Group wants mandatory ski helmets in Yukon
A national injury prevention group is urging Yukon and other jurisdictions to follow Nova Scotia's lead by making helmets mandatory for skiers and snowboarders.
Nova Scotia is the first region in Canada to introduce a helmet law.
Phil Gross, the CEO of Smart Risk, a national charity which aims to help Canadians prevent injuries in their daily lives, says the numbers show skiers aren't far behind hockey players when it comes to head injuries.
"The most common type of injuries we see, of course, are fractures. I mean, that is the stereotype we have of the skier with the broken leg, and it is a stereotype for a reason," said Gross.
"But we still see a good seven to eight per cent of these injuries being closed head injuries — the kind that result in pretty serious concussions."
Gross says the Nova Scotia law will hand out $250 fines for those caught on ski hills without a helmet. He says provincial health inspectors will patrol the hills and write the tickets.
