The Fitness Industry Council of Canada (FIC) aims to bring together as many fitness club operators as possible to have a collective voice on behalf of the fitness industry. Covid-19 has had a substantial effect on our industry. Therefore, FIC has been working to ensure fair government regulations and accurate representation on public perception. Together, we can ensure that the fitness industry is able to recover and be sustainable in the future. The FIC coalition allows everyone in the industry to have a regular conversation, support each other, and have more collective power to help serve the interests of the industry as a whole.

Who is FIC?

FIC (www.ficdn.ca) is a not-for-profit trade association that represents the voice of 6,000 fitness facility operators and over 6 million members across Canada. FIC pursues a legislative agenda in the hope of bettering the fitness industry for both consumers and operators. FIC aims to work with both industry and government entities to improve the health and physical activity levels of Canadians.

What are the Provincial Coalitions?

Through the pandemic, provincial groups came together to work with the governments in their region on reopening guidelines specific to their province. The coalition aims to keep the conversation going:

• With the government about future guidelines and reopenings
• With media about portraying a balanced view of the fitness industry and providing positive stories about the measures the industry has taken for health and safety
• Amongst fitness club owners/operators around best practice experiences

What Has Been Achieved?

Since forming, the provincial coalitions have worked together to:

• Established regular communication and relationships with federal and provincial officials in key cabinets in order to lobby for the support of our members
• Create reopening plans and the sanitary protocols that were widely accepted by provincial governments and reassuring to the general public
• Continually provide key communications and learnings with our members in order for them to adapt as quickly as possible to changing policies and opportunities
• Shared experiences and resources around operating procedures, rapid response plans, key metrics and new program and virtual services
• Created content to share with the media and on social media channels promoting the health and safety protocols that have been instituted in gyms in order to minimize the risk of transmission and build public trust

Who is Involved?

The coalition has many fitness club owners/operators representing all different sizes of clubs, which includes most of the major fitness club chains, franchises, independent club and studios, single location and small chains involved, as well as equipment and software vendors and business consultants. The goal is to get as many clubs included in the calls and on our email list in order to raise the bar collectively. Fitness clubs and studios become members of FIC by joining here: www.ficdn.ca/memberships

Why Get Involved?

The industry is facing unprecedented challenges right now however, this coalition has created space where collaboration, communication and cooperation are a priority. Every club is dealing with increased expenses, decreased monthly and annual revenues, and working to gain the trust of their members and the public. The more people that are involved in the coalition, all working together for the same goals and message will help ensure a stronger voice to the government, media and public:

• Have one clear voice for government to lobby for universal standards that benefit clubs of all sizes and types
• Set an operating standard for every club to earn public trust in the health and safety of fitness facilities
• Present one message to media that represents the best interest of the entire industry and helps from a more positive narrative
• Share best practices and experiences in order to learn from each other
• Develop programs and processes to engage the healthcare and insurance industries
• Work together to ensure the sustainability and viability of the industry

The group works to be transparent and make sure everyone has a seat at the table and equal voice regardless of size, in order to provide universal benefits to everyone. Get involved to be able to contribute for the best interest of the industry as a whole and keep in close contact with our initiatives in the province and nationally.