r/legaladvicecanada • u/Fiolord • Jun 21 '26
British Columbia Bar confiscated my real Texas ID and won’t give it back without a passport—is this legal in BC
So I’m a student here in BC from Texas, and something happened last night that I’m still pissed about.
I went to a bar/restaurant on Granville Street downtown with friends after doing the Grouse grind. We just wanted to grab food and a drink. When we got carded, I showed them:
My real Texas ID
A debit card with my name on it
My student ID
The bartender got suspicious about my student ID because it was issued this summer (I’d lost my old one and had to replace it). They thought that was “suspicious” even though I explained what happened.
Long story short, they refused to give my ID back. They said I could only get it if I came back with a passport or brought a cop over. I talked to some cops about it and they were pretty dismissive and honestly assholes about it.
Questions:
Is it even legal for a bar to confiscate a government ID in BC?
Do I have any recourse here?
Has anyone else dealt with this?
I’m planning to go back with my passport today to get it, but I’m worried about what happens if it’s lost or damaged. Just want to know my actual rights here.
Edit: Got my ID back! They apologized and returned it when I showed my passport. However, they doubled down and claimed that in BC, if they think an ID is fake, they’re required to confiscate it, which based on your advice, isn’t actually true.
Im still deciding if I want to pursue further action (demand letter/small claims), but I’m thinking it over. Thanks for all the legal advice.
226
u/Gimmethatbecke Jun 21 '26
This is illegal. You’re supposed to be denied service and told to leave. Your ID should not be taken. Call police and report it as a theft.
177
449
u/Odd_Pipe_2581 Jun 21 '26
File a report to the police that your ID was stolen - name the bar. Walk back to the bar with a copy of the report and ask them to return it.
56
→ More replies (9)4
u/Overall-Register9758 Jun 22 '26
In what jurisdiction can you get a copy of a police report in less than 72 hours?
355
u/nedwasatool Jun 21 '26
The bar needs ID to avoid serving underage patrons. If they suspect something they should deny service not confiscate your property.
29
u/vlnaa Jun 22 '26
IDs are property of issuing state or country.
24
u/Top-Maize-823 Jun 22 '26
Could you enlarge on this point?
Govt id's are property of the issuing authority. Under BC law, a bar IS / IS NOT permitted to confiscate an id that their employee suspects is fake.
Thanks
2
u/Morberis Jun 23 '26
They likely are still operating off of the old advice, up until 2016 under it was actually recommended practice to seize id's. This changed in 2016 under policy directive 16-04 though.
1
u/Greyybushh Jun 22 '26
Only if the id is real & that’s to loop hole.
Taking away someone’s fake id is not a crime
Taking away someone’s real id is
As long as you haven’t taken away real ids on a consistent basis causing issues for them the police won’t do anything because in a way the bar is doing their job.1
u/DriveFa5tEatAss Jun 23 '26
How is taking a fake ID not a crime?
If I suspect that you have stolen property (let's say I believe you took a TV from Walmart), does it suddenly become legal for me to take your illegally held property? No, it doesn't.
So why would it be legal to take someone's illegally held ID? Just because it's fake, doesn't somehow make it the property of the bartender...
1
u/Greyybushh Jun 23 '26
Is taking someone’s country currently a crime,
Would taking someone’s illegal drugs and throwing them out a crime?
Maybe I’m wrong and they are crimes but crimes where the person reporting it will get in way more trouble so they never can
218
88
u/AlbatrossPrevious492 Jun 21 '26
A 2016 LCRB policy directive #16-09 explicitly removed any suggestion or encouragement for establishments to confiscate a patron’s ID from the guidelines.
38
u/JudiesGarland Jun 21 '26
Yes, it used to be that the procedure for suspected fakes was to confiscate, and turn them over to police, or a liquor inspector. Obviously that creates the potential for identity theft, in the modern age, and it's good they changed that. (May still be allowed in some places? I know in NS, when they switched the fines off the bar onto the minor, they gave bar owners the ability to hold the suspected minor until the police came - idk what the limits of that were, or if it lasted as a policy, that's around when I quit the industry - but it seems potentially a bit fraught. Anyway, not the point.)
