2026 Fitness Industry Policy Outlook: Advocacy Priorities with FIC’s Zach Weston

What advocacy priorities will shape the fitness industry in 2026?

In this episode of All Things Fitness and Wellness, host Krissy Vann sits down with Zach Weston, Executive Director of the Fitness Industry Council of Canada (FIC), the national nonprofit representing roughly 7,000 facilities and seven million members across the country. While today’s conversation spotlights Canada, the themes reflect the globalpressures facing every operator, policymaker, and industry leader.

From preventive health legislation to affordability barriers and consolidation across North America, this episode breaks down the key advocacy questions defining the path to 2026.

We explore:
• Top advocacy wins from 2025 and what they signal moving forward
• How Canada is approaching preventive health policy and why it matters globally
• The push to reach inactive and underserved populations through policy
• Tax incentives, affordability, and the impact of legislation like the PHIT Act
• Where healthcare–fitness integration is gaining traction
• How consolidation may reshape the sector in 2026
• What operators across the U.S. and Canada can align on to strengthen fitness as essential infrastructure
• And the doors opened by having a fitness-sector advocate in Parliament

With a multidisciplinary background in kinesiology, business, and health system administration, Zach offers a rare, strategic view of the advocacy landscape as the fitness sector enters a defining year.

If you’re an operator, executive, policymaker, or part of the broader wellness ecosystem, this episode is your 2026 advocacy briefing.

Stay fit, stay informed, and keep your fitness business in shape.

Connect with The Fitness Industry Council of Canada: https://ficdn.ca/en/home/

Connect with Krissy Vann: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krissyvann/

Connect with Zach Weston: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zweston/