High demand for B.C.'s new e-bike rebate program sends thousands to the wait list
CBC
British Columbians excited by the province's expanded rebate program to help them buy an e-bike needed to be quick if they wanted to claim their money.
The new program received 12,000 applications within the first 24 hours of its launch on June 1, according to the province's transportation ministry.
And only the lucky 4,000 people who applied within the first eight hours received the rebate right away.
As of Friday, the remaining 8,000 were placed on a wait list to allow staff to process applications properly and in order, the ministry said in a statement.
In comparison to the average of 16 monthly rebate applications under the old program, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming said the demand was "unprecedented."
"I'm very pleased to see that people are so enthusiastic," Fleming said in a Sunday statement to CBC News. "By lowering the cost of e-bikes, we're helping to make efficient, emissions-free travel more affordable for people across B.C."
The rebate varies depending on applicants' income, and can be applied to an e-bike purchased within 30 days of being approved. But people cannot purchase a bike and later claim the rebate, the ministry said.
Katy Lu, who manages E-NIC E-bike Sales and Rentals shop in Vancouver's West End, said more customers are already coming in looking to buy an e-bike now B.C. has lowered the cost barrier.
"They're very excited to finally get a chance to buy an e-bike," Lu said. "They are currently applying, and they are on the wait list, and they don't know how long they need to wait."
She cautioned customers to wait to buy one until their own rebate request has been approved, because there are fees for assembling and restocking e-bikes at many stores like hers, and those fees are usually non-refundable if the e-bike is returned.
Nonprofit advocacy group HUB Cycling's Navdeep Chhina says people who are low-income or disabled should be prioritized in the application process.
He also wants the grants, which top-out at $1,350 for low-income people, increased for disabled people and those on public assistance so they can benefit from e-bikes as well.
"People with mobility needs can buy [adaptive bikes] so they can get to places and those bikes tend to be more expensive to there needs to be a bigger grant," Chhina told CBC News.
Despite the long wait list, there is still $6 million left in the rebate program fund, according to the province, which announced the $350 to $1,400 rebates on May 25.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
Newfoundland and Labrador has unveiled a new online crime dashboard allowing users, with a click of a button, to see how their own communities rate against one another when it comes to violence.
Nova Scotia's whirlwind push to establish a uranium sector has yielded zero bids from companies interested in exploring for the critical mineral, a fact that left Premier Tim Houston unfazed Thursday and opponents of the industry relieved.
Premier Susan Holt says a second large-size nuclear power plant is back on the table to help address the growing demand for electricity both inside New Brunswick and beyond its borders.
Manitoba's premier says his government could use emergency powers to free up hotel rooms for people who escaped the wildfires still raging in the province's north.
Leon Draisaitl scored in overtime for the Edmonton Oilers to tie the Stanley Cup final series at two games apiece Thursday, in a gripping game with wild momentum swings.
Two of B.C.'s three Independent MLAs have formed a political party that wants to lower taxes, take away teachers' right to strike, and crack down on so-called mass immigration. The party, called One B.C., also wants an end to what it calls B.C.'s "reconciliation industry," and to see the province allow for private healthcare.
An electric scooter rider was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries after a crash on the Prince Edward Viaduct on Thursday night, Toronto police say.
Prince Edward Island is launching a new program that makes money available to buy fields where potato wart has been confirmed in the past.
Israel attacked Iran's capital early Friday, with explosions booming across Tehran as Israel said it targeted the country's nuclear and military sites.
An additional round of lead testing is taking place at two Yellowknife schools this week.
More than a dozen Canadian Sikhs live under active threats on their lives, an advocacy organization is warning.
Alberta's measles surge is so dramatic, the last time case counts were higher Calgary did not have an NHL team, O Canada was not yet the official national anthem and gasoline would set you back 24 cents a litre.
Red-winged blackbirds are dive-bombing residents of one Toronto neighbourhood, swooping down and pecking at their heads, but an expert says there's not too much the locals can do as the birds protect their nests.