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CRFA's Luc Erjavec (far left) and CRFA Directors Chris Tzaneteas (second from left) and Robert McKelvie (far right) meetin with Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald to share industry concerns about the labour shortage, minimum wages and beverage alcohol pricing. |
(Oct. 20/08) Rejecting calls for further restrictions on advertising and hours of operation, the Nova Scotia government has chosen to boost policing and focus on enforcing liquor regulations in an effort to curb violence in downtown Halifax.
The province established an Interdepartmental Committee on Alcohol Policy in Licensed Establishments, in response to some incidents involving Halifax bars. The committee was asked to provide input on the following five issues: minimum drink prices, hours of operation, advertising drink prices, training of bar staff and training of security staff.
In responding to the committee’s recommendations, the government rejected calls for a new minimum drink price and chose not to make any changes to hours of operations, or advertising rules. Instead, the province will update and modernize the responsible service program and follow national standards for security personnel training.
The province will also fund four more Halifax police officers to address public safety concerns in the downtown core, and will hire more inspectors to ensure that licensed establishments in downtown Halifax are complying with provincial liquor regulations.
CRFA was actively involved in the committee’s review process and also held meetings with the Premier and the Minister responsible for the province’s alcohol and gaming authority, to ensure that the new measures were effective and reasonable.
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