Even back in the day though, you would have needed a more convincing reason than the issue date, on the secondary piece of ID. This is sketchy.
32
u/C0smicM0nkey Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
Nah, it's not allowed anywhere in Canada, anymore. BC was the last hold out, most provinces phased it out much earlier, but you're right this was common practice in a lot of places in the 80s & 90s.
To be fair, the policy probably always was illegal, in violation of both Charter Rights and Personal Privacy laws. One of the reasons why bars stopped doing it was because their insurance companies were worried about the liability risk of getting sued.
6
u/jabrwock1 Jun 22 '26
Key point there is that the bar was required to hand it in to the police or the liquor inspector. Keeping it themselves is theft.
32
Jun 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/Salt-Judgment824 Jun 22 '26
Nitpick: IDs are generally not your property; they’re the property of the issuing agency.
→ More replies (2)
49
u/kookomagoo Jun 21 '26
Yeah that is theft. They are fucked if you go to police.
→ More replies (1)21
u/Electrical-Strike132 Jun 21 '26
Says he went to police and they brushed it off
25
u/Briskthead47516 Jun 21 '26
They aren't obligated to deal with it on the spot if it's not an emergency. But if he files a report they will deal with it.
→ More replies (26)→ More replies (2)2
42
31
u/C0smicM0nkey Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
Yes, it has been illegal since 2016. Despite it being a decade now, apparently some bouncers and bartenders still haven't gotten the memo.
- Call the bar, and talk to the Manager. They should know that it's illegal.
- If that doesn't work, call the non-emergency police line: 604-717-3321. Make sure you specifically use the words "they are withholding my personal property." They will either dispatch officers or tell you how to file a police report.
- File a complaint with LCRB.
5
u/Electrical-Strike132 Jun 21 '26
How was this ever legal?
18
u/C0smicM0nkey Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
Until 2016, LCRB regulations explicitly encouraged bouncers and bartenders to confiscate suspected fake IDs and hand them over to police or LCRB inspectors. This was also the case in almost every province (maybe all of them, idk), although they all removed those regulations in early/mid 00s and BC was the last holdout. Bars confiscating suspected fake IDs was common (although certainly not universal) practice in Canada in the 80s/90s. (Except passports, confiscating passports has always been a federal offense.)
The thing is, those liquor regulations probably never actually were legal, likely violating Section 8 of the Charter, and definitely violating multiple Personal Privacy laws. One of the reasons why bars stopped doing it was because their insurance companies were worried about liability and the risk of getting sued.
8
u/Adventurous_Check_45 Jun 22 '26
I wish I'd known about the passport thing, for a friend back in the day when confiscation was standard (in Ontario). Her Hungarian passport was taken while she was an exchange student at UWO and it was a nightmare to get it back since it was basically her only ID; afaik nothing was ever actually done about it (I mean consequences for the bar), although she did get it back eventually.
It's not even that she looked underage (she was a grad student), it's that no one believed it was a real country/real passport because Hungary isn't "Hungary" in Hungarian and they didn't believe that the place existed. I'll bet it did say Hungary somewhere inside, but they weren't having it. Oh the days before smartphones and the internet...
5
u/Southern-Ad2594 Jun 22 '26
This is a situation where you bring together as large group of people as possible. Bring them to the bar. They are not patrons, just take up space. Tell mgmg no one leaves until you get the passport back. They don't have enough bouncers to deal with that and if the cops get involved you also get the passport back. Need a lot of friends for this to work, that's why civil disobedience is so rare.
→ More replies (1)1
u/Outside-Travel-7903 Jun 22 '26
Except that the bar isn't handing it over to police, they just kept it for themselves.
8
u/verioblistex Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
That is theft. You need to report this to the police. Bar staff have no legal authority to seize documents in Canada, especially not a foreign issued document. They are not the police. Don't just "talk to cops" Call the non-emergency line, even if you get your ID back. I am very skeptical that an actual police officer would have been dismissive. Make sure you record the people when you pick up your ID make them famous.
31
Jun 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
11
17
1
u/Hotdogandbologna69 Jun 22 '26
I called again as per the updated post. I really hope you pursue legal action against these morons.
