Landsberg urges openness on mental health

People need to talk about the struggles they face in order to remove stigma around mental health, an advocate told hundreds of municipal leaders in Brandon on Wednesday.

Former TSN sports journalist and “Off the Record” host Michael Landsberg was the day’s keynote speaker at the Association of Manitoba Municipalities spring convention.

“I was on TV every day, not one person ever said, ‘Are you OK?’ Because you learned to wear the mask,” Landsberg said at the UCT Pavilion at the Keystone Centre.

Landsberg’s 40-minute speech centred around his personal mental-health struggles, including during his time as a TV host.

He said he is sharing his personal struggles to encourage other people to reflect on their lives and the people around them.

“It’s the thing that we don’t talk about. It’s the thing that affects more of us in terms of an illness than anything else,” Landsberg said.

“We need to treat mental health like we treat dental health, and then everything would disappear.”

Landsberg’s talk included clips of his sports show with former NHL player Stéphane Richer, who spoke about his struggles during his playing career. At the end of the segment, Landsberg said the issue also affects him.

The hours and days after the show aired were filled with people reaching out to him about the subject, he said, adding that there was one man who was preparing to commit suicide before he heard the show and messaged Landsberg by email.

Landsberg later went on to be the best man at his wedding and they remain friends today.

In his speech, Landsberg encouraged people to seek help, and to give people who might be affected some hope.

“I want you to ask yourself, ‘Does my mental health allow me to live my best life?’ And answer it honestly. And if the answer is no, then I want you to do something about it,” he said.

“Take some action. Fight for your own happiness, because if you can’t do it, if you won’t do it, who will?”

The presentation ended with a standing ovation from the crowd, and several municipal leaders speaking to Landsberg one on one.

Kathy Valentino, AMM’s president and a city councillor in Thompson, said having Landsberg speak is important because mental health can affect everyone.

She said municipal officials are seeing increased abuse. That includes a display depicting council members being hanged in the RM of Taché last October and a grader being shot at in the Municipality of Alexander in November, along with threats online.

“You see a lot of harassment (against) municipal officials. So whatever we can do at AMM to be able to provide an avenue of some kind of support for elected officials, that’s what we’ll do,” Valentino said.

On Tuesday, charges were also laid against a Winnipeg man for sending threatening letters to NDP cabinet minister Nahanni Fontaine.

The AMM also released a toolkit to help officials late last year.

A breakout session at the convention on Wednesday also focused on the abuse officials face online.

Brandon Coun. Tyson Tame said the keynote speech was “extremely impactful” to him.

“From my perspective today, my tiny tidbit is that I’ve done a poor job of reaching out to people that I know struggle in this way, and it has reignited in me a commitment to reach out to those people,” Tame (Ward 10) said.

“We need to look out for each other, and to be kind, because we never know what someone in our vicinity is dealing with.”

Tame said it can be difficult for municipal leaders to reach out for help and be vulnerable, and Landsberg’s address is beneficial.

“For him to be able to illustrate that it’s not a weakness, and that seeking out help is actually a sign of strength, not weakness — I just think this was fabulous,” Tame said.

“It was really one of the best talks, if not the best, I’ve ever heard in my life.”

He said it will also help leaders have a better understanding of people in their communities.

One chief administrative officer from the eastern part of the province said the presentation will help leaders create better communities.

“Anytime people can talk about mental health and feel free to talk about mental health, I think is the most important part,” Dave Little with the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie said.

He said the RM has a focus on healthy living, and the mental health side of that is just as important as the physical aspect.

» alambert@brandonsun.com