September 24th, 2021

NDP response to Smart Serve adding sexual violence prevention module

QUEEN'S PARK — NDP MPP Peggy Sattler (London West) released this statement in response to the Ontario government adding sexual violence prevention to Smart Serve training:

"I'm pleased to see the province move in the right direction to train bartenders and servers to recognize and respond to the increased risk of sexual violence and harassment where alcohol is served. Sexual assault survivors and advocates have spent years fighting for this and its inclusion in Smart Serve is long overdue.

But the training must be evidence-based to make sure that it is effective, and it should be provided to those currently working in licenced environments as well as new staff.

I can’t imagine how much trauma and harm could have been prevented, especially for young women, had this change been made sooner. I worked with advocates from student organizations and sexual assault survivors on a private member's bill, the Safe Night Out Act, which was tabled in the Ontario legislature back in 2017. Both Liberal and Conservative governments allowed the bill to languish on the books for four years.

I will continue to work with postsecondary student representatives and sexual violence prevention advocates to monitor the development and rollout of the new Smart Serve learning module, and to push for additional changes. We must do whatever is necessary to prevent sexual violence, wherever it occurs."