Ontario Introduces Legislation To Establish Concussions Advisory Committee

On November 25, 2015, Ottawa-area MPP Lisa MacLeod introduced Bill 149, Rowan's Law Advisory Committee Act, 2015 ("Rowan's Law") in the Ontario Legislature. Although a private member's bill, Rowan's Law has received all-party support (including support from the Premier and the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport). Rowan's Law received Second Reading on December 10, 2015 and was referred to the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly where it will be considered before being returned to the Legislature for Third Reading and Royal Assent.

Rowan's Law is named for 17-year old Rowan Stringer, an Ottawa secondary school student who passed away from concussion-related injuries on May 12, 2013. In the spring of 2015, an inquest was held into Rowan's death. The verdict of the Coroner's Jury was released on June 3, 2015, and it contained 49 recommendations that would affect a variety of governments and organizations, including school boards.¹