Charlottetown hosting first ever Fix it Fair

Unique event at Murphy’s Community Centre

Registration is now open for the Fix It Fair, a unique sustainability event that will connect Charlottetown residents with community resources and teach practical repair skills.

To be held at Murphy’s Community Centre on Saturday, March 4, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., this free event will include a Repair Café, workshops, demonstrations, information booths and more.

“The Fix It Fair is about shifting away from the mindset that everything is disposable, and instead, repairing items to reduce waste,” said Charlottetown Mayor Clifford Lee.

“Helping our community become more sustainable and introducing fresh, practical initiatives that bring people together is one of the goals of our Integrated Community Sustainability Plan.”

The feature element of the Fix it Fair is the Repair Café, which is a concept that communities throughout North America and Europe are embracing.

The café will include talented fixers with expertise in a variety of areas who have volunteered their services to assist in the free repair of various household items throughout this event. The role of the fixers is not only to repair broken items but to share their knowledge so participants can perform similar repairs at home.

Participants are encouraged to register in advance so that organizers can better prepare to meet the required skill-set. Registration is available at: https:// cityc harlottetown. wufoo.eu/ forms/repaircafe-preregistration/.

“We encourage residents to bring an item that is in need of repair, such as a broken blender or a coat with an unusable zipper,” said Deputy Mayor Mike Duffy, chairman of the City’s Environment and Sustainability Committee.

Participants can bring in one item (such as a small appliance or item of clothing) per person to be repaired by the skilled on-site fixers, free of charge. Free childcare will be provided by Murphy’s Community Centre for children kindergarten age and up whose parents or guardians are taking part in the event.

Anyone with repair skills for all kinds of household items, including clothing, small household appliances, electronics or jewelry who is interested in learning more about taking part in this community event should contact 902-629-6368 or email jbrown@ charlottetown.ca.

As part of the Fix It Fair, there are free workshops that cover a broad range of topics, including energy efficient homes, financial planning and budgeting, fermenting 101, self-care and wellness for the family, home safety and emergency kits and best online practices and security. Each workshop is about 45 minutes and space is limited. For a detailed description or to register for the workshops, visithttps:// citycharlottetown.wufoo.eu /forms/fix-it-fair-workshop-series-saturday-march-4th/ .