Ontario has passed the ground-breaking concussion safety legislation named after a 17-year-old Ottawa girl, who died after sustaining multiple concussions.
Rowan's Law received third and final reading today at Queen's Park. It's named after Rowan Stringer, who died in 2013 after suffering a concussion while playing rugby.
The new concussion safety bill establishes mandatory requirements for removal-from sport and return to sport protocols if an athlete is suspected of having sustained a concussion. It also sets up a concussion code of conduct to set out rules of behavior to minimize concussions while playing sport.
The bill also makes the last Wednesday in September "Rowan's Law Day" in Ontario.
A Coroner’s Inquest into Rowan’s death in 2015 delivered 49 recommendations, including calling on Ontario to adopt “Rowan’s Law.” Other recommendations included requiring students and parents to take a mandatory concussion awareness and management session before playing high risk sports.
The Ontario Government says Rowan's Law makes Ontario a national leader in concussion management and prevention. Ontario is the first jurisdiction in Canada to pass concussion safety legislation, setting a precedent for sport legislation across the country.
