Bio: Lawson Hunter is the Founder of the Burlington Repair Cafe, a non-profit, grass roots, volunteer run group of men and women who have fixed over 1,000 appliances and mechanical items over the past seven years. Upon hearing about the International Repair Cafe organization based in the Netherlands, he decided to start one in his community of Burlington Ontario, Canada.  Lawson is a freelance writer and a committed environmentalist and climate activist. His former employment include stints as an arts administrator, a public relations consultant,  a tv and radio host, a volunteer coordinator, and a press secretary to an Ontario Cabinet Minister. Lawson is pleased to be a member of the Canadian Repair Coalition.

Abstract: Repair Cafés show the right to repair in action: helping people keep household items in use, reduce waste, and resist disposable consumer culture. Drawing on seven years founding and growing the Burlington Repair Café, this presentation explains how community repair builds practical skills, environmental empowerment, and public support for repair legislation. It will also explore how Repair Cafés can help broaden CanRepair’s membership and public reach. 

Bio: Josh Lepawsky (he/him; settler) is Professor of Geography at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. He researches the environmental geographies of the tech sector. More about his work can be found at: https://electronicplanet.xyz/about/blog/

Abstract: This presentation / discussion is about understanding and contextualizing global repair markets and how they intersect with emerging possibilities for advancing right to repair advocacy. I draw on a global dataset about users of free, open-source online repair manuals to map the location and size of global patterns of repair activity. Although far from complete, these data offer an indicative view of repair markets around the world and hint at the global stakes for right to repair advocacy. To better understand those stakes I draw on arguments made by Canadian digital rights and policy advocates about emerging possibilities for right to repair advocates seeking to build political coalitions necessary to reshape the legal and policy landscape around right to repair. 

Bio: Etienne Baqué is a resident of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. Along with a few friends and neighbors, he started the Repair Café movement in the South Shore region last year. He's currently helping in organizing more events as well as passing on knowledge to other South Shore residents who wish to start their own Repair Café for their community.

Abstract: The Repair Café movement thrives on reproducibility. What began as Bridgewater's first Repair Café quickly evolved into a regional support system where experienced volunteers pass on knowledge to new organizers across the South Shore. By sharing tips from organizing past events and by writing then sharing resources freely, organizers empower neighbouring communities to launch their own initiatives. This is more than a series of events — it's a democratic movement that invites every community to weave its own culture of sustainability and self-reliance.

Bio:  Prior to retiring from a 40 year post secondary teaching career, Ken began volunteering as a jewellery fixer with Repair Cafe Toronto (RCT) in 2016. He is also the right to repair lead with RCT, a member of the Canadian Repair Coalition, a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and an Emeritus Professor at OCAD University in Toronto.

Abstract: Education is central to both right-to-repair advocacy and the Repair Café movement. This presentation explores how Repair Cafés build public repair literacy by showing that products can often be fixed, teaching practical skills, and encouraging knowledge-sharing among fixers and communities. It also argues for renewed attention to hands-on education in schools, colleges, and universities to support repairable design, self-reliance, and circular economies.