Families of men who died outside Halifax bars blast government for 'lack of accountability'

Michael Gorman · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 18, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 21 minutes ago

The families of 2 young men who died extracurricular Halifax bars have harsh criticisms for Nova Scotia legislators who they accidental sat connected perchance lifesaving rules for much than 10 years and present are poised to walk authorities that would hitch it retired altogether.

Theresa Giffin and Lee Sawyer appeared before the legislature's lasting committee connected nationalist bills Monday nighttime and warned MLAs that a authorities measure described arsenic a "housekeeping measure" risks repealing authorities that was created successful hopes of preventing aboriginal tragedy.

Giffin's brother Stephen died aft being beaten by bouncers extracurricular a downtown barroom successful 1999. Her household lobbied successive governments until the passage of the Security and Investigative Services Act (SISA) successful 2010. The bill would necessitate each bouncers and information officials moving astatine bars and lounges successful the state to person transgression inheritance checks, grooming and beryllium licenced.

But the measure has ne'er been proclaimed and arsenic specified hasn't taken effect.

Now, the Progressive Conservative government has proposed Bill 21, the Justice Administration Amendment Act. It would automatically repeal immoderate authorities that has been passed but not proclaimed aft a decade. Right present that tin lone hap done unfastened statement successful the legislature.

"Clearly, this authorities has nary volition of ever proclaiming SISA into unit and if the legislature enacts Bill 21, clause 10 volition repeal SISA erstwhile and for all," Giffin told MLAs connected the legislature's lasting committee connected nationalist bills.

Giffin's precocious father, Cyril, led the complaint to make and instrumentality SISA. The household presumed that the measure had been proclaimed, until they learned of the decease of Ryan Sawyer successful December of 2022. Sawyer died pursuing an altercation with bouncers extracurricular a barroom successful akin circumstances.

Ryan's mother, Lee, told MLAs that she cannot recognize wherefore the authorities has not proclaimed the enactment oregon travel up with immoderate benignant of replacement legislation.

"I cannot assistance but wonder, if it had been the child, the nephew oregon grandson of a subordinate of the government, however urgent the telephone to enactment would beryllium and authorities proclaimed?"

Recent changes autumn short

The 2 women noted regulatory changes the authorities announced pursuing Ryan's death, but they said they bash not spell acold capable due to the fact that they are not enshrined successful instrumentality and lone use to the fistful of bars successful the state with cabaret licences.

"An idiosyncratic who applies astatine a cabaret and is denied due to the fact that of a transgression background, tin successful information enactment astatine immoderate 1 of the different bars oregon lounges successful the state due to the fact that it is not a request for employment and determination is nary authorities successful spot to mandate it," Sawyer told MLAs.

"I'm not definite however the nationalist is expected to person the assurance of information with this knowledge, nor should the authorities expect them to."

Other provinces, specified arsenic B.C., Alberta, Quebec and Ontario each person authorities regarding bouncers and information unit and it's been successful spot for years, she said. In Nova Scotia, meanwhile, the measure remains unproclaimed 15 years aft it was passed and it risks being repealed if Bill 21 passes and is proclaimed.

"Talk astir a deficiency of accountability," said Sawyer.

Giffin asked MLAs to amend Bill 21 truthful unproclaimed authorities cannot beryllium automatically repealed. If the authorities wants to repeal a bill, she said, members should bash it connected the level of the legislature successful unfastened debate. Failing that, she called connected the authorities to supply an exemption successful Bill 21 for the Security and Investigative Services Act.

Progressive Conservative MLAs Susan Corkum-Greek, Adegoke Fadare, Nick Hilton and Nolan Young defeated a question by the NDP to nonstop the measure backmost to the Justice Department for further review.

Government MLAs then voted to nonstop the measure backmost to the House, wherever it volition adjacent determination to the committee of the full House connected bills.