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Got a broken thing? Repair Cafe is once again looking for stuff to fix

Week-long Repair Cafe will be a drop-off/pick-up situation due to COVID-19 protocols
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Campbell River’s Repair Cafe is on once again next week at the Sportsplex. It’ll just look a little different than people are used to. Mirror File Photo

A global pandemic shouldn’t make us wasteful.

Being wasteful is exactly what the City of Campbell River has been attempting to curb with its Repair Cafe initiative over the past number of years, and despite a pandemic, they’re holding another one next week.

The idea is simple.

Do you have something that’s broken that you’d rather see fixed than replaced with a new one? Bring it to the volunteer fixers at the Repair Cafe and see what they can do.

Normally, the event is held over the course of one day on a weekend, people would bring their broken things to the Sportsplex gym and watch as someone tried to get it working properly. But due to COVID-19 protocols – gathering is frowned upon these days – that can’t happen.

But according to the city’s recreation program coordinator Linda Nagle, there are ways to make it happen. After all, they managed to do one last fall, as well. One of the ways is to hold it over the course of a whole week, rather than one day.

“We’re teaming up with local volunteers to offer another COVID-conscious Repair Cafe this April,” Nagle says in the city press release announcing the dates. “Safe drop-off and pickup procedures will be in place to accept damaged or broken household items. If you can carry it, we will try and fix it!”

One of the Cafe’s regular fixer volunteers, Dr. David Baar, will be available to help fix electronics such as computers, digital cameras, audio- visual components, cordless phones, corded phones, and headphones. Barr is a physicist, engineer and computer scientist and is an advocate for repair and reuse.

“One of my particular repair priorities is electronic devices of all kinds,” Barr says. “That is partly because of my own technical background, but also because of the various toxic materials in their components. I would like to see them kept out of the waste stream.”

Bring items to the Sportsplex between 9 and 10 a.m., or between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. from April 12 to 16. Items will be distributed to volunteer fixers based on their skills. Find more information on the city’s website and on the Campbell River Recreation and Culture Facebook Page before and during the event week.

Questions about the initiative can be forwarded to Karen Chappell at Karen.chappell@campbellriver.ca or Heather Bailey at heather.bailey@campbellriver.ca

RELATED: Don’t chuck it out, see if it can be fixed!



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