Concussion safety law aims to protect amateur players

Ontario has passed concussion safety legislation designed to protect amateur athletes and educate coaches about the dangers of head injuries, calling the law the first of its kind in the country. The bill — named Rowan’s Law in memory of 17-year-old Rowan Stringer who died from rugby injuries — passed with rare all-party support this week. Rowan’s father, Gordon Stringer, said he hoped the Ontario legislation would lead to reform in other provinces. “The heavy lifting has been done here in Ontario,” he said. “But this is not something that’s an Ontario issue. This is something that needs to be addressed across Canada.”

The law establishes removalfrom-sport and return-to-sport protocols for players to ensure they are taken out of a game if they are suspected of having a concussion. Coaches and teachers will be required to review online resources that help them identify and manage concussions in players.

The bill also includes a concussion code of conduct that would set out rules of behaviour to minimize concussions while playing sports. Daiene Vernile, Ontario’s minister of tourism, culture and sport, called the new law a “historic step” that balances the approach to concussion management in amateur sport. “The Rowan’s Law Act will be a catalyst for longer-term culture change for concussion management and injury prevention in amateur sport and beyond,” she said. The legislation was created following a coroner’s inquest into Rowan’s 2013 death, adopting its recommendations and the work of a legislative advisory committee on concussion management and prevention. Rowan died from second impact syndrome after multiple concussions. Rowan’s Law was jointly introduced by Progressive Conservative, NDP and Liberal members. Tory legislator Lisa MacLeod said she was thrilled to see the legislation pass but thought other provinces have been slow to follow Ontario’s lead. She remained hopeful that the federal government will help move concussion safety forward.