Repair Café at Vanier Community Hub

Throw it away? No way! Fix it at the Repair Café!

Repair Cafés are an international concept that has come to Ottawa with the goal of reducing landfill waste, teaching new skills, and building community!

Our past Repair Cafés have been very successful with volunteers fixing dozens of items and sharing their knowledge around everything from darning socks to re-wiring kettles. Join us, especially if you’re a member of the Vanier community, on Saturday, September 4th at Vanier Community Hub from 10am until 3pm (item registration ends at 2pm). It is a great day to come out and learn more about the Ottawa Tool Library and our community!

Some important things to know about Repair Café:

**You do not need to register on Eventbrite ahead of attending!** All registration will happen onsite.

Only a certain number of individuals will be registered per hour, on a first come, first to be fixed basis. Registrations for the next hour will begin at 5 minutes to that hour (ie. registration for 11:00am-12:00pm will begin at 10:55am). This structure is being used to provide everyone a fair chance at accessing this exciting program without having to wait for too long. You may register your item at the top of the hour between 10am and 2pm (the last hour of the day is just for fixing).

Please only bring ONE item to be fixed, as time and space are limited. If your item is missing a piece or needs a replacement part, please bring that as well. We ask that if you bring in textiles that they are clean.

Everyone is welcome at this free event, there will be coffee and snacks, and lots of people to meet and chat with!

Accessibility information:

This event will take place outdoors in the parking lot beside the Vanier Community Hub. There will be tents providing shade over the Fixer’s tables. Participants are encouraged to bring water and a chair (should that be needed), in case waiting in line is required.

Accessible washrooms are located nearby (more information available at event).

There will be be vapours in use from glue and other solvents.

FAQs

What is your COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocol?

Your safety is our top priority. In addition to following current public health guidelines set out by the city and the province, we have introduced the following safety measures:

• Masks will be mandatory at all times for volunteers and participants at the event.
• Only a select number of participants will be accepted per hour.
• All workstations will be at least 2 m apart and participants must maintain a 2 m distance from each other and event volunteers whenever possible.
• All workstations and tools will be sanitized by OTL team members between use.
• All participants and volunteers will be required to self-screen and attest that they are symptom free prior to entering the space.
• All participants and volunteers will be required to use hand sanitizer (provided) upon entering the OTL and at any point necessary during the workshop.

For more information about OTL’s COVID-19 response please see our website: https://ottawatoollibrary.com/covid-response/

We are monitoring changing public health guidelines closely.

What can I bring to the event?

Please bring ONE item to be fixed to allow time for everyone to see a fixer and learn new skills. If you bring more than one item, the first item will be registered and once it is fixed, the second item will be registered, and so on. You can bring small appliances, jewelry, eye glasses, (clean) clothes, small furniture, computers, bikes, and more! Please bring any replacement parts you’ll need to complete the fix, ie. buttons, switches, new power cords, and zippers.

Do I need to register here on Eventbrite?

We like knowing how many people are coming, so we can buy enough cookies, but also so we can prepare with enough volunteer fixers and helpers. Your registration helps us to plan and we really appreciate it.

What will happen when I arrive?

Registration of your broken and torn items is on a first come, first served basis between 10am and 2pm (the last hour of the day is just for fixing). When you arrive, a very nice team of people will welcome you, have you fill out a form with you name, email, postal code, and the item you’ve brought with you. We will also ask you to sign a waiver stating that you’re ok with us taking your photo and that we won’t get in trouble if you end up hurting yourself in the process of learning to fix your item. You’ll then go have a great cup of coffee and a snack, maybe chat with some neighbors, and wait until we call your name to meet with a fixer. After your item has been fixed and you’ve learned some new skills, you’ll bring your form over to the photo booth, have a cute picture taken with our FIXED! sign, and either be on your way, or hang out for a bit and see what’s happening!

If you would like to volunteer to be a fixer or helper at this, or future, Repair Cafes, please get in touch with rachel@ottawatoollibrary.com.