fe eS aN ALBERTA Yee gy, CULTURE AND TOURISM Office ofthe Minister MLA, Calgary-Cross DEG 04 2017 NOV 29 2017 His Worship Don Iveson Her Worship Tara Veer Mayor of Edmonton Mayor of Red Deer | 2nd Floor, City Hall Box 5008 | 1 Sir Winston Churchill Square 4914 - 48 Avenue | Edmonton, AB T5J 2R7 Red Deer, AB T4N 374 | Dear Mayor Iveson and Mayor Veer: ‘Thank you for your letter of November 8, 2017, in which you bring forward the concerns of a number of Alberta municipalities regarding the regulation of combative sports in the province. | appreciate your letter of support, endorsed by 14 other municipalities, as well as the recent resolution from the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association. While | have heard from some who think that a provincial commission would be preferred, I've also heard from other communities that are strongly opposed to the idea. Given that, any decision to take the ability to regulate away from local governments needs to be weighed very carefully and done in a collaborative way with our municipal partners. | will consider this request and work with municipalities, sports organizations and other government ministries to determine the best approach for the province while ensuring Albertans feel safe and protected when it comes to participating in any sporting event. Thank you for spearheading the collective issue around combative sports and delivering a voice as to the direction municipalities in the province wish to take. | look forward to continued conversation to move the regulation of combative sports forward in Alberta in a manner that makes the safety of participants a priority. Best Regards, 4 lcs | Minister | cc: Honourable Shaye Anderson Minister of Municipal Affairs 227 Legare Building Edmonton Albota TSK 2B6 Canada Telephone 780-422-3559 42860