City places temporary ban on combative sports in Edmonton
CBC News | Posted: December 8, 2017 10:15 PM | Last Updated: December 9, 2017
Moratorium issued after city council receives update on review of boxer Tim Hague's death in June
Edmonton city council placed a temporary ban on issuing new licences or event permits for combative sports Friday.
The moratorium will remain in effect until Dec. 31, 2018, or until council provides further direction, the city said in a news release.
Council issued the moratorium after receiving an update on the status of an independent, third-party review into the death of professional boxer Tim Hague, who died after a sanctioned boxing match in Edmonton last June.
The final report will be made public next Thursday, said Mayor Don Iveson.
"The Hague family needs closure on this," Iveson said. "We just ordered that whatever state it's in, [the report] needs to be released.
"It's time for the recommendations and findings, whatever they are, to be aired publicly and then for council to act on them in the new year."
The province should regulate combative sport, not municipalities, said Coun. Ben Henderson.
"We argued for a long time, this isn't the business the city should be in … and at a certain point you've got to go, 'Enough.'
"This is not a permanent choice, this is a moratorium to actually allow us to have a look at what's going on and find a better long-term solution to this, " Henderson added. "We want it to run well and we want it to run safely, and I think that's what everybody wants. and if this is the step we have to take to get there, then I think that's where we're at."
Edmonton boxer Jelena Mrdjenovich called the decision a tragic loss, saying the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission is the among the safest in the world.
"This is a shock for the whole city and the whole community," Mrdjenovich said.
"It's shocking that this decision was made without anyone approaching me for my opinion when I've had, out of 49 fights, probably 38 of them in Edmonton."
The call for a provincial commission ridiculous, she added.
"It's going to be years before that happens. It will just make things more difficult."
The combative sports commission itself said it respects the city's decision.
"We will continue our work as a commission, using this time to move forward with the comprehensive policy review that had already been underway," the commission said in a statement.