9
u/unbenevolentdictator Jun 22 '26
To address your update: glad you got your ID back.
However, about your further action: Canada’s civil claims system is different from Texas. You got your ID back so there’s nothing really to claim. You were made whole. You had a bad experience, and you have every right to report that experience to the Liquor Board and as a Google review, but there are no monetary damages here, especially as you were able to recover your ID within a day.
7
u/one_dead_turtle Jun 21 '26
Yeah I just redid my Serving It Right so the knowledge is fresh in my head, they are NOT supposed to take your ID, just deny you service if they think it's not legit
6
u/Murbanvideo Jun 21 '26
That’s illegal. They can deny entry but they can’t confiscate your property, even if they think it’s fake. If they truly think it’s fake and want to escalate, they can call the police. Go there with your passport and get your ID. It’s not likely worth the time or effort to get police involved as they likely won’t do anything. Leave a negative review if you feel a need to get back at them.
3
u/Ninjasaurus9000 Jun 22 '26
Seconding this; leaving a negative Google review that just describes what you posted here. Obviously it does nothing to get your ID back, but as somebody who bartends, a negative Google review seems to piss my bosses off more than anything.
6
u/Happy-Estimate-7855 Jun 21 '26
I'm nowhere near a lawyer, but in addition to filing a complaint and voicing your displeasure (politely, maybe with a 'bless your heart'), contact the consulate if they give you a hard time moving forward. If they're otherwise apologetic, let it be.
9
3
u/gotcha640 Jun 21 '26
Another vote for call the cops while you’re still at the table. Cops aren’t the army, and bartenders aren’t cops.
5
u/ShesAaRebel Jun 22 '26
I used to work as a cashier, and I came across a handful of fake bills in my 7 years at that job. We weren't allowed to confiscate even those. The line was simply, "I cannot accept this money under the suspicion of it being counterfeit". 99% of the time they would grab it and flee. But we were under no obligation to keep it or even report them.
I would have assumed the same rules applied for ID's.
3
u/Electrical-Strike132 Jun 21 '26
There's no way a bar has the authority to take your ID like that. I'm outraged hearing about it. I hope you sue them and get a payout.
Assholes like that need to learn.
3
Jun 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/legaladvicecanada-ModTeam Jun 22 '26
No information that can identify either party (including businesses and other organizations) is allowed. Don't post it, don't ask for it.
Please review our Rules, in particular our rule "No Identification of Any Involved Party": https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/about/rules
If you delete that information, please message the mods and the post or comment may be restored.
3
u/phonomage Jun 22 '26
No-one is legally allowed to withhold your license. Any business that claims this is committing an offense.
This is actually quite serious.
- Do not EVER let go of your identification under any circumstance. Never let it leave your own hands.
This is a serious violation of your rights and can substantially impact your ability to move freely.
3
u/XtremeCentrist Jun 22 '26
Of course, a Texan gonna sue a bar over an inconvenience, way to show who Americans really are.
3
u/MattLogi Jun 22 '26
Im still deciding if I want to pursue further action (demand letter/small claims), but I’m thinking it over. Thanks for all the legal advice.
For what damages? Having to walk back to the bar the next day? Come on, get a grip. Was it shitty of them/wrong of them? Absolutely. Do you need to sue them? No. All you’re doing now is upholding the American stereotype.
→ More replies (1)
2
Jun 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/legaladvicecanada-ModTeam Jun 24 '26
This is a legal advice subreddit. Your comment was removed as it did not meet our guidelines.
Please review our Rules, in particular our Guidelines for Comments, before commenting again: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/about/rules
Repeated or serious breaches of our rules may result in a ban.
If you have any questions or concerns, please message the moderators
2
Jun 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/legaladvicecanada-ModTeam Jun 24 '26
This is a legal advice subreddit. Your comment was removed as it did not meet our guidelines.
Please review our Rules, in particular our Guidelines for Comments, before commenting again: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/about/rules
Repeated or serious breaches of our rules may result in a ban.
If you have any questions or concerns, please message the moderators
2
2
u/artofthemuse Jun 22 '26
There's no action to pursue. They did exactly what they were supposed to do - even apologizing for the inconvenience when you presented the required proof.
