WHEREAS Brain Injury occurs at a rate of 50 per 100,000 persons in Canada, or 60,000 persons, at a cost of over 150 million dollars per year; AND WHEREAS the severity of Acquired Brain Injury could be lessened significantly with the use of CSA certified standards in helmets for all sports, as is mandated for ice hockey players: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Government of Canada mandate the use of CSA standards for all recreational and sport helmets sold in Canada through product legislation, as with ice hockey helmets.
Minister of Health In Canada, several internationally recognized voluntary safety standards for sports helmets have been in use for many years. To better understand the marketplace, Health Canada has conducted several market surveys and determined that almost all surveyed helmets had marks on them indicating that they met at least one of the current standards. It should be noted that section 9 of the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act prohibits packaging, labelling, advertising or selling a consumer product in a manner that is misleading with regard to the products safety or regarding its certification related to safety or compliance with a safety standard. Contravention of this provision is a criminal offence. While safety features for each helmet standard are slightly different, Health Canada has no evidence at this time to demonstrate that any one helmet standard is superior to the others. Therefore, the Department does not feel that a law or regulation mandating conformity to a specific standard for all recreational and sports helmets sold in Canada would contribute significantly to sport safety. Helmet use in general clearly improves the safety of the individual. Although helmet use has increased while engaging in higher risk sports over the past years, there are still Canadians who do not wear helmets while participating in these sports. Requiring them to use helmets would be a matter for provincial, territorial or municipal jurisdiction, or for the policies of sports facility operators or sports federations. Health Canada continues to strongly encourage the use of helmets when skiing, snowboarding or participating in other sports and activities involving a combination of high speeds, elevated heights, or hard surfaces. The Department also encourages Canadians to select helmets that fit properly and bear marks indicating that they conform to one of the available safety standards. Health Canada also promotes helmet safety and use through a consumer fact sheet on snow sport helmets, which is available at: http:www.hc-sc.gc.cacps-spcpubsconshelmets-casques-eng.php Additionally, the Healthy Canadians website provides information on sports gear safety at: http:healthycanadians.gc.cahealthy-living-vie-saineinjury-blessuregear-…