A Halifax restaurant is now encouraging a side of reconciliation conversation with its rib eye steak.
“Growing up, we didn’t really hear much about this,” Sam Murphy said. “When I read more about it and learned kind of what happened, it just… You just kind of feel like you should do something.”
Murphy is the co-owner of the Barrington Steakhouse and Oyster Bar. On Monday, the restaurant opened what’s called a Legacy Room.
The purpose is for people to use the space to discuss reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous people without judgment.
The room is part of the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund.
READ MORE: Gord Downie inspires Aboriginal awareness room
Chief Morley Googoo came up with the idea of establishing these rooms one day while in the restaurant.
The restaurant has decorated a room for private event space for the project.
About 15 other Legacy Rooms have been set up in Canada so far.
“A lot of the rooms are going to be very different, and each room in each region is going to reflect that region’s legacy of residential schools,” said Googoo.
Participants providing space for these rooms are required to contribute $25,000 paid over five years to fund other reconciliation projects.
Googoo said part of his inspiration to introduce the room came from Downie‘s push for Canadians to do more regarding reconciliation.