March 6, 2018
Dear partners,
I am delighted to announce that today Ontario passed legislation to protect amateur athletes by improving concussion safety on the field and at school. Our government is dedicated to the health and well-being of all participants in amateur competitive sport and to helping all people in Ontario succeed and lead safe, healthy, and active lives.
With the passage of Rowan’s Law (Concussion Safety), 2018, Ontario becomes a national leader in concussion management and prevention by establishing mandatory requirements for:
- Annual review of concussion awareness resources that athletes, coaches, educators and parents/guardians of athletes would be required to review before registering in a sport;
- Removal-from-sport and return-to-sport protocols, to ensure that athletes are immediately removed from sport if they are suspected of having sustained a concussion; and
- A concussion code of conduct that would set out rules of behaviour to minimize concussions while playing sport.
And in honour of Rowan Stringer’s memory, the legislation also proclaims Rowan’s Law Day on the last Wednesday in September to promote concussion safety, beginning this year.
Ontario will continue to work with all partners, including parents, coaches, officials and educators, on how to implement these mandatory requirements. The passage of the legislation will result in transformative change for the way in which concussions are managed in amateur competitive sport and beyond.
Through increasing awareness and changing conversations on the sports field, at school and in our homes, we continue to create a world class amateur competitive sport system by empowering athletes and Ontario residents to participate safely.
For additional information please visit our website. I also encourage you to keep updated on the progress through Facebook and Twitter.
With kind regards,
Daiene Vernile
Minister