The city received strong municipal support Friday to request the province establish a combative sports regulator.
“A single, unified provincial standard would ensure compliance across the province with a strong focus on safety,” said Mayor Tara Veer in a press release about Red Deer’s resolution at the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) Annual Conference in Calgary.
“Alberta is the only province without a provincial regulator, and standardized regulations are important in ensuring fighter safety while eliminating the growing cost of operating multiple commissions across the province.”
Combative sports commissions are currently established in Calgary, Lethbridge, Fort McMurray, Lloydminster, Grande Prairie, Taber, Cold Lake and Penhold. Each municipality must draft bylaws and ensure compliance within their jurisdiction. There is no national governing body for the industry.
A resolution for a single commission was originally introduced and supported at AUMA by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in 2013. At that time the province did not pursue a commission.
In July Red Deer partnered with Edmonton to seek support of other Alberta municipalities to call on the province to establish combative sports oversight and a provincial commission system. Municipalities showed strong support for the initiative and the AUMA resolution today.
“Across Alberta, there is little to no regulation of matches hosted by private companies in our own communities. It is time for Alberta to modernize to the new best practice of oversight, as in other Canadian provinces, to ensure high standards of safety and governance,” Veer said.