COMMUNITY
Repairing the World
Grassroots do-it-yourself groups seek to fix our disposable culture.
By Valerie Howes | Illustrations by Sua Balac
I GREW UP IN THE 1980s in a house full of aging appliances and hand-me-down furniture, clothing and toys. Whether it was a debris-spewing vacuum or a teddy bear who’d lost an eye, if my parents couldn’t fix something themselves, they took it to a specialty shop. My mother taught me how to sew on buttons, and my science teacher, how to wire a plug.
Today, it’s often cheaper to replace than repair an appliance, and easier to click “Buy Now” than to pick up a needle and thread. What’s more, many have generationally lost the skills required to repair common household items. The result: more broken items are thrown out than ever before. Between 2002 and 2022, the amount of annual household waste disposed of in landfills or incinerated in Canada increased by 11 percent to reach 26.6 million tonnes. A University of Waterloo study from 2023 found that Canada’s electronic waste (e-waste) has more than tripled in the past two decades.
Thankfully, a shift is underway. In 2009, Dutch journalist Martine Postma launched an event she called a “repair café” in Amsterdam. It was a simple concept: volunteers with repair know-how would help participants fix the broken household items they brought in, keeping the goods in circulation and out of the landfill. There would be snacks, skill-building and community. And all of it would be offered free of charge.
The idea caught on, and in 2011, Postma founded the Repair Café Foundation to help diverse communities share information about how to organize their own events. Today, there are an estimated 2,500 repair cafés internationally, where volunteers help interested folks learn how to fix and mend rather than discard and replace. And in Canada, the repair café movement is flourishing, building community connections and offering participants a pathway to greater self-sufficiency and sustainability.
From knife sharpening to instrument repair
As a skilled furniture maker, Paul Ellis first used his knowledge for community good when he modified a vintage highchair for a little girl with multiple health challenges. Inspired, Ellis got involved with a volunteer repair café in Burlington, and in 2024, brought the concept to his home region. At the Niagara Repair Café, volunteers contribute their diverse talents — sewing, knife sharpening and instrument repair to name a few — to help community members mend and extend the life of their belongings through this community sustainability project.
Up to four times a month, the community repair café pops up in different venues where people bring in their lamps, toasters, and, on one memorable occasion, a great-grandmother’s rocking chair. “They wanted to give it another 100 years of life,” Ellis recalls. Ellis points out that until a few decades ago, do-it-yourself skills were often passed down through generations. And now? “Some people don’t know one end of a screwdriver from the other.” Through the Niagara Repair Café, locals can learn how to diagnose an issue, borrow the tools to fix broken items, learn where to order spare parts and how to do the actual repair themselves with the support of volunteers. With any luck, they’ll leave with new skills, confidence — and a working toaster.
Saved from the landfill
“Our landfill is filling up, and there’s a finite amount of time left to act,” says Bill Cole, the volunteer coordinator at Sault Ste. Marie’s first and only repair café. Launched in April 2025 by the environmental group Clean North, the Sault Ste. Marie Repair Café welcomed 25 volunteers and 41 visitors to their inaugural event, which took place at a local legion hall. Clean North plans to hold two events a year — one around Earth Day in April, and one in October. Skilled volunteers help less-handy locals with electrical, bike, textile and garment fixes. They’ve tackled everything from a vanity mirror with lights on the fritz to a dog leash in need of stitches.
The first event was organized in honour of the late Gary Huntley, a beloved community member in the Soo known for his ability to fix anything. “Everybody had a smile on their face for the whole day — it was just wonderful to be part of,” says Cole.
Skills for the circular economy
“We live in a disposable world — and a lot is done [by manufacturers] to prevent people from repairing things,” says Kevin Payne, owner of Darkside Technical Services in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. “Teaching people basic skills is a step in the right direction.”
Payne repairs household appliances and dental equipment for a living, but he’s passionate about skill-sharing, too. He offers free lunch-and-learns to staff at dental clinics on how to fix things such as drills and irrigation equipment, and he hosts free repair demos for the public every few months in his church basement workshop. At a typical event, participants learn basic electrical and mechanical maintenance and discuss the right-to-repair movement and why DIY skills matter. Folks of all ages and genders attend; sometimes parents accompany their teenagers. “The goal is to demystify things, so they aren't quite so intimidating,” Payne says.
Often using broken items brought in by participants — a 1960s iron, a tape deck — Payne sparks learning by encouraging participants to open things up, examine their insides and diagnose the problem. And the learning flows both ways. “People share sentimental stories about the items they want repaired,” he says. “And there might be a system on that item that I don't know enough about — but someone else does. And then they can just take over the teaching.” CAA
FIND ONE IN YOUR AREA
Many Canadian towns and cities host repair cafés on a regular basis. To find one near you, check out the international listings and location map at repaircafe.org, search for regional groups on Facebook, and scan the bulletin boards in your neighbourhood community centre or library.
VOLUNTEER OR DONATE
Repair cafés rely on volunteers with a range of expertise. Whether you’re handy with a screwdriver or a sewing machine, there’s a place for you. No time right now? Donations help with everything from space rentals to tool purchases to buying snacks and hot drinks for events.
How to get involved
Participating in or organizing a repair café is a rewarding way to connect with your community, reduce waste and learn new skills. Here’s how to do it.
BRING IN A BROKEN ITEM
Got a toaster, toy or favourite pair of jeans that needs some TLC? Bring it to your local repair café, connect with a volunteer and learn how to fix it. (If your item turns out to be beyond saving, at least you’ll know definitively and can dispose of it guilt-free.)
START ONE IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Want to learn how to start a repair café in your neighbourhood? The International Repair Café Foundation offers digital start-up kits, tips and support to help you organize local events, raise funds and build a team. Learn more at repaircafe.org.