Fundraiser launched for New Westminster restaurant destroyed by fire
Posted May 25, 2021 12:46 pm.
Last Updated May 25, 2021 12:51 pm.
NEW WESTMINSTER (NEWS 1130) – The New Westminster community has come together to support the Heritage Grill restaurant after a fire on Monday.
A GoFundMe page for the local bar and grill more than doubled its original $5,000 goal in less than a day, raising over $10,600 in just 18 hours.
Donations and messages of support continue to pour in from the devastated community for Heritage Grill owner Paul Minhas, an ally for the LGBTQ+ community and New Westminster artists.
GoFundMe page creator Geoff McLennan cited the need to support the community hub “with the same support [Paul Minhas] shared with the rest of [the community] for years.”
This is heartbreaking. I have many memories from Casablanca’s nightclub upstairs in the 1980s & the last 15+ years at Heritage Grill attending wonderful community & private events or just dropping in for a drink. Thinking of Paul, all other business owners & staff right now https://t.co/MnpshOsg42 pic.twitter.com/NK0WaT1utZ
— Ruby Campbell (@RubyCampbell) May 25, 2021
On Monday evening, a fire in downtown New Westminster (Spelling!!!) ravaged several businesses, including the Heritage Grill, which was a gathering spot for patrons of all background.
Within hours of the fire, social media was flooded with messages of shock from community members who shared their memories of the restaurant.
No! This is just awful. I loved parking myself at the Heritage Grill for New West Pride it may as well be the only gay bar off of Davie Street. https://t.co/dYyIuCsNbx
— Peter McCartney (@Climate_Pete) May 24, 2021
The back room the #heritagegrill was the best venue outside of Vancouver. https://t.co/ShPEusfYod
— Rob Peregoodoff (@rperegoodoff) May 25, 2021
As a final goodbye, Heritage Grill owners took to Facebook to thank the community and reflect on their 16 years of business, saying “the monumental loss will hit home for us and the community in the coming days and weeks.”
The fire was first spotted at around 3 a.m. Monday. It shut down a stretch of Columbia Street for several hours, with flames eventually collapsing the roof of one building.
It’s unclear what caused the fire.
-With files from Monika Gul and Nikitha Martins
