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By Alessia Proietti

Advocating for provincial commission

City council approves request for mixed martial arts event to be hosted in Red Deer

Jun 22, 2022 | 10:48 AM

A mixed martial arts event may be coming to Red Deer’s Westerner Park later this year.

City council approved at Monday’s meeting a request made in March by the Central Alberta Combative Sports Commission (CCSC) that they, alongside Havoc Fighting Championship, would like permission to host an event on December 2, 2022.

According to the City, Alberta is the only Canadian province without a single regulator, requiring municipal governments to oversee fights within their own jurisdiction.

The CCSC is established by the Town of Penhold. A town bylaw states that if an applicant wishes to hold an event outside of Penhold boundaries, it must receive permission from the host municipality that the Commission can govern the event.

Under the Criminal Code, a combative sports event must be held under the authority of an athletic board, commission or similar body under the authority of the province. If not, the event would be considered a “prize fight” which is deemed an offence.

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As The City of Red Deer does not have a Combative Sports Commission, the event must be held under the authority of the CCSC or a similar entity.

Historically, administration states the City has handled and approved similar requests on a case by case basis. Since 2011, the City has received requests for and allowed 20 events of similar nature.

Various cities in Alberta have advocated over the years for a provincial combative sports commission to alleviate municipalities from having to approve frequent requests or have individual commissions.

In 2017, Red Deer city council passed a resolution supporting the idea which was then backed by Alberta Municipalities.

READ: Caution urged regarding provincial combative sports commission

In October 2021, The City confirmed that former Red Deer Mayor Tara Veer, alongside the mayors of Edmonton and Calgary, signed a letter continuing to advocate for a provincial commission with standard rules and regulations.

Some inconsistencies with individual commissions apply to:

• Hand-wrappings standards in boxing
• Timing of fighter weigh-in for mixed martial arts competitions
• Required pant lengths for kickboxers
• No defined licensing requirements for officials like referees and judges
• Medical records and testing

The City says the legal risks of the Dec. 2 event will be on the CCSC.