Sask. will rewrite gang colours law

Saskatchewan will try on another style for a law banning the wearing of gang colours in bars, the provincial justice minister said Thursday.

The current law was struck down as unconstitutional in a case involving a member of the Hells Angels, who successfully argued the law infringes on people's right to free expression.

Jesse Leigh Bitz was charged under the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act after he wore his Hells Angels clothes inside a Saskatoon nightclub two years ago.

"I think we want to make sure that we've got good legislation that would stand up to a constitutional challenge," Don Morgan, the province's justice minister, said. "Anything that serves to reduce crime in our province is something we'd be in favour of doing. So that's what we'd be looking to our legislative drafting team to come up with now."

Morgan said a new law could be in place as soon as spring, if the opposition party co-operates.

He said officials would examine laws in other provinces to see if a Saskatchewan rewrite could follow a more successful version of an anti-gang colours law.