An official with Rugby Nova Scotia says the organization is aiming to make the sport safer at the high school level as it seeks to have more influence over the sport in the future.BEN NELMS/The Canadian Press
An expert panel promised after high school rugby was banned then reinstated in Nova Scotia this year has begun its work.
The 17-member interschool sport safety review panel is expected to report to the province’s Education Minister Zach Churchill by Aug. 31.
The panel – made up of representatives from provincial and national sport organizations and government – is reviewing practices and policies in coaching and training, along with protocols for preventing injuries.
Panel members include Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang, emergency physician Dr. John Gillis, the director of development for Rugby Canada, Paul Hunter, Stephen MacNeil, chairman of the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation board of governors and Olympic sprint kayaker Karen Furneaux, who will serve as an athlete representative.
The Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation abruptly cancelled the rugby season in April citing safety concerns, however Churchill intervened and the sport was reinstated in May following a meeting between the federation and the Education Department.
Its ultimate fate is still to be determined.