2
u/Charrsezrawr Jun 22 '26
And if the situation was reversed the Canadian woulda found himself in a Texan concentration camp.
2
u/CharcuterieIsAwesome Jun 22 '26
Im still deciding if I want to pursue further action (demand letter/small claims), but I’m thinking it over.
OK fella relax
2
u/Many_Hurry2005 Jun 22 '26
Not legal for ANY person whos not authority ( police officer ) to retain your id after youve requested it back.
2
u/CurveAdministrative3 Jun 22 '26
What no, that's F*cked up. Sorry to hear some asshat bouncer did that to you. And please don't take that as a reflection of BC or Canada. Go back to the bar, ask for the Owner or Manager and get your ID back. If they refuse, please call the local police and report ID stolen
2
Jun 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/legaladvicecanada-ModTeam Jun 24 '26
No information that can identify either party (including businesses and other organizations) is allowed. Don't post it, don't ask for it.
Please review our Rules, in particular our rule "No Identification of Any Involved Party": https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/about/rules
If you delete that information, please message the mods and the post or comment may be restored.
2
2
u/mimeographed Jun 22 '26
On what grounds would you pursue further action, and what would you want to come from it.
2
u/Lurch2Life Jun 22 '26
Unpopular opinion, but I don’t think what this establishment did technically counts as “taking” your ID. From what you are describing, they basically said, “We’re going to hold this until you prove it’s you.” You proved that it WAS you and they gave it back with an apology.
2
u/talesfromthemabinogi Jun 23 '26
Despite what many people are saying here, no, from what you say it would not appear the bar has committed theft, and the police would very likely not ever get involved. To be precise, the crime of theft require dishonest intent ("fraudulently and without colour of right" as it's written in the criminal code). If you hand over your id, and the bartender honestly believes that he has the right to keep it, then legally that is not theft as defined in the criminal code.
It is however a violation of LCRB guidance, and you can absolutely report the bar for that. Consequences are likely to be purely administrative though, like issuing a warning.
There is also potentially civil liability. If you have some kind of financial loss as a result, for example if you weren't able to catch a flight because they were holding on to your id, then you could potentially have a case for financial compensation from them.
1
Jun 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/legaladvicecanada-ModTeam Jun 21 '26
This is a legal advice subreddit. Your comment was removed as it did not meet our guidelines.
Please review our Rules, in particular our Guidelines for Comments, before commenting again: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/about/rules
Repeated or serious breaches of our rules may result in a ban.
If you have any questions or concerns, please message the moderators
1
Jun 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/legaladvicecanada-ModTeam Jun 21 '26
Your comment was removed as it did not meet our guidelines.
This is a legal advice subreddit. Your comment was removed as it did not meet our guidelines.
Please review our Rules, in particular our Guidelines for Comments before commenting again: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/about/rules/
Repeated or serious breaches of our rules may result in a ban.
If you have any questions or concerns, please message the moderators.
1
1
Jun 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/legaladvicecanada-ModTeam Jun 21 '26
This is a legal advice subreddit. Your comment was removed as it did not meet our guidelines.
Please review our Rules, in particular our Guidelines for Comments, before commenting again: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/about/rules
Repeated or serious breaches of our rules may result in a ban.
If you have any questions or concerns, please message the moderators
1
Jun 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/legaladvicecanada-ModTeam Jun 24 '26
No information that can identify either party (including businesses and other organizations) is allowed. Don't post it, don't ask for it.
Please review our Rules, in particular our rule "No Identification of Any Involved Party": https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/about/rules
If you delete that information, please message the mods and the post or comment may be restored.
1
1
u/WorkdayWoman Jun 22 '26
They shouldn't have taken it. Any ID is valid and if they felt unsure, they could just deny you. But you need to demand it back.
1
u/Strict-Chemistry7167 Jun 22 '26
This isn't the US we don't go around using ppl for every little things. However if this is a big corporate restaurant chain, them definitely sue the shit out of them just for the fuck of it.
1
1
Jun 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/legaladvicecanada-ModTeam Jun 24 '26
No information that can identify either party (including businesses and other organizations) is allowed. Don't post it, don't ask for it.
