A handful of bars in Quebec are taking more steps to protect customers from date rape drugs and sexual violence. Industry players will also submit a mandatory training project for waiters and waitresses starting in the fall.
Posted at 7:00 a.m.
“I don’t feel the industry has evolved that much. If I was 20 today, I don’t think I would be comfortable going out to bars, ”said Roxane Brossoit, manager of the Le Saint-Houblon pub in Little Italy.
The Press met Mr.me Brossoit after learning that two women had been unknowingly drugged at the same bar, two weeks apart, towards the end of May.
The one who has 25 years of experience in the bar industry coordinates the “Order an Cherub” training for employees. A person fearing for their safety or that of someone else can go to the bar counter and order an Angelot. This fictitious drink serves as a signal to the staff to intervene.
“It’s when a woman, or a man, doesn’t feel good about a sexual situation. The person will go see someone from the staff, who will be able to go and isolate him, for example in the employee room, ”she explains. The employee then offers to help the person in distress leave the establishment, call the police, or be escorted to another section of the bar.
Currently, only 39 establishments serving alcohol in Quebec participate in this initiative launched in 2017, including 27 on the island of Montreal.
Photo Alain Roberge, THE PRESS
Le Saint-Houblon is one of the few establishments in Quebec to have established a protocol against sexual violence.
Accredited bars display an information board in the restrooms as well as a sticker on their door. Servers must complete mandatory online training, which includes presentations of sexual violence scenarios as well as the protocol to follow to ensure customer safety.
Roxane Brossoit firmly believes that a protocol similar to that of Saint-Houblon should be mandatory for all bars and nightclubs in the province.
For mandatory training
“It is sure that it is a problem, it is a scourge”, admits Peter Sergakis, president of the Union of tenants of bars of Quebec (UTBQ), about intoxications with date rape drugs in bars .
In a telephone interview with The Press, he claims that the bars that are part of the UTBQ are implementing basic security measures. “We advise customers not to leave their glasses alone. Sometimes bartenders take drinks from girls who go to the bathroom or on the dance floor, he says. There are not 1000 ways to protect your glass. »
The decision to educate bar staff about sexual violence and date rape drugs rests with the owner. “There are no specific standards [en matière de prévention des intoxications à la drogue du viol]it is at the discretion of each of the establishments”, affirms Renaud Poulin, president of the Corporation of owners of bars, brasseries and taverns of Quebec (CPBBTQ), on the phone with The Press.
He adds that in past years, several awareness campaigns have been set up among the 1,100 members of the CPBBTQ, for example, by posting on coasters and panels, directly with customers or during meetings between police officers and owners.
The president of the CPBBTQ points out that the significant staff turnover caused by the labor shortage makes it difficult to raise employee awareness.
He struggles to understand why Quebec does not have mandatory training for all workers in bars and nightlife establishments. “We are going to make the proposal to the government in the fall,” he announced. We are going to come back to the charge because it would be important for the employees to have some training. »
The example of Ontario
Since 2022, Ontario has imposed an awareness module on sexual violence and date rape drugs, as part of its mandatory training for establishments that serve alcohol, which has existed for 25 years.
“This is a high-level overview of potential situations of sexual violence, what to look out for and how to intervene. The training includes a few scenarios. We discuss date rape drugs and the signs and symptoms in an intoxicated person,” summarizes by email the organization Smart Serve Ontario, instigator and responsible for the mandatory training for servers.