The village of Knowlton, Quebec on beautiful Lac Brome was abuzz on November 20 and 21 for the first ever Quebec ShedFest. Shedders from the Lac Brome Men’s Shed welcomed the West Island Men’s Shed and representatives of several men’s groups from around the province of Quebec for a working session, with a view to joining forces and forming a Quebec Men’s Shed association. As Men’s Sheds Canada strives to promote the growth of the Shed movement across Canada, we know how important provincial associations are in supporting Sheds at the regional level.
A major ShedFest highlight was a visit to the Lac Brome Shed, which is located in a barn atop a picturesque hilltop. The building is an ongoing work in progress: aside from the well equipped workshop where members work on community projects for organizations like the Brome Lake Museum and the Knowlton Academy, they are renovating the barn’s upstairs to include a meeting room, kitchen and lounge, complete with billiards table.
Aside from healthy and collaborative discussion about the growth of Men’s Sheds in Quebec, another highlight of the meeting was an informative presentation on men’s mental health by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Watch for a link to the presentation in this website’s Men’s Health Research Compendium.