Ottawa Men's Shed a place to tinker and talk

It's a place for tinkeringand talking.

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

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

There was none in urban Ottawauntil now.

Now agroup of interested menhas started a Men's Shed at The Good Companions at670 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, ishelping 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. Theyneed something to do," said Francis Savage, whois interested in joining the "Shed." Savage is newlyretiredand looking to socialize, but also wants to be productive.

Jack Lazarus, also newlyretired, 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 theirfeelings. And sometimes we don't want to talk about that. You want to shareactivities."

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 onthe social inclusion committee with the Council on Agingin 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, Manitobaand Quebec.

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