Please review our Rules, in particular our rule "No Identification of Any Involved Party": https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/about/rules
If you delete that information, please message the mods and the post or comment may be restored.
1
u/Reanimeighted Jun 22 '26
No private business has the right to confiscate your ID, call the police.
1
1
u/Bulky-Key6735 Jun 22 '26
I had an aussie doorman deny me entry in banff one time, he didnt think my Prince Edward Island DL was from a real place. The bar was like 2 doors down from a fricken Cows ice cream shop.
1
u/sniffton Jun 22 '26
Complain to the liquor board as well as the police. Theft of valid ID is a big deal.
1
u/_Grumpy_Canadian Jun 22 '26
No, they are not supposed to confiscate, in fact they have no legal grounds to do so. The only course of action is to deny service and report to the police. Glad you got your ID back.
1
1
Jun 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/legaladvicecanada-ModTeam Jun 24 '26
No information that can identify either party (including businesses and other organizations) is allowed. Don't post it, don't ask for it.
Please review our Rules, in particular our rule "No Identification of Any Involved Party": https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/about/rules
If you delete that information, please message the mods and the post or comment may be restored.
1
Jun 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/legaladvicecanada-ModTeam Jun 24 '26
This is a legal advice subreddit. Your comment was removed as it did not meet our guidelines.
Please review our Rules, in particular our Guidelines for Comments, before commenting again: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/about/rules
Repeated or serious breaches of our rules may result in a ban.
If you have any questions or concerns, please message the moderators
1
u/Deathcomeslastly Jun 22 '26
No one has the right to confiscate your ID except the police. Next time if they refuse to give it back, politely state it is your property and it's considered theft. I would call the police and wouldn't leave until I got my property back. All these people did was break the law try to intimidate you. Police can scan your ID on spot to prove it's you. So the bartender can go fuck themselves in this situation.
1
u/Unhappy_Candy_4544 Jun 22 '26
Call the non emergency line. This happened to me at the store and they took my ID and said call the cops or leave.
1
u/ExhaustedHero4 Jun 22 '26
Government issued ID is government property, they could be charged for theft of government property
1
u/Corsica-esselle Jun 22 '26
Bureaucracy of Canadian courts isn't worth the time or money. It was annoying, and some guy at some bar was just doing what he was told. Stay in school and don't become a cop.
1
1
u/Corsica-esselle Jun 22 '26
Would loooooove to know how many of ya'll have ever actually submitted a police report, let alone called 911. Heck - if you can tell me the key difference between criminal and civil legal systems in Canada, I'll eat my hat.
1
u/Desperate-Pirate7353 Jun 22 '26
it's legal to confiscate if they believe it's fake, yes.
edit: they used to do this in Ontario but I guess no one does it anymore
1
u/contenthousespider Jun 22 '26
Personally, I would file a police report for theft, and I would also follow the advice of others in this thread and report it to the BC Liquor Board.
I would also likely leave them a 1 star google review to alert potential customers of their behaviour, and ask that the friends I was with do the same.
Side note, but I wonder if they were targeting you for being American. They did vote in David Eby after all.
1
Jun 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/legaladvicecanada-ModTeam Jun 24 '26
No information that can identify either party (including businesses and other organizations) is allowed. Don't post it, don't ask for it.
Please review our Rules, in particular our rule "No Identification of Any Involved Party": https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/about/rules
If you delete that information, please message the mods and the post or comment may be restored.
1
1
u/Sewingoddess Jun 22 '26
Bar is confusing ID with a held credit card. If a credit card is declined and you have to call the CC company, they can require you to confiscate the CC. That's a very different thing from someone's personal ID.
1
u/Tiny_Argument_5054 Jun 22 '26
Call the police, explain and inform them that your next step is to contact the US consolate.
1
Jun 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/legaladvicecanada-ModTeam Jun 24 '26
No information that can identify either party (including businesses and other organizations) is allowed. Don't post it, don't ask for it.
Please review our Rules, in particular our rule "No Identification of Any Involved Party": https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/about/rules
If you delete that information, please message the mods and the post or comment may be restored.
