Bar Safety in Nova Scotia

The Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia (RANS) has long supported the safety of patrons and staff through advocacy, programs and initiatives. Most recently we have supported the introduction of mandatory alcohol service training for servers and training and background checks for door staff that was brought into regulations in 2024 and 2026 respectively.

In 2012, RANS launched the Patron Accountability Safety & Service (PASS) program to help operators, liquor enforcement and police communicate and prevent repeat bad actors from entering businesses across Downtown Halifax. The PASS program has been on hiatus since 2020.

In 2026, RANS launched quarterly Bar Safety Engagement Sessions to bring together establishments, Alcohol & Gaming Department, and the Halifax Regional Police to work on safety strategies for patrons and staff in HRM.

The Patron Accountability Safety and Service (PASS) program was a bar suspension program wherein if a patron is suspended from one bar, lounge or nightclub participating in the program, they will be added to a list that suspends them from all businesses participating in the program. It is to prevent problematic patrons from “barhopping” and causing issues at more than one establishment. PASS is open to all establishments, not just members of RANS, and is intended to protect the businesses, staff and patrons to create a safe and thriving nightlife in the Halifax Regional Municipality.

The PASS program was launched in January 2012 and ran successfully until 2020 when it was paused due to the pandemic. The program was owned and administered by the Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia (RANS) with the participation of local establishments across HRM, the Halifax Regional Police Liquor Enforcement Unit, and the Alcohol and Gaming Department of Nova Scotia. The PASS program has been on hiatus pending funding to onboard a digital component and update digital privacy considerations moving forward.