‘I’m a man who struggles’: London skateboarder helps launch new health strategy for men and boys

London Olympic skateboarding hopeful Richie Bullbrook was in Ottawa to discuss a federal mental health initiative for men and boys. Brent Lale explains.

A London skateboarder is sharing his mental health story, in hopes of helping fellow Canadians.

“I’m a man who struggles, and I want other men to feel like they can say that as well,” said Richie Bullbrook, while in Ottawa helping the federal government launch a new men’s health strategy.

“Last year, I suffered the most serious concussion of my life, and for about four months I didn’t know if I would ever live a normal life again, let alone skateboard,” Bullbrook told the crowd at the podium.

He continued, “That experience taught me a lot, and it nearly broke me. It forced me to confront my mental health in a very real way, and it taught me that asking for help is not optional.”

The new strategy aims to improve the mental health of men and boys.

Advocacy group Movember and researchers from the University of British Columbia released a report last summer calling on the federal government to create such a strategy.

“Too often the message men and boys hear is to tough it out, to stay quiet and to deal with it alone,” said Minister for Women and Gender Equality Rechie Valdez. “But real strength is taking care of your health.”

The group says 75,000 Canadian men died prematurely between 2020 and 2023 and many of their deaths were from preventable causes.

“28 per cent of men meet criteria for substance use disorder at some point of their lives,” said Minister of Health Marjorie Michel. “Some cancers, including liver cancer, disproportionately affect men. We need to act. Improving men’s health would not only reduce suffering but improve well-being. It would also strengthen our economy. Estimates suggest better men’s health could save Canada’s 12.4 billion [dollars] each year.”

An online survey will be released in March.

Bullbrook is set to travel to Brazil this week to compete at the World Skateboarding Championships. He is training towards competing at the 2028 Summer Olympics.

“For many athletes, especially in my sport, an entire lifetime of work leads to about 45 seconds on the Olympic stage and then it’s over,” said Bullbrook, a member of the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation.

He continued, “That is a heavy weight to carry. There’s a real crisis of Olympic athletes struggling with depression, identity loss and suicide after the games. If I didn’t actively protect my mental health, I would not be standing here today.”

He shared how he lost his father and uncle to alcoholism. His father hid his substance abuse problem for years, but eventually it caused liver cirrhosis.

“We need to normalize vulnerability in men,” said Bullbrook. “We need to encourage uncomfortable conversations, and we need to treat mental health with the same seriousness as physical health.”

He is encouraging everyone to have those “uncomfortable conversations.”

“I dedicate this journey to my dad and every man who’s fighting something no one else can see,” said Bullbrook. “Finally, I want to congratulate my fellow Canadian athletes who’ve just competed in Italy. Take care of yourselves as you come down from this high. You’ve made Canada very proud.”

More details on the strategy can be found online.