Fitness Industry Council of Canada

What Fitness Industry Council of Canada does

Fitness Industry Council of Canada (FIC) is a not-for-profit trade association headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, founded in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to support and represent Canadian fitness facility operators, independent fitness entrepreneurs, and industry suppliers. The organization positions itself as the unified national voice of the Canadian fitness industry, claiming representation of over 7,000 facilities serving more than 6 million members across six provinces (BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC) through a volunteer Board of Directors and Provincial Council structure. Its three operational pillars are: Support (curated partnerships, negotiated discounts, monthly webinars), Promote (public relations, National Health and Fitness Day under Bill-211, panel participation), and Protect (federal, provincial, and municipal government lobbying).

FIC's sole revenue mechanism is tiered recurring membership dues. Tiers range from free for non-profit associations to $20/month for fitness professionals, $50/month for single-location operators, approximately $20 per location per month for multi-location operators, and $100/month for suppliers (who must provide exclusive discounts to FIC operator members). Distribution is via a self-serve web portal (fic.fliipapp.com, powered by partner Fliip) and a digital marketing infrastructure that includes a blog (fitbizweekly.ca), Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, monthly e-newsletters, and monthly webinars. FIC does not develop or sell proprietary technology.

Strategic activity centers on advocacy and partnership work. FIC is lobbying for revision to Line 33099 of the Canadian income tax form to recognize gym memberships as a medical expense, fighting proposed music licensing fee hikes of up to 300% from Entandem (bundling SOCAN and Re:Sound), and coordinating with partners including IHRSA/HFA, canfitpro, ParticipACTION, the Public Health Agency of Canada, Prescription to Get Active, and the National Health and Fitness Day organization. Leadership consists of President Sara Gilbert (also founder/CEO of LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic) and Executive Director Zach Weston, both appointed in 2025.

Name

Fitness Industry Council of Canada

Legal name

Fitness Industry Council of Canada

Website

https://ficdn.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fitness Industry Council of Canada is a not-for-profit trade association representing over 7,000 Canadian fitness facilities and 6 million members, delivering advocacy, government lobbying, negotiated discounts, and monthly industry webinars to operators and suppliers nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: FIC is entirely funded by memberships from fitness industry operators and suppliers. Membership tiers range from free for non-profit associations, to $20/month for fitness professionals, $50/month for single-location operators, and as low as $20/location/month for multi-location operators, to $100/month for suppliers. These dues fund advocacy, partnerships, webinars, and industry promotion.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FIC is a not-for-profit trade association representing Canadian fitness facility operators and suppliers. It delivers industry advocacy and government lobbying at federal, provincial, and municipal levels, negotiates group rates (music licensing through Entandem, insurance, banking, training), runs monthly industry webinars, curates member discounts with partners, and promotes fitness as essential healthcare through National Health and Fitness Day and media campaigns.

Product overview

Fitness Industry Council of Canada (FIC) is a not-for-profit trade association, not a product company. It provides membership services including industry advocacy, government lobbying, monthly webinars, partnership discounts, and access to research data for fitness facility operators. FIC does not offer commercial software products or technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FIC Membership Program Tiered trade association membership offering fitness facility operators and suppliers government advocacy, lobbying, monthly industry webinars, negotiated group rates on music licensing and business services, networking, and professional development.

