ESTEVAN — Anyone who's ever been to Barley's Bar in Torquay knows that not a single can tab ends up in the regular recycling bag there.
Brian Leifso, who ran the bar alongside his wife Faythe Eastwood since 2010, started the habit of taking the tabs off their beer or pop cans many years ago, and got many regulars hooked on doing the same. He originally wanted to give the collected aluminum to the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital, which was being built at the time. But he didn't get a chance to complete the project.
After Leifso passed away last November following a long battle with cancer, Eastwood decided she wanted to finish off what Leifso started. She wasn't able to donate the tabs to the children's hospital, but with the help of Don Cowan of Estevan, she ended up giving tabs to the Pasqua Hospital's cancer centre in Regina.
By April 14, when Cowan came to pick up the donation, the Barley's Bar owners, staff, customers and several people in the Torquay area had collected 11 20-litre jars, which equalled 189.5 pounds. One pound is about 1,127-1,430 tabs, according to various Ronald McDonald House and Tabs for Wheelchairs websites. It takes about 50 pounds to purchase one wheelchair, as Cowan was told at the Pasqua Hospital.
That means that the Barley's Bar donation initiated by Leifso, which came as a huge surprise for the centre, may help cover the expenses of almost four wheelchairs or other equipment needs the centre may have.
Cowan has been collecting can tabs from about 85-100 people in the southeast and a few people further away, and taking them to the hospital for about 12 years. The tabs he brought in on April 19, which included those from Barley's Bar along with those he picked up from other contributors, came out to 420 pounds and turned out to be the biggest one-time donation the hospital has received from anybody, including organizations, or so he's been told.
Cowan said people accepting his delivery at Pasqua Hospital were ecstatic about it, and he felt proud of everyone who saves tabs to donate to the hospital. Throughout his years of doing it, he has delivered 2,287 lbs of tabs so far.
In the interview with the Mercury, Eastwood shared that for many people, collecting tabs turned into a habit that extended beyond the bar walls.
"We had a few people bring small bags of tabs in every so often. And speaking of that, when I'm walking through the parking lot and I see a tab on the ground, I have to lean down and pick it up and put it in my pocket," Eastwood said with a laugh.
She said she wanted to bring this project started by Leifso to fruition after his passing as a way to pay a tribute to his life and celebrate the kind of man he was.
"I just wanted him to get credit for the tabs," Eastwood said.
A Saskatchewan man, Leifso was born in Assiniboia and spent his young years in the Crane Valley area. Throughout his life he lived in Alberta, B.C. and even in the U.S. before returning to his home province and then moving from Moose Jaw and making Torquay his home.
He drove trucks and hauled water to oil rigs, ran a bar in Comox on Vancouver Island, and tried many other jobs. He was keen on gardening and had a genuine interest in compost teas. He started a greenhouse in their backyard and had many plants in and around the eatery all year round.
The family took over the bar in 2010, and since then many things have changed and developed. As Leifso was a cowboy in his heart, the building got some western spirit and style to it. It also acquired an outdoor extension with a stage and a deck. Before the pandemic, the bar would have bands visiting quite often with some coming in for just one day and others performing for two nights in a row.
The bar was also rebuilt inside and has constantly been getting more and more unique and personalized décor such as oil rig and other signs, pictures and more.
"He wanted things to be nice, he wanted people to be comfortable and relaxed, and we get lots of comments on the bar. People are happy with it," Eastwood shared.
For several years Leifso was involved with Goodwater's Bird Doggin Classic – a non-profit yearly event that raises money to release and restock pheasants. He would also get involved with other projects, fundraisers and events in and around Torquay. Many people would stop by to visit with him, as Leifso was very sociable, a good host and a good friend.
"The Sunday before he passed away, we had two goose hunters here. And when they came home that Sunday night, they were telling me they stopped at the hospital and saw Brian and they said, 'We had such a good visit with him. He was joking. And we really had a good visit,'" Eastwood shared.
"He was good. He was a nice man. I still miss him."
