Concussion laws needed in all provinces, urges MPP, athletes
Ontario’s Rowan’s Law needs to be nationwide, advocates say
Thestar.com
May 30, 2017
By Kristin Rushowy
Concussion laws are needed in all provinces, urged PC MPP Lisa MacLeod and advocates who were at Queen’s Park on Tuesday to mark the one-year anniversary of Ontario’s groundbreaking legislation.
“This is a very real public health concern - not only here in province of Ontario but across Canada,” said MacLeod (Nepean-Carleton), who was joined by NHL Hall of Famer Eric Lindros, Grey Cup champion Tim Fleiszer and Gordon Stringer, whose daughter Rowan was the inspiration behind the legislation. They are among a number of signatories to an open letter urging all governments to act.
She said they were there “to call on the other provinces, the other territories and our federal government to bring in similar legislation so that we can prevent, treat and make sure that people are aware of the problems with concussions.”
On Monday, Manitoba introduced the Concussion in Youth Sport Act that would ensure better training and identification by coaches.
Lindros, who is part of a committee now making recommendations on how the Ontario government can move forward with Rowan’s Law, said some concrete steps will be announced this fall.
Making changes now will pay off in the long run, added Lindros, who is now a father of three children under 3 years of age.
His NHL career was cut short in 2007 after he suffered more than 10 concussions.
“While there has been movement in the right direction there is still a ways to go,” he said. “Let’s move forward together with a consistent strategy, protocol and messaging across Canada, and I think Rowan’s Law should be the gold standard across Canada that we all support.”
MacLeod noted that 64 per cent of kids’ trips to the emergency department are sports-related and 39 per cent of those are concussions.
Rowan Stringer, 17, was an Ottawa-area rugby player who died in 2013 as a result of a concussion she suffered on the field.
