Family of man who died after attack outside Halifax bar vows to force change

The family of a man murdered outside a Halifax bar last year is pushing for stricter rules for bouncers.

Ryan Sawyer, 31, died after police found him unconscious on the street outside the Halifax Alehouse in the early hours of December 24.

A witness who was outside the bar in those early hours of Christmas Eve told CBC News that he saw a security guard hold a man in a chokehold before police arrived.

Sawyer’s death was ruled a homicide, but police have not pressed charges.

“We’ve said we have to hold people accountable, that there has to be a change,” said Lee Sawyer, Ryan’s mother. “It can’t sit in a political red tape until there’s another victim.”

Sawyer’s parents, speaking out for the first time since his death, say it’s frustrating waiting for the police investigation to conclude, holding people accountable and talking to government officials about what can be done.

They say they have had little sleep and many bad days in the past six months.

“It’s a vicious cycle. You think about what happened. You think about the loss,” says Scott Sawyer, Ryan’s father.

“Then you don’t think about it for a while and then there’s the guilt that comes back like, ‘Why aren’t we thinking about Ryan?'”

Ryan was a big teddy bear, his parents say. He was very protective of his family and friends and would do anything for them. He had a great sense of humor, they say, and was fun to be around.

The day after Ryan died, the family swore that what happened to him would never happen to anyone else, his mother says.

“We’re going to do what we have to do to make changes because no one should allow this to happen to their children,” Lee Sawyer said.

Sawyer’s death parallels the 1999 tragedy

It’s not the first time a Nova Scotia family has pledged to make a change after the death of a bar patron in Halifax.

Stephen Giffin died on Christmas Day in 1999 after being beaten by bouncers at a former Halifax bar, Captain Eli’s. The two men charged with manslaughter in Giffin’s death were eventually acquitted.

Cyril Giffin, Stephen’s father, spent a decade advocating legislation that would regulate bouncers.

It led to the then NDP government introducing the Security and Investigation Services Act. It would have required internal security personnel to be licensed and trained in a number of areas, but it was never enacted into law.

The Giffin family say they didn’t learn that the legislation Stephen’s father fought so hard for was not introduced until they learned what had happened to Ryan Sawyer – more than two decades later.

“I don’t think I can tell you what that felt like,” said Judy Purcell, Stephen’s sister. “I was very, very angry.”

Cyril Giffin’s family say they believed his efforts would prevent another family from experiencing the same loss they did.

“There are a lot of parallels” between Giffin and Sawyer’s deaths, Purcell says. She says both incidents happened just before Christmas and both men were held in a chokehold by the bar staff.

“Everything my grandfather worked so hard for was for nothing because this happened again… it’s just devastating,” says Kaylee Giffin, Stephen’s daughter.

Kaylee was nine when her father was killed. She says the loss affected every aspect of her life as she grew up.

“I didn’t think I even wanted to be a mom,” says Kaylee, who now has a family of her own. “Because I was terrified of what loving someone so much could mean to me and the thought of losing someone again wasn’t something I could bear.”

Purcell and her niece say the new rules for some bouncers announced by the Nova Scotia government last month aren’t enough.

Bar security officers working in food service establishments are now required to complete online training, conduct a criminal record check on request, and complete a responsible beverage service training program.

The rules only apply to five bars in the province with cabaret licenses, allowing them to stay open until 3:30 a.m.

Purcell says there should still be legislation regulating bouncers in every bar in Nova Scotia. She says Ryan Sawyer would probably still be here if the legislation her father fought for was passed.

“I believe so,” she said. “I fully believe that.”

‘It’s hard not to think about what-ifs’

The Sawyers agree that Nova Scotia should have legislation requiring bouncers who work in every bar to be trained.

They know that things could have turned out differently if the Security and Investigation Services Act had been enacted.

“It’s hard not to think about the what-ifs,” Scott said.