The NDP government wants to see security beefed up at nightclubs in Manitoba, following several violent incidents inside or near Winnipeg clubs this year.
The province said Friday it had accepted and would implement more than a dozen recommendations in a report by the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission.
The report was commissioned in the wake of a shooting at the Empire Cabaret that injured four people. A few weeks later, a man was killed in a stabbing at the same club.
New bars should submit security plans and criminal record checks of management as part of the licensing process, the report recommends.
If a serious incident takes place at a club, the establishment will have to close while a risk evaluation is carried out; management could be required to add security staff or improve security systems before being allowed to reopen.
The province is not requiring metal detectors. Greg Selinger, the minister responsible for the MLCC, said metal detectors can create a false sense of security.
Other recommendations include establishing industry best practices — such as barring entry to problematic individuals — public education programs, and recommendations for justice and police, including more police patrols at peak club hours.
Winston Yee, head of inspection services for the liquor commission, said city police have agreed to monitor bars more frequently to provide "added deterrent value."
Some of the recommended measures can be implemented right away, while others will need laws to be created or amended, provincial officials said.
Selinger plans to introduce required legislative changes in the spring.
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