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About the Event.
The Canadian Repair Convention is a national gathering dedicated to exploring the repair movement in Canada, including its opportunities, challenges, and transformative potential across technology, law, economy, and society. Repair is more than a technical activitiy. It is also a movement that advances sustainability, economic resilience, community empowerment, and consumer rights. This multidisciplinary event brings together scholars, practitioners, policymakers, grassroots repairers, makers, students, and the broader public to share knowledge, inspire action, and build networks that strengthen Canada's repair ecosystem.
The 2026 Convention will take place over two days, Thursday and Friday, May 21-22, 2026 at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is supported by a SSHRC Connection Grant, with additional institutional backing from the Law & Technology Institute and the MacEachen Institute for Public Policy & Governance at Dalhousie.
In addition to expert panels and roundtable discussions, the Convention will feature an on-site Repair Cafe, where local fixers and community repairers will lead hands-on sessions demonstrating repair practices, inviting attendees to engage directly with acts of repair.
Why the Right to Repair Matters.
Why the Right to Repair Matters.
In a world where products are increasingly complex, interconnected, and software-dependent, repair is a frontline issue affecting:
environmental sustainability (extending product lifespan reduces waste and lessens demand for resource-intensive production)
economic opportunity (robust repair markets support independent technicians, local businesses, and downstream innovation)
consumer empowerment (greater access to repair enhances choice, affordability, and equity)
critical public infrastructure (repairability of medical devices, agricultural equipment, and other essential machinery influences public health, food security, and Canada's resilience).
The Convention aims to clarify what repair advocacy means in theory and practice, particularly as Canada navigates legal reforms in areas such as consumer protection, intellectual property, competition policy, public procurement, and product standards.
Event Structure & Panels.
Event Structure & Panels.
The Convention spans four thematic panels, each designed to explore a core dimension of repair:
Panel I - Ecologies of Repair
Explores how repair contributes to environmental sustainability and circularity. Presentations will address:
product design for longevity and repairability;
repair's role in reducing waste and emissions;
policy approaches that encourage sustainable repair practices.
Panel II - Economies of Repair
Focuses on the economic aspects of repair practices and market. Topics may include:
aftermarkets, independent repair businesses, and local economic development;
the role of repair in stimulating home-grown Canadian innovation;
economic barriers and incentives related to repair in Canada.
Panel III - Empowerment and Community-Building
Considers the social and cultural dimensions of repair. Discussions will highlight:
repair in education and skills sharing;
repair initiatives in underserved and/or remote communities;
social cohesion and resilience fostered through repair networks.
Panel IV - Repair & Building a Resilient Canada (National Strategy)
Examines repair as a strategic pillar for national resilience, particularly through public procurement and infrastructure. Questions include:
how can repairability and interoperability be integrated into procurement rules for critical technologies and assets?
what lessons can be drawn from sectors such as healthcare and defence?
how can repair-led procurement support SMEs and reduce reliance on volatile global supply chains or geopolitical changes?
Policy Roundtable - Jurisdiction & Coordination
An interactive discussion with representatives from different levels of government and regulatory bodies to explore:
roles of municipal, provincial, and federal actors in advancing repair policy;
strategies for harmonizing regulation and supporting a pan-Canadian repair ecosystem;
collaborative governance models that align policy frameworks.
Who Should Attend.
Who Should Attend.
The Convention welcomes a wide range of stakeholders, including:
researchers and students from law, sustainability, engineering, information sciences, technology policy, economics , and social sciences;
community organizers and grassroots repairers running repair cafes, tool libraries, maker spaces, and local workshops;
policymakers and public servants working on consumer protection, competition policy, procurement, and innovation policy;
industry professionals from manufacturing, equipment design, aftermarket services, and technology sectors;
consumers and members of the public interested in sustainability, product longevity, and repair rights.
Call for Abstracts.
Call for Abstracts.
Coming soon!
We will be inviting abstract submissions from prospective speakers interested in presenting at one or more panels or contributing to the policy roundtable. Whether your work is legal, technical, social, economic, or hands-on, your voice can help advance the national conversation on repair.
On-Site Repair Café!
On-Site Repair Café!
In addition to panel sessions, the event will feature an on-site Repair Cafe where local Halifax repairers and volunteer fixers will lead interactive repair demonstrations, coach attendees through troubleshooting and hands-on fixes, share knowledge about tool use and diagnostics, and highlight the lived experience of repair work in community settings.
The On-Site Repair Cafe reinforces the Convention's commitment to bridging theory and practice, marking repair tangible and inclusive.
Support and Acknowledgements.
Support and Acknowledgements.
The 2026 Canadian Repair Convention is made possible through funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and with support from the Law & Technology Institute and the MacEachen Institute for Public Policy & Governance at Dalhousie University.
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