The Fight for Ontario – Is It Over Yet?

If you follow Canadian bodybuilding at all, you’ve probably heard that there have been some "issues" in Ontario that started in June. But in case you haven’t heard anything, I’ll give you a rundown of what happened and what’s currently going on.

On June 20, the Ontario Physique Association (OPA) held one of its most successful provincial championships. The OPA is the Ontario affiliate of the Canadian Bodybuilding Federation (CBBF), which is the national affiliate of the International Federation of Body Builders (IFBB).  But, less than two hours after the event finished, the CBBF ceased their affiliation with the Ontario organization and immediately recognized a brand-new group calling themselves CBBF Ontario. The core executive members of the new group were made up mainly of OPA members who hadn’t resigned from the OPA yet, and who appeared to have been cooking up this idea for some time before they jumped ship. Sounds fishy? Read on.

The CBBF’s reasons for this action were vague and, by most accounts, nonsensical. They wrote a lot of gibberish on their website, but more than likely it came down to their trying to seize control of Ontario, where 50 percent of the country’s competitors come from. To many in Ontario, it looked like a power-grab.

The OPA, suspecting wrongdoing, hired a legal team and pushed the entire affair into court. Obviously, by taking the legal route, the OPA figured that they must be on the right side of the law. They were right. On September 14, the court agreed wholeheartedly with the OPA and put an injunction in place that demanded that CBBF and CBBF Ontario cease what they’re doing and reinstate the OPA into its rightful place as the sole Ontario affiliate to the CBBF. If you go to the OPA’s website, you can find information explaining the court's decision.

The judge’s decision didn’t happen too soon. The OPA’s Ontario Natural Championships were scheduled for September 19 in Hamilton, Ontario, and the OPA wanted their affiliation back so all of the competitors who placed in the top five in that event would be qualified for the national stage in 2010. The decision, just five days ahead, left the promoter, competitors, and the OPA scrambling to get ready. Luckily, everyone pulled their weight, the show was a success, and the top-placed competitors in this show are now nationally qualified. Ottawa’s Ron Gardiner, who appears on our cover this month, won the men’s side and became the 2009 OPA Ontario Men’s Natural Bodybuilding Champion.

Ricardo Gardiner with his friend, Che Chamungwana. Che is a natural Ontario and Canadian bodybuilding champion.

Since the OPA is now the sole Ontario affiliate to the CBBF and, in turn, still belongs to the IFBB’s bodybuilding family, it’s back to business in Ontario with three more OPA shows to round out the year: the Woodstock Championships on October 3, the Ottawa and Eastern Ontario Championships on November 7, and the London and Western Ontario Championships on November 21. But is everything really back to normal again?

As of today, the CBBF, despite being told which way is up by the Ontario courts, has yet to make an announcement that the OPA is the sole affiliate, and they haven’t updated their website with that information. As for CBBF Ontario . . . few people I’ve talked to know what’s going on with that group. Now that they’ve been de-affiliated, are they planning their own shows? I have no idea. Therefore, there’s still a bit of a mystery in Ontario as to what could, or should, happen next. As a result, some competitors, as well as spectators like me, are a little bit confused and are left wondering: Is Round 2 still to come?

This is a question that I cannot answer, but what I do know is this: The Ontario courts have ruled that the OPA is Ontario’s sole affiliate to the CBBF, no matter what anyone else might say. You can’t skirt the law. As a result, Ontario athletes who compete and place in OPA events from here on in are automatically qualified for CBBF national-level events – the courts said so. That should give competitors some peace of mind, at least for the time being.

On the other hand, with what’s transpired so far, I’m not so sure there isn’t still a fight going on for control of Ontario. The courts put the CBBF and the OPA back together. But can they both live under the same roof and work together for the betterment of Canadian bodybuilding? Time will tell – we’ll keep you posted.

...Doug Schneider, Publisher
das@seriousaboutmuscle.com

Doug Schneider is the publisher and chief photographer for SeriousAboutMuscle.com, BodyBuildingLive.com, and SeriousAboutFitness.com.