A new sanctioning authority for sport martial arts in Canada

We represent over 100 martial arts clubs in Ontario. We were not consulted on the Ontario government's plan to bring about Order in Council 1087/2017, despite the fact that we asked to be and that we represent thousands of martial arts practitioners in this province alone who are profoundly affected by the new measures. We wholeheartedly support the Ontario government's goals of ensuring the safety of all athletes as well as the development of our sport and the promotion of regular exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle, both in adults and children. But we have a problem with the unintended effects of Order in Council 1087/2017, which we believe can be alleviated.
The Order in Council requires martial arts tournament promoters to obtain sanction from a Provincial Sports Organization (PSO) to avoid committing a criminal infraction. The problem for sport martial arts is that there are only two PSOs in Ontario that oversee the kind of sparring our students practice: Kickboxing Ontario, which is very distantly related to our sport, and the Ontario Karate Federation, which is closer to our sport. But neither is a good fit.
Adding to our difficulties, we have encountered very aggressive recruitment tactics from Kickboxing Ontario, which demands exorbitant sanctioning fees and mandatory membership from all athletes and coaches (including athletes who do not compete in sparring), and has even gone so far as to call the police to disrupt one of our tournaments because the organizer had opted to seek sanction from the other PSO.
In addition, we are now starting to hear officials from Karate Canada suggest that all karate competitions should follow their stylistic rules and, essentially, be forced into their system. And crucially, they seem to be claiming that only their organization should have the right to hold "karate" tournaments.
This will not do. Karate alone is very diverse and it is just one of the many martial arts practiced in Ontario.
Being forced to join a different style of martial arts would result in many of our clubs losing their identity, their cultural history, their creed, and eventually their existence. It would also indirectly affect dozens of businesses such as convention centres, hotels and restaurants across the province that enjoy significant economic benefits from our well-attended events.
The slow death of sport martial arts cannot be what the Ontario government intended when it brought forward Order in Council 1087/2017 last summer. But in practice the legislation has opened the door for existing PSOs to create sport monopolies and force everyone into their system – perhaps hoping they would increase their membership and revenue.
We propose another way: The creation of a new sanctioning body, a separate organization for sport martial arts in Ontario for all those organizations and clubs that do not wish to become members of the Ontario Karate Federation or Kickboxing Ontario. This new organization would not be membership-based, nor would it seek to impose stylistic uniformity; its sole mission would be safety: to sanction tournaments according to strict safety standards and monitor tournaments to ensure that the rules are followed properly.
This approach would continue to give our children many opportunities to compete in diverse and safe events. Our organization would be non-profit, asking reasonable fees to sanction and monitor tournaments and not, as noted, imposing any membership requirement or cost. (Potential surpluses would be invested in activities that directly promote athlete safety, for instance referee or coaching clinics, concussion prevent education, etc.)
This organization would enjoy the enthusiastic support of thousands of martial artists and their parents in this province who are currently ill-served (or not served at all) by the existing PSOs and who wish to continue developing their sports and their athletes, including competitive athletes, in a safe environment.