The record
Combative sportsregulation
Manitoba is the only province in Canada charging a standalone licensing fee to compete in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
BJJ is the largest combat sport under the Manitoba Combative Sports Commission. It has no seat on it. The $30 per-athlete fee was set without meaningful consultation, and the promise that the money would come back to the sport has not been kept.
748
athlete-years licensed
412 in the 2025 season, 336 so far in 2026. The licence is annual, so a returning athlete counts again each year. Coach passes excluded. Smoothcomp registration lists, September 2026.
100%
licensed to compete
The MCSC allows no unlicensed athlete on the mat. Every competitor since 2025 has paid.
$30
per athlete, per year
Initially proposed at $40. Organizers pay $100+.
$20,000+
collected
From BJJ licensing since December 2024.
$0
returned to the sport
No distribution mechanism exists.
The numbers
Who is paying
Every Manitoba Open since the licence became mandatory, matched athlete by athlete across the three Smoothcomp registration lists. Coaches are not included - they do not pay the athlete licence and are not counted as competitors. The licence is annual, so athletes are only deduplicated within a season, never across 2025 and 2026 - a returning competitor pays the fee again each year.
| Event | Athletes |
|---|---|
| June 2025 Provincial Championship | 321 |
| November 2025 Fall Classic | 186 |
| June 2026 Provincial Championship | 336 |
| 2025 total - unique athletes for the year | 412 |
| 2026 total - unique athletes for the year | 336 |
| Athlete-years licensed, 2025 + 2026 | 748 |
Every athlete here is licensed - the MCSC allows no unlicensed competitor on the mat. The licence is annual, so the 2025 and 2026 totals are not deduplicated against each other: a competitor in both seasons paid the fee twice, which is what the fee actually costs the sport.
The case
Four problems
01
Excluded from the process
We were told the community would be part of the regulations. There was one meeting, in April 2024, held to inform us of a fee that was already decided. Our written response was never addressed. The draft regulations appeared on a government website with no notice to the sport they governed.
02
Broken commitments on the money
For over two years, officials said the fees would be reinvested in the sport. “The Commission is 100 percent behind giving the money back into the community.” No mechanism was ever built. More than $20,000 has been collected from BJJ athletes since December 2024. Nothing has come back.
03
Governance without representation
BJJ is the largest combat sport under MCSC jurisdiction and has no representative on the commission, no involvement in policy affecting it, and inquiries that go months without an answer.
04
Out of step with the rest of Canada
British Columbia runs the same commission structure and charges athletes nothing. Quebec operates independently. Ontario and New Brunswick work through provincial sport organizations. Manitoba stands alone.
Across Canada
How other provinces handle it
| Province | Model | Athlete fee | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manitoba | Combative Sports Commission | $30 | $100+ |
| British Columbia | Combat sports commission | $0 | — |
| Quebec | Order in Council (independent) | $0 | — |
| Ontario | Provincial sport organizations | ~$25–30 membership | Varies |
| New Brunswick | PSO exception granted | ~$30 membership | Varies |
May 2023 to now
What happened
May 2023
First contact
The MCSC tells BJJ community leaders that regulations will have minimal impact, given the sport's history of self-regulation.
April 2024
The one meeting
A single meeting is held. Officials inform the community of a $40 licensing fee, later reduced to $30. BJJ leaders object immediately. Julia Tétrault, Director of Sport and Tourism Policy, records that fee disbursement is “part of implementation and policy manual, not a function of regulation”, and that treating it as MCSC policy allows more flexibility.
April 12, 2024
The community responds in writing
A formal response opposing the fee and offering alternatives is submitted. There is no follow-up.
Consultation responseApril 2024
Government reply
The government's reply to the consultation response.
Government replyAugust 2024
Draft regulations found on a website
The draft regulations are discovered published online. The BJJ community was not notified.
Draft regulations, marked upSeptember 2024
CBC reports on the draft regulations
The story reaches media before it reaches the sport.
December 1, 2024
Regulations take effect
The community learns of implementation through the media, not from government.
January 30, 2025
Follow-up to the Minister
Two months into implementation, a letter goes to both the Minister and the MCSC Executive Director.
March 19, 2025
“No formal communication”
Minister Kennedy responds: “There will be no formal communication from Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism regarding the Combative Sports Regulation.”
March–June 2025
Three months of silence
A community member sends repeated inquiries to the MCSC about where the fees are going. No response, over three-plus months.
May 2025
The second meeting
The MCSC says it wants the money used “for the growth and development of jiu jitsu in Manitoba” and is “100 percent behind giving the money back into the community”. The MJA submits a detailed MOU showing how. Further discussion is deferred to the fall.
May 8, 2025
MJA accredited nationally
The Manitoba Jiu-Jitsu Association is formally accredited by the Canadian Jiu-Jitsu Association, the national sport organization.
August 2025
Formal complaint to the Minister
A formal complaint goes to Minister Kennedy citing broken commitments and exclusion from the process.
MJA letter to the MinisterSeptember 3, 2025
One month, no response
A follow-up is sent. There is still no substantive reply from the Minister or the MCSC.
October 9, 2025
The Minister replies
A reply arrives, but only after a CBC reporter approaches the Minister's office about the same letter. It confirms the MCSC cannot redistribute the fees back to the sport, contradicting nearly two years of assurances, and closes by raising fines and possible jail time for non-compliance.
Minister's letter, Oct 9October 23, 2025
MJA replies
The association responds. The regulations are in place and compliance is not in question. What is in question is two years of assurances about the money, and a relationship where trust has been eroded on both sides.
MJA reply, Oct 23
Association Government and media
On the record
“We’ve been professional, patient, and constructive for over two years. Government officials have made promises they refuse to keep and are now ignoring formal complaints entirely.”
What we want
Four asks
Build the fund distribution mechanism
- A formal process for collected fees to support BJJ development
- Transparent allocation decisions
- Implement the partnership model the community already proposed
Proportional representation
- BJJ representatives on the MCSC board or an advisory committee
- Involvement in policy that affects the sport
- A voice proportional to the sport's size
Review the framework
- A comprehensive review with real community input
- Consider the exemption models used in other provinces
- Address out-of-province competitor participation
Communicate
- Formal channels between the MCSC and the BJJ community
- Proactive engagement, not reactive
- Regular updates on policy developments
If you train in this province
Write to them
Nellie Kennedy
Minister of Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism
minscht@manitoba.caWab Kinew
Premier of Manitoba
premier@manitoba.caMCSC Executive Directors
Manitoba Combative Sports Commission
info@mbcombativesports.comYour MLA
Find your MLA
Points to raise
- Ask for transparency on how the licensing fees are used.
- Ask for BJJ representation in the commission's governance.
- Point out that no other province charges a standalone BJJ competition fee.
- Name the consultation commitments that were not kept.
Copy the association at info@manitobajiujitsu.com so we can keep the record complete.
For journalists
Media
Every claim on this page is documented. The letters are linked in the timeline above, in both directions. Primary sources available on request: the full email correspondence from May 2023 to date, the April 2024 consultation record, and Manitoba Open registration data.
Media contact: board@manitobajiujitsu.ca