If Alberta Separates, Sport Faces a Whole New Game

Dear editor,

I recently read Stacey Hatcher’s article, “If Alberta separates, what happens to sport?” It raised an aspect of the separation conversation that I had not seen discussed elsewhere. Yet most Albertans have some connection to sport through their own participation, their children, volunteering, coaching, officiating, attending events, or simply cheering for a favourite team.

Our sport system is deeply connected to Canada.

If Albertans are being asked to consider what our future could look like outside Canada, sport deserves to be part of the questions we ask. What would separation mean for community sport organizations that rely on provincial and national partnerships, shared standards, grants, and insurance programs? Would local athletes still be able to participate in Canadian competitions, travel across borders, and access the same development opportunities?

There are broader questions about how Alberta would fit within the Canadian sport system. Could Alberta communities continue to host Canadian championships? Would Alberta teams and athletes remain eligible for national competitions and events such as the Canada Games? What would change around sanctioning, qualifications, rankings and pathways from provincial to national competition?

And then there is the transition itself. Even if a new Alberta sport system could eventually be created, what happens in between? Who establishes new governing bodies, competition structures, certification systems, and who secures international recognition? What costs and responsibilities would fall to provincial organizations, local clubs, athletes, and families while those systems are rebuilt or renegotiated?

Professional and semi-professional sport raises another set of questions around league membership, cross-border travel, visas, and work permits.

These questions illustrate just how deeply Alberta’s sport system is connected to the rest of Canada, and how much would need to be considered if that relationship changed.

Susan Eymann
Executive Director
Lethbridge Sport Council