Skate Canada says it won’t host national and international-level events in Alberta, citing provincial law that restricts transgender athletes from participating in female-only sports.
The organization said in a statement Tuesday that its decision was made following its assessment of Alberta’s Fairness and Safety in Sport Act, which took effect Sept. 1.
Skate Canada says it is unable to host events in the province while maintaining its standards for safety and inclusivity.
The decision applies only to national- and international-level events and does not affect Alberta athletes’ ability to participate in Skate Canada programming and competitions, the organization said.
No upcoming national or international events are scheduled to be held in Alberta.
“We will continue to monitor legislative developments in the province and will reassess hosting opportunities as circumstances evolve,” Skate Canada said in a Tuesday statement.
Premier Danielle Smith’s chief of staff doubled down on Alberta’s laws, saying on social media “I guess Skate Canada has a problem with protecting women and girls from having to compete against men in competitive sports.”
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Rob Anderson said he was proud to be from a province that “protects the rights and safety of women.”
“I suspect that within a few years Skate Canada will be apologizing to their athletes and to our province when their women athletes rebel against such absurd policies,” he concluded.
The 2025-26 Skate Canada Challenge was held in Calgary from Nov. 27-30, and the city also hosted the 2024 national championships.
The bill affecting transgender citizens was passed earlier in December and marked the fourth time in under two months the Alberta government used the Charter’s notwithstanding clause.
The notwithstanding clause is a provision that allows governments to override certain sections of the Charter for up to five years.
The set of three laws police names and pronouns in school, ban transgender girls from participating in amateur female sports, and restrict gender-affirming health care for youth under 16.
The latter prohibits doctors from prescribing puberty blockers and hormone therapy for those under 16.
— More to come…
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