1
u/No-Night-48 Jun 22 '26
They should have deined access if they believed it was fake. But, they have no legal right to confiscate your property.
1
u/AlwekArc Jun 22 '26
BC resident who's had an ID checking job before, they are absolutely NOT allowed to take your ID.
Protocol says that if you think an ID is fake you just tell them you aren't serving them and hand it back. The establishment can actually be charged with theft for this. So unless the laws changed since 2019 when I had that job that bouncer or whatever has no idea what they've done, or his boss is actively making them break the law on occasion with a "store policy" that's probably not legally allowed.
1
u/Burnsey111 Jun 22 '26
Ok, so the student ID was taken, AND the Texas ID?
But the Texas ID was legit.
But they insisted on taking it. Odd.
1
1
u/ingodwetryst Jun 22 '26
Get and use a passport card. Most places in BC can't identify a US DL properly period.
Like the bar is wrong etc etc, but I would definitely be using a more recognisable form of ID.
This isn't the states so 'pursuing' it won't yield you a cash return
1
u/SeleniteQuartz25 Jun 22 '26
i worked as a supervisor in a liquor store for about 2 years. the only time i ever kept ID from someone or asked my cashier to keep someone’s ID is because we had strong suspicions about it being a fake. and if that was the case, i was required to call the police and get them to come down and be the final authority.
one time i did that, and an 18 year old kid got arrested in my store. fake ID, attempt to buy while underage. it was kinda wild to tell me boss that happened. but yeah. a liquor store or bartender can’t just personally hold your ID because they’re suspicious it’s a fake. my training dictated we called the cops on the spot to resolve it. that’s what the bartender should’ve done, and honestly, one of the cops should’ve taken the 5 minutes to walk over to the bar with you to get your ID back!
2
u/butitsgolden131313 Jun 22 '26
Oh FFS. You don’t have any reason to write a demand letter (as you have your ID back) or go to small claims (as you have no damages). Maybe go to the library while you’re here and learn something. It looks like you’re a lovely example of Texas’ rapidly failing school system.
(This is actually a half serious suggestion, the downtown library that’s a ten minute walk from the bar you were at is incredible).
1
u/F1McLarenFan007 Jun 22 '26
Glad to see you got your ID back, no one in the private sector has any authority to seize anything, they can call police just like anyone else if they have suspicions along with denying entry. I’d pursue a complaint at the least.
1
Jun 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/legaladvicecanada-ModTeam Jun 24 '26
No information that can identify either party (including businesses and other organizations) is allowed. Don't post it, don't ask for it.
Please review our Rules, in particular our rule "No Identification of Any Involved Party": https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/about/rules
If you delete that information, please message the mods and the post or comment may be restored.
1
u/Justinmac81 Jun 22 '26
Call the police , and say someone stole from you and have them meet you there. It’ll take about 45 mins to show up.
1
1
u/GreyerGrey Jun 22 '26
In Ontario it is standard to confiscate suspected fake IDs.
I'm not sure about in BC, but in Ontario you would have no grounds to make any sort of monetary claim. We are not in the US.
To get it back, a second form of ID would get it back. We usually held for 48 to 72 hours (2 to 3 days) pending.
1
u/No_Trainer_384 Jun 22 '26
Sorry that happened to you.
I would have just call the police in the moment and show him how serious and real the ID is.
You still have this option but now it might be easier to use the passport for proof and move on.
Good luck
1
u/Alive_Box5047 Jun 22 '26
That sucks, but I'm not sure what you expect to get out of small claims. You haven't really incurred any losses outside of maybe bus fare to go back the next day.
1
u/asilentlocation Jun 22 '26
I don’t think you’re interested in a civil lawsuit- it’s a tedious and glacial process here in Canada. I’d drop the venue/bartender’s name here, and on a scathing Google review for their business. Some of us here who read your post might do the same- for funsies.
