Nova Scotia servers will soon have to complete responsible alcohol training

All serving staff working at licensed bars and restaurants in Nova Scotia will soon be required to take responsible alcohol training, bringing Nova Scotia's regulations in line with most other Canadian provinces and territories.

The training is already required for people who hold a liquor licence, their designate — in other words, the restaurant or bar manager — and bouncers, but there's not currently a rule applying to servers.

The province announced Tuesday the requirement will come into force Dec. 1, a deadline the Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia says will be hard to meet.

"We certainly support training for responsible alcohol service, that's important," said Natasha Chestnut, the association's executive director.

The training helps to ensure the safety of patrons, staff and operators, she continued.

But she said it will be challenging for the 2,400 venues with liquor licences to ensure everyone is trained in less than four months. 

More than 20,000 staff affected

She said some staff are already trained on responsible alcohol service because they've done it voluntarily or their employer requires it, but she couldn't put a number on it.

Overall, Chestnut said there are more than 20,000 staff who will have to meet the requirement.

"It's a busy time of year where it could be difficult for operators and staff to complete the training within that timeline. You're also going to see a bit of a shift in staffing as the tourism season comes to an end."

Chestnut said she'd like the deadline pushed six months into the new year.

In response to Chestnut's call for an extension, a spokesperson for Service Nova Scotia told CBC News the province worked with stakeholder groups to warn them of the changes, "and we'll continue to work with licensees to achieve full compliance over time through education."

Chestnut noted that at $69 per person, the training could present a financial burden to businesses, if they decide to cover the cost. Alternatively, she said some operators might choose to download the cost to staff.

Roger Miller, president of the Halifax-based private security firm Northeastern Protection Service, said the change is a good one but is long overdue.

"Through the years there's been a number of significant incidents," he said, referring in particular to the death of Ryan Sawyer in 2022.

Sawyer was found unconscious outside the Halifax Alehouse and later died in hospital. Alehouse security guard Alexander Levy allegedly assaulted Sawyer, and has been charged with manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death. He faces a trial next year.

Another case of alleged assault by Alehouse bouncers was dropped earlier this year.

As of last year, bouncers at the Alehouse and other late-night bars are required to complete responsible alcohol training and security training, and they have to provide a criminal record check on request.

Shared responsibility

Miller said training all staff is a good complement to that rule.

"A lot of establishments don't have bouncers … so the server or the staff on hand become the bouncer, so to speak. I would think it's the responsibility of everyone working in the establishment to make sure that an individual isn't over-served," he said.

Dalhousie University law professor Wayne MacKay said conceptually, the new rule could be useful for protecting public safety.

"Whether that's in relation to driving while intoxicated or violent outbursts or whatever it might be … I think that in the rather scary and sometimes too violent world in which we live, anything that we can do to reduce that risk is a good thing."

He said people will have to wait for it to go into practice to see how effective it is.

The province said the new rules will also apply to some special occasion licences, which are granted for events such as concerts and festivals, depending on the size of the event and the risk involved.