By Taylor MacPherson

SGI lawsuits show bars share responsibility for impaired drivers: Hargrave

Mar 1, 2018 | 1:00 PM

Saskatchewan’s SGI Minister said two settled lawsuits shows everyone shares the responsibility when it comes to keeping the roads safe.

SGI recently reached out-of-court settlements with two Saskatoon companies; the Industrial Kitchen and Lounge Corporation and MCDE Holdings Ltd., which operated Crackers Licensed Cocktail & Dining Room. The Crown brought legal action against the companies in July 2017, alleging their overserving of Catherine McKay in January of 2016 contributed to her subsequent impaired driving and, ultimately, the tragic collision that led to the deaths of four members of the Van de Vorst family.

McKay pleaded guilty to four counts of impaired driving causing death in 2016, and was handed a 10-year sentence.

Although specific details of the settlements remain confidential, Prince Albert Carlton MLA and SGI Minister Joe Hargrave said SGI was satisfied with the outcome because it sends a strong message about shared responsibility.

“Everybody has to be responsible,” Hargrave said. “Owners of establishments have to take some responsibility for their customers.”

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Although the bar owners are not wholly responsible when a patron drives while impaired, Hargrave said the legal action should remind all licensed establishments that they do have responsibilities to not over-serve patrons and facilitate safe rides home.

“This speaks pretty loudly to the establishments,” Hargrave said. “This is a big problem we have in Saskatchewan … it takes an effort by everyone.”

Hargrave said this is the first time SGI has sued establishments based on over-serving patrons, but it may not be the last. In this particular case, Hargrave said initiating legal action against the bars was the right decision to make.

“We have to think of the Van de Vorsts; Jordan, Chanda, Kamryn and Miguire,” he said. “We lost a whole family here.”

In Prince Albert, council recently moved to ban the creation of new drive-thru liquor stores in an effort to address the city’s ongoing struggles with alcohol abuse. Hargrave could not confirm if drive-thru stores could be held similarly liable for impaired drivers, but said he expects the settlement will come as a wake-up call for all Saskatchewan liquor retailers.

“Every bar owner in Prince Albert, every bar owner in the province, should stand up and take note,” he said.

Taylor.macpherson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TaylorMacP