ALEXANDRA ROBERTSON
The 1510 West

A growing movement to repair household items rather than tossing them in landfills is gaining traction in the West Island. The idea is to avoid having to throw away goods that can simply be fixed.

A new branch of a franchise that provides this service has opened up in Pierrefonds. It’s called the Repair Café, and it’s already a hit.

“We are not only fixing things, we are developing a rapport with the people as well,” said René Lévesque, one of four people who founded the Repair Café.

Lévesque started with the Montreal branch before the pandemic, and that one is going strong.

“We have help from the (borough) of Pierrefonds, but the effort really comes from the community,” he said.

As a service to the community and those who seek their help, Lévesque explained the café buys the tools used to fix items, but the emphasis is on demonstrating how to fix the appliance so that the owners can do it themselves in the future.

“It’s showing people that you can really make an environmental difference and help save the planet,” he explained.

The Pierrefonds chapter holds events once a month, and Lévesque admitted there’s a strong turnout every time.

“Last time, more than 80 people showed up,” he said. “We were sort of overwhelmed. There were too many people for what we could support.”

Many of the things they are asked to repair are every-day household items.

“We get a lot of lamps and items related to sewing. We have three people working at our events who have sewing machines, and they are very busy.”

There are a variety of items they can fix. However, for safety reasons, some will be turned away.

“One thing we do not fix is microwave ovens,” Lévesque said. “They can be pretty dangerous to fix. Because of that, we also don’t want people thinking that it’s safe to fix them up at home either.”

The movement has expanded so much that The Repair Café has been given a budget under the supervision of VertCité, which has been responsible for the Éco-quartier program in Pierrefonds-Roxboro since 2015. Under the Éco-quartier banner, it focuses on community environmental action and education.

“They collect tools and do advertising for us. It really helped with the structure around us,” Lévesque added.

“We will be happy to pick up a screwdriver, or whatever you have around the house, and show you how to fix it yourself.”

The organizer says that there are very few group events around where strangers come together and within an hour, become fast friends.

“Sometimes, people come to get their items fixed, and they end up becoming volunteers at our shop. They realize that they have skills they can use with us.”

The Pierrefonds branch of The Repair Café will be holding its next event on Saturday, June 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Pierrefonds Library, 13555 Pierrefonds Blvd. They will be offering a bike-repair clinic at this time as well. The following month, the event will be held at Centre Communautaire Gerry Robertson, 9665 Gouin Blvd., in the east end of Pierrefonds-Roxboro, on July 6.