Ottawa fights youth crime, gangs with Edmonton boxing program
Posted September 10, 2026 11:20 am.
Can boxing help fight crime in Edmonton?
The federal government is taking a swing at youth crime and hoping to keep young people away from gangs and violence.
On Wednesday, Ottawa promised renewed funding for an Edmonton boxing program. The feds also announced they are bringing to Alberta’s capital a program that started in the U.K. and focuses on physical fitness, mentorship, and counselling for youth at risk.
“When you join a martial arts studio, if you will, in a weird way, it’s like a gang but you’re doing all the right things,” said Kenny Bhullar, the co-owner of Bravé MMA and Fitness. “You are abiding by a certain level of rule set, but you’re doing it in a safe way.”
The impact of the program on at-risk youth is clear, Bhullar says, from previously getting into fights at school or being involved with gangs, to making a positive turn.
“Seeing their whole entire personality change,” said Bhullar. “Everything from their grades increasing, everything to them having friends that they can count on as opposed to feeling like it’s people that are getting them to do bad things.
“To me it’s so great to see what martial arts can do.”
The federal dollars announced at Wednesday’s news conference in Edmonton will go towards the renewal of the gym’s “Guardians of Tomorrow” program. They will also fund bringing the U.K.-based Empire Fighting Chance no-contact boxing and life skills program to other gyms and community groups throughout the city.
Federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser says programs like that prevent youth from getting involved in crime and gangs.
“When we can instead create an opportunity for someone to find that sense of purpose, to find a community, to find relationships, that expose them to healthier life choices, we expect, because we’ve seen it repeated time and time again, that that person’s going to adopt healthier life choices on their own, by virtue of the people they’re spending their time with and the supports that they receive alongside that sense of community,” Fraser said.
The federal government is spending $2.2 million over four years through Reach Edmonton focused on early intervention for youths ages nine to 17, plus a program for young adults 18 to 30 focusing on martial arts, mental-health counselling, and life skills.
–With files from Lauren Boothby
