From the Parkdale Land Trust to the Parkdale People’s Economy, Parkdale is a west-end downtown neighbourhood that builds its diverse community from the bottom up.
And at the intersection of Sudbury and Abell streets, an initiative called Free Geek Toronto is mobilizing locals to help each other out — this time, by reusing technology. The nonprofit social enterprise says it turns “old devices into new opportunities.”
Ryan Fukunaga, executive director of Free Geek Toronto, says people discard devices before they reach their end of life. So, the organization aims to combat that by reusing unwanted technology to bridge the digital divide.
“Things that people don’t want anymore — computers that maybe if you’re a developer or something like that, you need the newest and best,” he explains. “But what’s [not] newest and best to somebody in day-to-day life, that computer could still be of great use.”
Free Geek has a walk-in store that takes donations of old tech, refurbishes them and then sells them at affordable prices to local people and organizations in need, such as Parkdale Project Read.
“Parkdale is a really good example of the digital divide where people get left behind if they’re not accessing services. There are a lot of marginalized communities within Parkdale, so they really need an accessible service,” says Mary Brehaut, a staff member at Parkdale Project Read. “That’s why Free Geek has been so good for folks.”
Last year, the City of Toronto collected and processed 684 tonnes of electronic waste.
Located right across Free Geek Toronto is Creative Reuse Toronto, a resource centre for learning about all things sustainability.
The two organizations collaborate by directing people with tech needs to Free Geek Toronto and people with sustainability questions to Creative Reuse Toronto.
“To repair, to reuse, to resuscitate, I think is going to be a more sustainable option just because it’s more hands-on and it keeps us aware of what we’re consuming,” says Alicia Grimes, a board member for Creative Reuse Toronto. “It helps us audit our own behaviour.”
Last October, the Senate of Canada passed the Right to Repair bill, which allows people to repair tech themselves or anywhere they’d like Instead of having to visit manufacturer-authorized locations.
Bill C-244 makes repairs more accessible and promotes a habit of reusing tech. Fukunaga says the bill will make getting parts, tools and manuals much easier.
