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

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

Ryan Sawyer, 31, died after police found him unresponsive on the street in front of the Halifax Alehouse in the early hours of Dec. 24.

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

Sawyer's death was ruled a homicide, but police have not laid any charges.

"We said we have to make people accountable, that there has to be change," said Lee Sawyer, Ryan's mother. "It can't sit in a political red tape until there's another victim."

Sawyer's parents, who are speaking out for the first time since his death, say it's been frustrating waiting for the police investigation to wrap, trying to hold people accountable and talking to government officials about what can be done.

They say they've had little sleep and many bad days in the last six months.

"It's a vicious cycle. You think about what had happened. You think about the loss," said 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 are we not 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 humour, they say, and was fun to be around.

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

"We're going to do what we have to do in order to get change in place because nobody should have to allow this to happen to their children," said Lee Sawyer.

Sawyer's death 'parallels' 1999 tragedy

It's not the first time a family in Nova Scotia has pledged to make 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 10 years advocating for legislation that would regulate bouncers.

It led to the then-NDP government introducing the Security and Investigative Services Act. It would have required in-house security staff to be licensed and trained in a number of areas, but was never proclaimed law.

The Giffin family says they didn't find out the legislation Stephen's father fought so hard for wasn't implemented until they learned what happened to Ryan Sawyer — more than two decades later.

"I don't think I can tell you how that felt," said Judy Purcell, Stephen's sister. "I was very, very angry."

Cyril Giffin's family says they believed his efforts would prevent another family from experiencing the same loss they had.

"There are a lot of parallels" between Giffin's and Sawyer's deaths, Purcell says. She says both incidents happened close to Christmas and both men were put into chokeholds by bar staff. 

"Everything that my grandfather worked so hard to achieve was for nothing because this happened again ... it's just devastating," said Kaylee Giffin, Stephen's daughter.

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

"I didn't think that I even wanted to be a mother," said Kaylee, who now has a family of her own. "Because I was terrified of what loving somebody that much might mean for me and the thought of losing somebody again wasn't something that 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 staff who work at late-night establishments are now required to complete an online training course, provide a criminal record check on request and complete a responsible beverage service training program. 

The rules only apply to five bars across the province with cabaret licences, which allow them to stay open until 3:30 a.m. 

Purcell says there still needs to be legislation that regulates bouncers at every bar in Nova Scotia. She says if the legislation her father fought for had been put into place, Ryan Sawyer would likely still be here. 

"I believe that," she said. "I believe that fully."

'Hard not to think of what-ifs'

The Sawyers agree Nova Scotia should have legislation that requires bouncers working at any bar to be trained. 

They know things may be different if the Security and Investigative Services Act had come to fruition.

"It's hard not to think of the what-ifs," Scott said.