Quantifiable outcome

• FIC negotiates music licensing fees (SOCAN and Re:Sound bundled through Entandem) on behalf of the industry, delivering cost savings to thousands of operators.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IHRSA (International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with organizations such as IHRSA, FIC is committed to creative collaborations that provide data on the importance of physical activity. IHRSA published the Canadian Report which FIC references for industry data. FIC attends the HFA Show (formerly IHRSA) and hosts the Canadian Forum there.
• Prescription to Get ActivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with organizations such as Prescription to Get Active, FIC is committed to creative collaborations that provide data on the importance of physical activity. This partnership positions fitness facilities as healthcare partners.
• canfitprocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFIC negotiates group membership dues for organizations such as canfitpro, providing members with significant cost savings and access to educational opportunities, training, and certification. canfitpro sponsors FIC and FIC co-hosts sessions at canfitpro's Global Conference & Trade Show.
• National Health and Fitness Day (NHFD) OrganizationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIC plays an important role in National Health and Fitness Day, an initiative to make Canada 'the fittest nation in the world.' FIC works closely with the NHFD organization to improve the impact year after year. NHFD is recognized as Bill-211, designated the first Saturday of June each year.
• Entandem (SOCAN + Re:Sound)coreOthersEntandem bundles music licensing from SOCAN and Re:Sound, which Canadian gyms must obtain for every song played publicly. FIC lobbies Entandem on behalf of operators and is currently fighting proposed fee hikes of up to 300%, representing the industry's collective interest in music licensing negotiations.
• ParticipACTIONcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIC was invited to a federal summit with ParticipACTION to support their Change the Pace initiative — a bold effort to increase physical activity nationwide by 15% by 2030. FIC contributes to this collective impact model for national physical activity improvement.
• Public Health Agency of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIC works with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), which allocated $9 million to support physical activity initiatives. FIC advocates for fitness to be recognized within PHAC's public health framework.
• ReppaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerReppa is a supplier member listed under sponsors. It offers gyms a branded mobile app solution with a free 1st and last month in the first year for FIC members. Exclusive FIC member offer.
• Matrix (Fitness)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMatrix is listed as a sponsor under member benefits. Erin Phelan, Marketing and Communications Specialist, is associated with Matrix Fitness Canada — a brand of Johnson Health Tech. Listed under the sponsors section.
• FitbizzminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFitbizz is listed as a sponsor and partner under member benefits, offering business tools to FIC members at discounted rates.
• HexfitminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHexfit is listed as a sponsor and partner. Étienne Dubois, Founder of Hexfit, sits on the FIC board. Hexfit develops interprofessional goal-tracking software for health professionals, serving clients in over 60 countries.
• FlilpminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFlilp is listed as a sponsor and partner. The membership portal (fic.fliipapp.com) is powered by Flilp, indicating a technology partnership for member management.
• Health & Fitness Association (HFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormerly IHRSA, the Health & Fitness Association publishes the annual Global Report which FIC references and summarizes for Canadian members. FIC hosts the Canadian Forum at the HFA Show annually and collaborates on international advocacy efforts.
• Government of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIC works with federal, provincial, and municipal government leaders to lobby that the fitness industry is an essential partner in preventing and treating physical, mental, and social health. FIC is currently advocating for revision to Line 33099 of the federal income tax form to allow gym memberships as a medical expense.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Health & Fitness Association (HFA, formerly IHRSA): The US/global health and fitness industry trade association that FIC explicitly partners with. HFA publishes the annual Global Report that FIC references, and both organizations host joint forums (Canadian Forum at the HFA Show). HFA is the most directly comparable peer in mission and operating model.
• canfitpro: Canada's leading fitness education and certification body and a FIC GTM partner. canfitpro co-hosts the Global Conference & Trade Show with FIC and negotiates group memberships through FIC. It is the closest Canadian peer by sector focus and overlap, though its primary orientation is education/certification rather than lobbying.
• Club Managers Association of America (CMAA): US-based trade association for club management professionals. CMAA operates a similar membership-and-advocacy model serving fitness and recreation club operators, making it a structurally analogous trade association peer.

Regional players

• EuropeActive: The European fitness and physical activity sector's umbrella association representing operators, suppliers, and educators across Europe. EuropeActive is the European counterpart to FIC and HFA, operating under the same membership-and-advocacy model but focused on EU-level policy.
• Fitness Australia: Australia's national peak body for the fitness industry, providing industry advocacy, professional standards, and member services. Fitness Australia mirrors FIC's role in its geography and is referenced in FIC's benchmarking data.
• ukactive: The UK's trade body for the physical activity sector, representing operators, suppliers, and partners. ukactive is the UK analog to FIC's role in Canada and shares the advocacy-led operating model.
• BCRPA (British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association): Provincial recreation and parks association covering BC, where FIC has a provincial council co-chaired by its current President. BCRPA operates an overlapping advocacy and member-support mission for recreation facility operators in FIC's home province.

Others

• ParticipACTION: Canadian non-profit focused on physical activity promotion and the Change the Pace initiative. ParticipACTION is a strategic partner that channels federal funding ($9M from PHAC) into the activity-promotion ecosystem FIC serves — a thematically adjacent, ecosystem-level peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FitnessIndustryCanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fitness-industry-council-of-canada
• Instagraminstagram.com/ficdn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fitness Industry Council of Canada