Volunteers fixing items at a Repair Cafe. (Image Credit: file photo/paNOW Staff)

By Alyssa Rudolph

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

North Battleford Repair Café promotes reuse over waste

Mar 4, 2026 | 1:48 PM

Whether your shirt has a hole or your bike won’t pedal, skilled volunteers at the upcoming North Battleford Repair Café are ready to help fix it.

On March 21, community members are invited to bring their broken household items to the Public Library. Volunteers skilled in clothing and textiles, small appliances, bicycles, and minor wooden repairs will be on hand to fix them.

The events coordinator for Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council said the Repair Café movement was originally started by a group in the Netherlands. 

“In Saskatchewan, the first Repair Café was in Prince Albert, then we started hosting events in other cities shortly after Prince Albert did in 2018,” said Bobbie Duns. “This will be the fifth Repair Cafe in North Battleford.” 

“We don’t have set goals. Every single item that gets fixed is one item that’s saved from the landfill. For North Battleford events, we usually see about 20 to 30 attendees throughout the day,” they said. 

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Organizers encourage the public to book an appointment in advance to secure a spot, though walk-ins will also be welcome as space allows. 

“If you’ve booked an appointment and you get there on time, you’re likely to be seen right away. If you walk in, you might be waiting a little bit longer.” 

Upon arriving at the library, participants will fill out a registration form to let volunteers know what they need repaired and how it is broken.  

“We will pair you with a repair volunteer who will take a look at your item and try to fix it. We don’t guarantee any repairs, but we do our best. We recommend staying with your item and trying to learn from that repair volunteer, if possible,” they explained.  

Duns said hosting events like the Repair Café helps to foster the cycle of reduce, reuse, recycle, and repair. 

“It makes people think twice before throwing a broken item out. It’s so important to keep perfectly good items in use and save them from being thrown in the garbage and just replace them and. Repairing things does help reduce waste.” 

Organizers for the event are still in need of volunteers for the computer or audio-visual repair station as well as more people for the bike repair and maintenance station.  

“You don’t have to be an expert or a professional to be helpful. If you’re a tinkerer or a MacGyver or if you are handy at all and you enjoy pulling a wrench, any of those kinds of skills.” 

Community members wanting an item fixed can book an appointment by clicking here. Anyone wanting to become a volunteer can fill out a form on the Repair Cafe’s website. 

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Alyssa.rudolph@pattisonmedia.com