According to this historical newspaper article that ran in the Kelowna Record on Canada Day of 1920, there were approximately 1,000 motorcycle licenses in force in BC at that time. Today there are over 280,000 active licenses in the province.
Here’s a snippet of the 96 year old newspaper archive, courtesy of the UBC Library Digitization Centre.
2 comments
I note your headline about the ‘motorcycle season’ in Canada, and I note it with some sadness. Here in Australia we can, and do, ride our motorcycles twenty-four/seven/365, because of our (arguably) more sublime weather. It’s true that it can reach up to 45 degrees Celcius on the odd summer’s day, but never falls below about 5 or 6 in the depth of winter. It must be said that our snowfields are larger than the country of Switzerland, but we have to ride or drive very long distances to reach these high mountainous regions, and not everyone can ski. But, as I have argued with many a ski enthusiast, I can ‘ski’ uphill in summer as well as in winter, instead of having to go miles to ski downhill in winter, then pay big money to be conducted uphill again, then to run downhill again in freezing weather and at huge for transport and accommodation. Hey, good luck to you lot over there, and safe riding.
Thanks for the comment, Lester. Yes, it is a shame that our riding season is so limited in Canada, but it certainly helps us appreciate the wonderful summer days we do get. Safe riding to you too!