Coreconcepts, thanks for your kind words about me and my workshops - even if you are respectfully disagreeing with me! Fair enough. I understand where you're coming from in your post.
I am not actually endorsing any one certification here. I expressed my opinion about the Can-Fit-Pro cert being good to have based on the following:
1) As a former fitness manager and someone in a position to hire other fitness pros, I looked for recognizable certifications. Can-Fit-Pro was one of them.
2) When I hired fitness pros, I liked to see that they had a Canadian-based certification if they also had a U.S.-based one.
3) I appreciate that it gets expensive to keep up multiple certifications. However, I look at the certification process in the same way I research fitness articles. If I interviewed just one source for an article, I'd get only one side of a story. When I speak to multiple experts on a given subject, I get the big picture based on various people's experiences and expertise. Plus, when a range of experts all agree on a certain point, I can feel more confident about the importance and validity of that point. I think the same concept can apply with certifications.
I realize that Can-Fit-Pro is so recognizable largely because they have a monopoly on the fitness conferences and certs here in Canada. I agree with you that it would be nice to see more variety so one company doesn't "control all the conferences" (as you said).
You mentioned that the "big names" go to the Toronto event but don't come to Vancouver. Reason (I think): budget. The Toronto show naturally has a bigger budget to bring in the big names. I notice that the Whistler and Vancouver events tend to feature, maybe, one or two big-name (usually American) presenters per show.
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