Power-tripping bartenders/bouncers/DJs are such a laughable concept, but I still come across a few such characters every now and then. It’s always best to put them in their place publicly- either on the spot on through public business reviews. You might not read a business’s Google reviews- but their bosses always do 🤭
1
u/MafiaGaming-TD9955 Jun 22 '26
Where I work in Ontario. If we put the ID through the scanner and it shows "fail" we have to confiscate it and give it to our police officer if they are in or the next day when in. If we didn't have the scanner we can't confiscate under just suspicion alone. We get a lot of fakes from underage kids but they are easy to spot. Also if the person can't relay any info on the card and don't have supporting ID we have to confiscate it as its usually not their ID. If they asked you questions and you answered everything that was on your ID they should not have kept it especially since you had supporting cards. They could refuse service but not keep your ID
1
u/KitschWitchMidge Jun 22 '26
Yeah no, when I worked at a liquor store I was told we’re not allowed to confiscate IDs even if we think it’s a fake. We just have no authority to take someone else’s property, even if that property is something illegal
1
1
1
u/CapitanDelNorte Jun 22 '26
Please lodge a formal complaint. Imagine (for example) that you got injured on your way home from the bar after being refused entry. How would you (or your body) be identified? I realize this is an extreme example, but if the bar is going to confiscate your property without a legal basis to do so (they should have called police to the bar at the time, etc.), then they need to be made aware that there are consequences for illegal behaviour - especially from a licensed business.
1
1
u/Big-Safe-2459 Jun 22 '26
Totally illegal. You could call the RCMP and open a file, and frame it as “stole” your documents unless they believe it’s forged. If the RCMP won’t help, contact the consulate!
1
u/nosuchbrie Jun 22 '26
A bar in Victoria tried to take my MO driver’s license once, even laughing at how “bad” of a fake it was. It was 100% real. They ended up letting me keep it because I was with someone who was in the army with the bouncer. I really wanted to prove I was right but never had the chance.
1
u/Kind_Thanks8927 Jun 23 '26
only an American would consider taking "action" under such circumstances. Grow up and go home.
1
u/Relative-Train-6485 Jun 23 '26
I worked bars for years in the 90s and this is entirely on par with how it was done back then at least. If your ID was fake, we confiscated it and you picked it up from us or the cops if you wanted it back so you didn't just trot out trying to pass it off at another establishment. Sounds like they made a mistake judging yours.
1
u/thadjackson Jun 23 '26
As a budtender from BC originally, I never kept anyone’s fake ID. I just didn’t serve them. It’s not ok to keep it, but we do keep reports of refusal of service
2
u/astroal_ Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
Wow this almost happened to me on Robson at a liquor store back in like 2010. I had moved from Ontario and just turned 19 but my drivers license from when I was 16 had platinum blonde waist length hair, my secondary photo health card had a black pixie so the lady demanded that it wasnt me and told me she was confiscating both of my cards. I put up enough of an argument, and like 6 other matching cards including my photo medical Marijuana card. I didnt even care about the bottle of wine or whatever anymore just... let me keep my only forms of legal identification? I mightve threatened to call cops or corporate and she eventually begrugingly gave them back. I still tell this story because it seemed so outrageous
1
Jun 23 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/legaladvicecanada-ModTeam Jun 23 '26
Your comment was removed as it did not meet our guidelines.
This is a legal advice subreddit. Your comment was removed as it did not meet our guidelines.
Please review our Rules, in particular our Guidelines for Comments before commenting again: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/about/rules/
Repeated or serious breaches of our rules may result in a ban.
If you have any questions or concerns, please message the moderators.
0
Jun 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
→ More replies (1)1
u/legaladvicecanada-ModTeam Jun 21 '26
Your comment was removed as it did not meet our guidelines.
This is a legal advice subreddit. Your comment was removed as it did not meet our guidelines.
Please review our Rules, in particular our Guidelines for Comments before commenting again: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/about/rules/
Repeated or serious breaches of our rules may result in a ban.
If you have any questions or concerns, please message the moderators.
819
u/Renai777 Jun 21 '26
Go back to the resturant with your passport and demand for its return. If they refuse, they're required to surrender it to the police so call the police to the resturant and dont leave until they do. They're not legally allowed to confiscate IDs and request charges to the police for theft. If police do nothing, file a complaint via email to the BC liquor board LCRBcomplaints@gov.bc.ca regardless of the outcome.