Bruce McKean

From global service to transformative philanthropy

Bruce McKean has lived a life shaped by public service, global experience and a deep understanding of how profoundly mental health affects individuals, families and communities. A retired diplomat and longtime philanthropist, McKean has focused his giving on areas where need is profound and sustained attention has too often been lacking, both in Canada and around the world.

After completing a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at the University of Victoria in 1970, McKean embarked on a career in public service that took him across continents and sectors. He taught high school in Papua New Guinea with CUSO, joined Canada’s foreign service with postings in India, Thailand and Egypt, and later worked with Natural Resources Canada and the international mining industry on policy, sustainability and environmental stewardship.

A personal motivation for supporting mental health

McKean’s commitment to mental health is rooted in personal experience and loss. Over the course of his life, he has witnessed the effects of untreated mental illness on individuals and families, including suicide among close relatives and the decades-long struggle of his godson, who lives with schizophrenia.

“I have seen mental illness severely impact individuals, families and communities,” he says. “So, when it became possible for me to do something with my money, mental health was the most important priority.”

McKean’s philanthropy was formalized in 2017 with the establishment of the Waverley House Foundation, building on years of earlier giving through personal initiatives and the Ottawa Community Foundation. His most widely recognized contribution came through a cumulative $203-million donation to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health—the largest mental health donation in Canadian history. The gift is funding the Waverley House Secure Care and Recovery Building, designed to provide dignified, recovery-focused care for individuals living with complex mental illness who have become entangled in the criminal justice system.

Beyond its scale, McKean’s giving reflects a clear philosophy. He is particularly committed to research—work that is essential but often difficult to fund.

“The tools available to doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists have changed very little in 50 or 60 years in the face of enormous challenges,” he observes. “Research is hard, takes time and is rarely successful—even if there are lessons learned and experience gained in the process.”

For McKean, philanthropy has a specific role to play: creating space for long-term inquiry where public funding may be constrained by political cycles or public visibility, a belief that also underpins his relationship with UVic.

“Citizens often want more buildings, beds and doctors. With the photo ops and the ribbon cuttings that go with them, it’s easier to find money,” he says.

Honouring Indigenous knowledge and long-term change

In 2020, McKean made a transformative gift to establish the Chief Mungo Martin Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health, supporting research that centres Indigenous knowledge and addresses the ongoing impacts of colonialism on mental health and wellbeing. His inspiration reaches back to childhood visits to Thunderbird Park in Victoria, where he watched Kwakwaka’wakw master carver Chief Mungo Martin at work.

“I would stand there by the railings with the scent of the cedar chips,” he recalls. “The realization about the importance of the work he was doing and the culture that he was preserving came to me much later.”

Over time, as McKean reflected on the overrepresentation of Indigenous Peoples in prisons and among those living with untreated mental illness, the connection became unavoidable.

“When I look at the demographics of the prison population in Canada—the people suffering from severe mental illness, the intergenerational impacts of residential schools and the denial of culture, language and ceremony—the idea of including a First Nations element within a broader focus on mental health research came very easily,” he says.

McKean’s philanthropy has also extended internationally through early support for the Brain and Mind Institute at the Aga Khan University in Nairobi, Kenya, helping advance mental health research across Africa and Asia.

McKean remains engaged with UVic as a donor and supporter and emphasizes the importance of both individual and collective action.