It's not the first time a bar patron has died in Halifax.

John MacLeod wouldn't comment on whether Halifax Alehouse staff were involved in an altercation with Sawyer before officers arrived.ĬBC News has also contacted the owners of the Halifax Alehouse several times and has not received a response. Halifax Regional Police spokesperson Const. The witness shot a short video at the scene and told CBC News he saw a bouncer put Sawyer into a choke hold. The 31-year-old's death was ruled a homicide days later but Halifax Regional Police have not yet laid any charges.Ī witness who was outside the Halifax Alehouse at the time told CBC News he saw an altercation in the moments before police arrived. Halifax Regional Police continue to investigate the death of Ryan Sawyer, after officers found him unresponsive outside of the Halifax Alehouse in the early hours of Dec. Police declare death of man in downtown Halifax assault a homicide.'Could have been me': Man allegedly assaulted by Halifax bouncers 'terrified' by December homicide.'I think that's part of the advantage of regulating and having education, is to have everyone concerned clearer about where the limits are.' Having a standard of practice for security staff at bars would be comforting to the public, he says, but it would also be reassuring to staff to know what the boundaries are. To prevent unnecessarily violent behaviour between bouncers and patrons, MacKay says there needs to be effective regulation to make training mandatory for staff and to create significant penalties for violations. The province should reconsider the current laws and whether they go far enough, he says. 'There's so many unknowns in the area, and it's pretty clearly a gap that I think needs to be addressed.' Wayne MacKay, professor emeritus at Dalhousie University's Schulich School of Law in Halifax, says there is 'a significant legislative gap' when it come to the rules around in-house security at bars in the province. Nova Scotia's laws don't adequately cover the behaviour of bar bouncers, according to a legal expert.

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