Alberta is a unique jurisdiction for combat sports regulation. It is the only jurisdiction in the US or Canada where the sports are not regulated by the State or Province but instead kick the regulatory can down the line to the municipal level. So City by City the rules and regulations differ.
Last month the City of Edmonton announced that they are ‘pausing’ combat sports for up to 9 months with the following notice published on the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission’s website:
On August 5, 2022, the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission was notified by the City of Edmonton that the City was placing a pause on the acceptance of applications for promoter licences and event permits for any combative sports events within the City limits for a period of up to 9 months. The Commission was not involved in the decision to implement the pause.
The City has advised the Commission that it intends to conduct a thorough review of the City’s role in licensing combative sporting events in order to provide recommendations for the future. The Commission has notified the City that it would like to participate as an interested stakeholder in the City’s review.
Additional information can be found on our News page.
The ‘news’ link above takes you to the following sparse further information:
The City of Edmonton has implemented a pause, of up to 9 months, on accepting applications for any combative sports event within the city limits to allow the City to conduct a review of the City’s role in licensing combative sports events and make recommendations for the future. The City has notified the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission of this decision and will be engaging with the Commission as a stakeholder to complete the review.
Combat Sports Law 