º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍø

“The initial findings — it appears the law is working,” said Tim Fleiszer, executive director of Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada and a former Canadian Football League player. 

“I feel very optimistic about the direction that we’re going here in Canada.”

The groundbreaking law, passed in 2018, was named after 17-year-old Rowan Stringer, who died of injuries she suffered playing rugby. It mandates better awareness and training for coaches, athletes and families on head trauma, tracks injuries and requires sport codes of conduct.

The bill was spearheaded by former PC MPP Lisa MacLeod, who met with Stringer’s family after her death in 2013. The teen had suffered from “second-impact syndrome,” or brain swelling while still recovering from previous concussions, and was unaware of how serious her injuries were.

Part of her legacy includes ongoing reporting and updates on concussions, and the latest report, released on Wednesday — Rowan’s Law Day — is the work of Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, with funding from the province’s Ministry of Sport.

Researchers reported that in 2018 and 2019, the most recent data used, there was a nine per cent drop in the number of sports-related brain injuries from the years prior.

“Rowan’s Law was born out of tragedy, but it has become a driving force for changing the way we look at concussions in the sport sector,” said Neil Lumsden, the province’s minister of sport, who is urging other provinces to adopt similar legislation.

“Knowing what to do when a concussion happens can save lives,” added Lumsden, a former CFL player and hall of famer who has promised to donate his brain to concussion research. 

Researcher Jesse Young, of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and lead author of the study, said in a written release that “although our study wasn’t designed to investigate the impact of this public health policy change, the nine per cent reduction in sports-related traumatic brain injuries resulting in hospital care between 2016-2017 and 2018-2019, coinciding with the introduction of Rowan’s Law is noteworthy and definitely warrants further investigation.”

The report also found that all sports and recreation-related brain injuries occur at higher rates than earlier estimates, representing about 37 per cent of all brain injuries treated in Ontario hospitals. 

New Democrat MPP Catherine Fife  helped with the legislation, and said the “progress on concussion awareness is a testament of the love that Rowan’s parents demonstrated through their grief.”

Liberal MPP John Fraser said he’s “heartened to see the real difference it is making for young athletes and families across Ontario.”

Rowan’s Law Day is the last Wednesday of every September.