Well, I'm no lawyer or specialist on the laws of Ontario or anywhere else for that matter so it would likely be best for everyone to contact their local Ministry of Transportation or Department of Motor Vehicles (or what ever they may be called in your province, state, or country). You should also contact your local authorities to see what their views on these bikes are.
The last time that I was in contact with the MTO, I was told that our bikes would fall into a grey area of the law as they are "undefined at this time". The police had also told me that they were legal to ride as there is no legal definition against them, but at the same time there are no laws to support them either. This was quite awhile ago, and I have since been told that the laws are changing with regards to the bikes. It was my understanding that there was going to be legislation passed within Bill 126 (Road Safety Act 2009) on June 1, 2009 that would be in regards to our bikes, but I have yet to find anything that relates directly to our bikes.
Now a days, it depends on who you end up talking to if you call into the Thunder Bay Police and ask about the legalities of riding one of these bikes. If you get one person, they will tell you that the bikes are fine, and if you get another they will tell you that the bikes are for off-road use only.
Here, in Thunder Bay, I have been told that they will be allowed for "off-road use only". This will likely hold true for the rest of the province of Ontario as well...sorry people, make sure to bring it up with your Ombudsman and MP's.
Our bikes are no longer welcome on the streets of Thunder Bay. In the opinion of the officer that came to my home, our bikes are "not an e-bike, and they are not a moped and will therefore be treated as illegal on the streets of Thunder Bay".
I have written into our Minister of Transportation and am hoping for an amendment to the power-assisted bicycles definition to include small gas engines in addition the small electric motors which the definition describes. After all, the MTO says that they choose the e-bikes due to them being lighter in weight and therefore safer. I have yet to find an e-bike that is lighter in weight than any of our bikes. For most of them, the battery pack alone weighs in around the same amount as our entire engine kit does. Most of the e-bikes that I've come across weigh around 15-20 pounds heavier than our average mountain bikes (with an engine kit) does.
I'd like to ask everyone out there to also write into the MTO, your local MP's and Ombudsman's offices to ask the same thing...to have small gas engines included with the power-assisted bicycles definition. Maybe together we can make a change.
Like I said, I do not know the laws or claim to know them...check with your local authorities, (please and thank you).