The prospect of a home for the Men’s Shed looms larger after last week’s committee of the whole meeting.
Council voted unanimously to direct administration to develop a partnership to create a space for the local chapter in one of the three bays at the Jasper Activity Centre’s garage.
The space adjacent to the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum was also considered after the Log Cabin at Centennial Park and locations in S-block were previously discarded by Men’s Shed organizers and Administration. The museum lot, however, would have come with a total estimated cost of $100,000 to $160,000.
As far as Men’s Shed organizers and supporters Jeff Wilson and Dave Smith are concerned, setting up the space at the garage sounds just about right.
“Even though the garage is a little on the small size, it's a much easier venue for us to start from,” Wilson said.
The bay right now is being used by the contractor involved in all the ongoing construction at the Jasper Activity Centre. The building, located between the new Ice Plant and the new Arena Change Rooms addition, was identified as the simplest and least expensive option, with between $35,000 to $45,000 of retrofit upgrades (include heating, water and sewer connection and possible electrical upgrades) in order to be functional.
“Originally, when we looked at that space, we were going to make it functional for our needs,” Wilson said. “It's their building. They can service it however they want.”
Making use of an existing building would also present less of a challenge in terms of both public acceptance and development approval requirements.
Men's Shed is an international organization that started approximately 30 years ago in Australia as a tool to help senior men work on their mental health issues, particularly depression and loneliness. Those founders recognized how men can often find it easier to talk about what’s bothering them when they are involved in some external project.
Though this is one objective, the future members will also build and fix items for the community, adding another benefit for Jasper.
Wilson said the local group’s application to gain non-profit status is in the works with potential members and supporters also emerging in the meantime.
The garage space itself needs more time as Activity Centre construction continues with the anticipation of the contractor no longer requiring the storage space by this summer.
The bay itself could be open and functional as early as the fall of 2024 subject to development approvals and funding.
“We want to get it underway,” Smith said. “Our needs will develop as programs develop.”
There is a community need for programs that work to ease men’s mental health problems. During the committee of the whole discussion, Coun. Wendy Hall noted that Canada experiences close to 4,000 deaths by suicide in Canada each year, and 75 per cent of those are men.
“Mountain towns can be isolating and lonely,” she said.
The committee was all in favour of directing administration to develop a partnership to create a Men’s Shed in one bay of the three-bay garage at the Activity Centre.
The pieces do seem like they’re being put in all the right places, Smith and Wilson agreed. It’s just a matter of time before the non-profit status is approved and then members can start signing up.
Smith said that the stronger the membership, the greater the benefits to Jasper all around. He emphasized that projects will be chosen to ensure that they don’t infringe on any private contractors in town. The Men’s Shed is meant for the public good, not to create ill will in any way.
“We'll be in the business of giving back,” he said.
“One of the things that really came up with the whole Men’s Shed movement is there's a lot of gentlemen that don't have a place to go or an outlet to talk to other people. Guys are far more likely to shoot the you-know-what when they're working with their hands, and there's another guy right next door and feel comfortable. That's what this is really about: it’s a social network for gentleman who might not have other social networks that allow them to express themselves and be part of the community.”
While the group will naturally focus on signing up members who are men aged 55 and over, it won’t be restrictive to anyone outside of those parameters who asks to join.
While a website is also in development, the local organizers do have a Facebook page at “Men's Shed Jasper Alberta” that people can follow for updates.
