The former headquarters of the Savages Motorcycle Club at 2775 Spencer Rd. sits behind a rendering of its future: The Forge.
For Langford Coun. Kimberley Guiry, a request for the city to support a new trades-focused mental health centre struck a deeply personal chord.
Work is underway to transform the former headquarters of the Savages Motorcycle Club at 2775 Spencer Rd. into the Forge, a new hub offering peer support, recovery coaching, counselling and community-building programs designed for B.C.’s trades workforce living with mental health and addiction challenges.
The building was purchased by the Construction Foundation of BC, and to help launch the project, the West Shore Developers Association has donated $5,000, asking the city to match their contribution.
The appeal stirred memories for Guiry – who is a qualified cabinet maker – of a colleague who died two years ago after struggling with mental health challenges.
“To say that this is a loss to the world as a whole is an understatement, because this person was incredibly special,” she said at the Aug. 18 meeting, recalling how he supported her during her apprenticeship when she experienced sexual harassment.
“Not only did he say ‘I believe you,’ he said, ‘You know I’m kinda done working here too,’” she remembered. “So he found another job and he used his resources and brought me along with him – it fundamentally changed my introduction into the trades.
“He was delightful, funny, and had his own issues and challenges.”
Guiry said she doesn’t know if a facility like the Forge could have helped her colleague, but believes it will be “incredibly impactful” for others.
“Mental health has stigma, addiction has stigma, being a tradesperson has stigma – so there’s a lot of assumptions made,” she said. “It’s lonely when you’re dealing with these things, and the loneliness just compounds the issues.”
She also stressed the importance of having resources close to home, removing the need for people to have to travel to Victoria to access “impactful life-saving interactions.”
“I love the idea of being a hub of recovery in Langford and the West Shore,” she said. “It speaks to the inclusiveness of our community … and the understanding that we’re complex individuals with complex needs, and we don’t need to judge each other for having a life experience that’s different from each other.”
At the meeting, councillors unanimously agreed to match West Shore Developers Association’s $5,000 donation.
“Whether we like it or not, we probably all know somebody who uses drugs, we probably love somebody who uses drugs,” said Coun. Colby Harder in support of the donation.
“And it’s time for all of us to step up and start changing the narrative around this, because it’s not just a local issue, it’s a national issue.”
Noting that tradespeople are over-represented in overdose and suicide statistics, Harder said she was grateful for the chance to support “the folks I see in the Tim Hortons lineup, sitting next to me on the bus, the people who are literally building our community.”
The two organizations plan to encourage the wider West Shore business community to step up and show their support for the facility.
“It’s a great opportunity to build momentum behind a cause that affects so many of our residents, workers and families,” said Ron Coutre, president of West Shore Developers Association, in a letter to council.
Shared by: Goldstream Gazette
