Ottawa Men's Shed a place to tinker and talk

It's a place for tinkering and talking.

The Men's Shed movement gives guys a space where they can hang out, meet new friends and learn skills such as woodworking, carpentry and cooking. There might also be movie nights, coffee klatches or even just "yelling at the TV during the playoffs," according to Men's Sheds Canada's website.

There are dozens of Men's Sheds across Canada and thousands around the world, all patterned after the original groups established decades ago in Australia. Locally, there are chapters in Perth, Carleton Place, Mississippi Mills, Arnprior and Almonte.

There was none in urban Ottawa — until now.

Now a group of interested men has started a Men's Shed at The Good Companions at 670 Albert St. (The project is entirely independent of the seniors' centre where it's hosted.)

David Shackleton, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Men and Families Ottawa, is helping the Ottawa Men's Shed get off the ground.

"Men die younger than women, we know that they commit suicide at higher rates than women, we know that they suffer from depression," Shackleton said. "I think that we tend to focus our energies on women and children in society, and we tend to neglect men's issues. So I think this is an important initiative that addresses men specifically."

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Shoulder to shoulder

"Men don't just get together like women just get together. They need something to do," said Francis Savage, who is interested in joining the "Shed." Savage is newly retired and looking to socialize, but also wants to be productive.

Jack Lazarus, also newly retired, is looking forward to getting involved in a group just for men.

Women's groups are different," he said. "Men talk about what they're doing, and women talk about their feelings. And sometimes we don't want to talk about that. You want to share activities."

A slogan for the original Australian movement summed that up nicely: "Men don't talk face to face, they talk shoulder to shoulder."

Just don't call it a 'man cave'

"A man cave is a place where the goal is to get away from the kids, the wife [and] the business. A man sort of locks himself into a little bubble and watches TV. This is just the opposite of that. It gets guys out. They're relating. Maybe they're talking, maybe they're not talking," said Rick Strong, who sits on the social inclusion committee with the Council on Aging in Ottawa.

"I have always found the concept of the man cave a bit deprecating," said Shackleton. "The essence of it is a primitive notion — a cave. I think that this is a much healthier idea."

In addition to the chapters across eastern Ontario, there are Men's Sheds in the Greater Toronto Area, B.C., Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec.

If you're curious about Ottawa's first Men's Shed, there's more information here. For more about the broader Men's Shed movement, check out this link.