial moment came as Ford announced that police would be given authority to stop pedestrians or vehicles to ask why members of the public have left their residence, and request ID to prove their home address. Theoretically, taking your kids to the park, playing tennis, or just going for a motorcycle ride to clear your mind could land you a hefty $750 ticket.
In response to the vague and questionably unconstitutional new authority given to officers, some police forces asserted that they did not intended to make use of these new powers. So, without the support of public opinion, or the police forces that would be enforcing these rules, the provincial government backtracked on the measures that they had announced less than 24 hours before.
So, contrary to what we said just four days ago, you could have potentially gotten a ticket for riding your motorcycle if the officer in question deemed that your intentions were non-essential. But evidently, this is seemingly not the case now.Apparently you’re now free to take your kids to the park and perhaps also go for a ride on your motorcycle, but only if deemed essential?
We’ll do our best to keep you updated, but it appears that things are changing far too rapidly to keep up. Perhaps you’ll also want to consult your local news sources.
It’s not all doom and gloom though. Big box stores are allowed to stay open, so if you are feeling lonely or sad, you are free to visit your local Walmart or Costco to mingle in close proximity with hundreds or thousands of strangers without recourse.
Well for anyone thinking whether riding a motorcycle is exercise, try doing it at 50+ years old. The first few rides of the year usually results in lots of sore muscles and joints, but riding a bike on a regular basis does wonders for your core strength, especially on smaller more nimble bikes. This in addition to the huge mental benefits of riding. Problem is, mostly cops that ride themselves would know the difference, and it’s not clear in law. Just because it’s not high energy like riding a bicycle doesn’t mean it’s not exercise. I also like to hike as well, and often take my bike to hiking areas.But I feel I get better exercise from riding than I do from walking.
This Ontario provincial government couldn’t organize a p*ssup in a brewery.
I’ll do what I need to do, take appropriate safeguards and if it comes down to it then they can write me the ticket.
See you in court…
There isn’t a Government in Canada, right now up to that task. So many “rules & regulations” don’t make sense & anyone with an ability to think for themselves, should be wondering WTF anything means & what is the “end game”, because this has gone far beyond “flattening the curve” IMNSHO