New Canadian school rule forces kids to wear helmets to play in snow

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While snow-covered schoolyards are common in Canada during winter, new safety regulations in Quebec are creating complications.

Some schools in Quebec are considering requiring students to wear helmets when playing on snow hills during recess, based on new safety guidelines.

Schools in Drummondville have received instructions from the Centre de services scolaire des Chênes (CSSC) to enforce safety rules before allowing children to play in snowbanks created by plowing.

The guidelines suggest snow mounds should be between 6 and 10 feet high with a gentle slope (no steeper than 25 degrees). They also need areas for people to safely recover and wait their turn. If these requirements can’t be met, then everyone using the snow mounds must wear a helmet.

Schools need to keep daily checklists, safety plans, and schedules to manage how many students can use the mound at any given time.

According to CSSC communications director Normand Page, the new rules are based on advice from insurance companies, not a direct order from the government.

According to Page, the snow removal team creates snow piles, and then staff inspect them to ensure there’s no hidden ice that could harm children who are sledding or playing.

Page explained that the school board’s insurance provider, Union mutuelle d’assurance scolaire du Québec (URASQ), made the recommendations after several incidents involving snow piles occurred starting in 2022.

Snow helmet rules blasted by Canadians

Not everyone is convinced the measures are reasonable.

School leaders have argued the rules are too strict. Francis Côté, president of the Fédération québécoise des directions d’institution d’enseignement, stated they are unnecessarily harsh.

“It just isn’t practical,” Côté explained, pointing out that spending recess getting helmets properly fitted for young children would take up almost all of their playtime.

Quebec’s Premier François Legault also expressed doubts, wondering if requiring helmets during schoolyard play was realistic.

Honestly, I get that everyone wants kids to be safe, but when I heard they were thinking about making helmets mandatory on school grounds, it felt like overkill. I think schools should be able to make their own decisions about what’s best for their students, you know? Let the principals handle it.

URASQ maintains that the recommendations are about risk management, not overregulation.

According to URASQ director general Caroline Vermette, the most important thing is to thoroughly check that all activities are done safely and prioritize the well-being of children.

Vermette explained that the new steps follow established safety guidelines and won’t create extra work for teachers and staff. He stressed that the insurance company’s goal is to help schools keep students safe and prevent injuries.

This isn’t the only unusual winter incident in Canada recently. In early December, police arrested a 57-year-old man and charged him with assault after he reportedly blew snow at someone during an argument.

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2025-12-16 23:49