Don’t toss it, fix it: Inside Canada’s growing repair economy

Across Canada, a community of fixers, entrepreneurs and advocates is challenging our throwaway culture. There are now more than 58 officially registered repair cafés across the country. On the global stage, Repair Café Réparation de la Vallée-du-Richelieu in Quebec became the 4,000^th to join the international repair café network, which has grown by 25 per cent in less than three years.

These volunteer-led gatherings are bringing broken household items back to life in libraries and community centres, while workshops are helping people rediscover practical skills. Meanwhile, right-to-repair advocates are pushing for legislation that would make it easier for consumers and independent businesses to fix everything from smartphones to household appliances.

For Anthony Rosborough, an assistant professor of law and computer science at Dalhousie University whose work focuses on the right to repair, the renewed interest represents a growing frustration with consumer culture. “There’s a real pushback from people where they just want to assert control over the situation.”

Some are motivated by environmental concerns, others by the rising cost of living. But the common thread, he suggests, is a desire to reclaim some autonomy over the things we own.

The joy of fixing

At a typical Repair Café Toronto event, the soundtrack is a mixture of whirring tools, animated conversations and the occasional ringing bell. That bell signals a successful repair, prompting a round of applause from volunteers and visitors alike.

Founded in 2013, the volunteer-driven organization hosts free events where Torontonians can bring broken electronics, small appliances, clothing, jewelry and other household items to be examined by experienced fixers.

Visitors are encouraged to sit alongside their fixer, learning how to troubleshoot and, when possible, participating in the repair themselves. There’s coffee and tea, plenty of conversation and a communal sense of accomplishment.

“It’s about human connections, and working together to solve a problem,” says co-founder Wai Chu Cheng.

The appetite for these gatherings has grown dramatically. In 2014, its first full year, Repair Café Toronto organized 11 events. In 2026, the organization and its community partners are offering approximately 170 across the city, Cheng says.

Cheng has noticed that visitors increasingly come for the social experience and that more young people are interested in learning repair skills. The organization even offers opportunities for apprentice fixers to shadow experienced volunteers.

Cheng recalls watching a young boy work with a volunteer to restore a rusty bike that had been passed down by his older brother, who considered it unusable. The fixer patiently showed him how to remove rust from the chain and explained how the gears worked.

An hour later, Cheng spotted the boy happily riding the bike around the courtyard, eager to show his brother that it worked again. The reward wasn’t just a functioning bike, but acquiring a new skill and learning that something discarded could still have value.

Turning a movement into an economy

Rosborough points out that Canada once had a robust network of neighbourhood repair businesses. Think back to the 1970s and 1980s, he says, when local electronics shops were commonplace and many household appliances came with detailed service manuals and information about ordering replacement parts. Over time, that ecosystem eroded as manufacturers consolidated control over repairs and replacement became increasingly convenient.

Today, many products are difficult to open without specialized tools, and replacement parts or repair information can be difficult to access. Some manufacturers even restrict access to the software needed to diagnose and service devices.

Cheng sees these frustrations firsthand. Sometimes the cost of a professional repair exceeds the price of a replacement. Other times, products are simply designed in ways that make repairs impractical, with components glued together or sealed inside their casings. “Because of the cost factor, it discourages people from finding a fix,” she says.

There’s also the problem of confidence. People who’ve never learned to repair something may feel intimidated by the prospect of taking it apart, even when the fix itself is relatively straightforward.

The question, then, is whether Canada’s returning repair culture can become something more substantial than a patchwork of volunteer initiatives.

In May 2026, Dalhousie University hosted the second Canadian Repair Convention, bringing together researchers, repairers, industry representatives and policymakers to discuss the future of the sector.

Rosborough, who helped organize the event, says one important takeaway was the need to move beyond advocacy and offer more practical support to community repair organizations.

One proposed initiative already underway is a national insurance scheme for repair cafés, which would help groups obtain coverage for activities that can carry liability risks, such as countertop appliances.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Repair Coalition, known as CanRepair, is working to strengthen the national movement and advocate for reforms.

At the federal level, Bill C-267, introduced in March 2026, proposes a national framework to promote the durability and repairability of electronic products and essential household appliances.

Rosborough believes consumers could also benefit from clearer information at the point of purchase, such as repairability or durability scores that would help shoppers understand whether a product is likely to last. But he cautions against building a repair economy that simply hands manufacturers more control over the process. “It needs to be decentralized,” he says, with responsibility and opportunities distributed among consumers, independent businesses and community organizations.

Cheng agrees that volunteer fixers are only one part of the solution. Repair cafés often refer visitors to professional shops when specialized expertise, equipment or parts are required. She’d like to see more repair businesses in Canadian neighbourhoods, along with apprenticeship programs that help people develop the skills to work in the sector.

After all, a functioning repair economy should do more than save consumers money and keep products out of landfills. It should create local jobs, support small businesses and keep valuable skills circulating within communities.

And when Canadians can independently maintain the products and equipment they rely on, Rosborough argues, the country becomes more economically resilient.

“While all the products we buy might be overwhelmingly imported, repair is always Canadian and it’s always local,” Rosborough says.