Words Michelle Clement
Photos Repair Café
Repair Café North Saanich has recently celebrated a remarkable five years of community connection, waste reduction and hands-on repair. What began as a conversation over coffee in late 2019 has grown into a vibrant local movement – now marking more than 7,800 volunteer hours contributed to the community.
Co-founders Marlyn and Susan met at a Zero Waste Workshop in 2019 and were challenged to take one small action toward reducing waste. Inspired by the international Repair Café model, they decided to bring the idea home to the Saanich Peninsula. Despite launching in the uncertainty of the pandemic, the first Café opened its doors in July 2020, hosting 11 volunteers, six visitors and eight repaired items – including a now-legendary power washer that required quick thinking and outdoor plumbing ingenuity.
From that modest start, Repair Café North Saanich has become a thriving example of community sustainability. Today, the organization counts over 70 active volunteers, averages 120 items repaired each month, and has achieved an 80% fix rate for the 3,750 items evaluated to date.
“Every broken item that gets a second life is one less thing headed for the landfill,” says co-founder Susan Mcdonald. “But more importantly, every event strengthens relationships – between neighbours, generations, and skills that might otherwise be lost.”
Originally hosted by St. John’s United Church, the Café found a new home in January 2024 at Deep Cove Elementary School, where community engagement continues to grow. Recent collaborations have included a student Repair Club that created robot lamps from recycled materials, a Bike-Focus Café with RCMP registration and local cycling partners, and pop-up events at Camosun College, the Sidney Library, and the Inter-Cultural Association.
The Café hopes to find a space to be able to move into Sidney this year, making it easier for people to get to by bus, foot and car. It will open them up to a larger community and a more central location but a space in the core of Sidney hasn’t been found yet. If anyone has ideas for a spot that may fit the bill, please email repaircafenorthsaanich
@gmail.com.
Beyond repairs, the Café has shared more than $10,500 in donations with 15 local non-profits, demonstrating its commitment to reinvesting in the community it serves.
Repair Café North Saanich extends gratitude to its volunteers, hosts, and supporters as it marks this milestone. “Together, we are making a difference in our community,” Clement adds – echoing the phrase that has closed every Café newsletter since day one.
About Repair Café North Saanich
Repair Café North Saanich is a volunteer-run, non-profit initiative that promotes repair, reuse and community skill-sharing. Monthly Cafés are held the third Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and residents are invited to bring household items, clothing, Blundstones, wool, electronics, sharpening, jewelry, watches and tools for free repair assistance – reducing waste and building local resilience.
For more information, visit www.repaircafenorthsaanich.ca.
