Skate Canada says it will not host national or international events in Alberta, citing provincial law that restricts transgender athletes from participating in women's sports.
The organization said in a statement Tuesday that its decision was made after assessing the situation in Alberta. Fairness and Safety in Sports Actwhich came into force on September 1.
Skate Canada says it cannot hold events in the province while maintaining safety and inclusiveness standards.
The decision only applies to national and international level events and does not impact Alberta athletes' ability to participate in Skate Canada programs and competitions, the organization said.
There are no upcoming national or international events planned for Alberta.
“We will continue to monitor legislative developments in the province and will re-evaluate the ability to host competitions as circumstances evolve,” Skate Canada said in a statement Tuesday.
The prime minister's chief of staff, Danielle Smith, has stepped up the scrutiny on Alberta's laws, saying on social media: “I think Skate Canada has a problem protecting women and girls from having to compete against men in competitive sports.”
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Rob Anderson said he's proud to be from a province that “protects the rights and safety of women.”
“I suspect that in a few years, Skate Canada will be apologizing to its athletes and to our province when their athletes rebel against such an absurd policy,” he concluded.
The 2025–26 Skate Canada Challenge took place in Calgary from November 27 to 30, and the city also hosted the 2024 national championships.
A bill regarding transgender citizens was passed earlier in December and marked the fourth time in less than two months that the Alberta government has invoked the Charter's non-admissibility clause.
An exclusion clause is a provision that allows governments to override certain sections of the Charter for up to five years.
A set of three laws controls names and pronouns in school, bans transgender girls from participating in amateur women's sports and limits gender-affirming health care for youth under 16.
The latter prohibits doctors from prescribing puberty blockers and hormone therapy to persons under 16 years of age.
– More to come…
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