Banned of Brothers

Drunken troublemakers face Halifax ban
By QMI AGENCY

Drunken troublemakers who get kicked out of one Halifax bar could get banned from them all if a new pilot project gets off the ground.

The Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia is looking to sign up Halifax watering holes for a pilot project that would see unruly bar patrons added to a list and banned from all participating establishments if they're caught misbehaving.

Gordon Stewart, the association's executive director, says he wants to sign up about 15 establishments to start.

If someone acts very badly and is kicked out of a bar, staff would take his or her information and file a report to the project's administrator.

If the administrator agrees the person should be banned, their name would be added to a list that goes out to the participating establishments every week.

Stewart said the goal is to give bar managers and staff some leverage to deal with problem customers.

"It gives them some teeth to get cooler heads," he said, adding the offender will know if they continue with their bad behaviour, there will be consequences.

Stewart said the program, which he hopes to launch in April, will include an appeal process.

He also said the length of a person's ban would depend on the severity of the offence.

The project would help bar managers because they wouldn't each have to deal with the same troublemakers, he said.

Stewart said it would also help with the problem of underage university drinkers.

"It is a problem and it's ongoing and it's not going away, so this is one way we can curb this," Stewart said.

Man I certainly hope this kind of project doesn't jump the pond and manifest itself in America. Just imagine if acting like an ass in one bar got you banned from all the bars in town. Under that kind of program I'm pretty sure my gang would have to drive to New Mexico to have a beer. There's not a place in West Texas that would be allowed to sell us a brew. Of course the appeal process would give us a reason to all get dressed up at the same time. Now all we have is weddings and we all get drunk and make an ass of ourselves at those too. Its a shameful cycle of debauchery.