Canada: Nova Scotia Liquor Control Act changes address licensee concerns with minors
Minors caught in bars or using fake IDs will now face potential fines
By Danielle McCreadie
October 31, 2018
Changes were made to the Nova Scotia Liquor Control Act last week after decades of lobbying by Restaurants Canada.
Up until recently, only the bar or lounge owners would get fined if underage patrons were found inside the premises. Now, the underage person can also be fined.
For Luc Erjavec, vice president with Restaurants Canada, it’s a great deterrent to stop young people from putting bar owner’s livelihoods at risk.
“Traditionally all the risk was on the operator. If a young person was caught using a fake ID or sneaking into a bar and being in a bar illegally, it was really quite difficult to prosecute them, while on the other hand the licensee could lose their liquor licence,” he said in an interview with News 95.7’s Sheldon McLeod.
Bar owners themselves won’t be allowed to issue tickets to minors caught using fake IDs, but they will be allowed to hold them until police or a liquor inspector arrives. The minor will then face a fine of up to $150.
Bar owners also will still face fines for allowing in minors, but Erjavec says it’s about sharing the onus.
“The kid is the one breaking the law by being in there, there should be some consequences on them as well,” he said.
“Not to say that we don’t still have complete responsibility for allowing minors in.We have to do our due diligence, we have to check IDs, but sometimes they slip through the cracks, and this just puts some of the onus on the underage person as well.”