Toronto requires bicycles to be equipped with a bell or horn. It's a stupid law that dates way back to when bicycle-pedestrian interactions were the primary concern of those writing the traffic laws. Local cyclist advocates would do well to repeal it.

In some US cities, police use local bicycle bell ordinances just to arrest people they don't like. They focus such enforcement in higher crime areas, where many of the people of color ride bikes without bells. Arresting them for not having a bell gives the police an excuse to search them for drugs or weapons, and to generally harass them for being out and about.

Here in Cary, North Carolina, I commute with front and rear lights. I obey signals and signs. But I don't have a bell, since none is requried. Police give me a wave of approval.