Bradford West Gwillimbury advocates for 'right-to-repair' governance

Planned obsolescence and proprietary repairs are behind a Bradford West Gwillimbury motion recently passed by council.

Bradford West Gwillimbury Council passed a resolution to "endorse the right-to-repair movement."

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Council called on the federal government to update consumer protection laws, specifically in the agricultural sector.

"Our council has shown in recent years that we are at the forefront of advocating for important environmental protections," said Mayor James Leduc, pointing to the Freshwater Action Fund and the new Green Initiatives Committee for recommending the right to repair protections.

"Supporting right-to-repair is a win-win in that it helps reduce waste to protect our planet and to save consumers money," said Councillor Jonathan Scott, chairperson of the town's Green Initiatives committee.

"Right to Repair ensures consumers are able to reasonably access repair services for electronic devices at a fair price, rather than creating a monopoly through technology companies only being able to repair their own products," Scott said.

"This measure will also help reduce waste by combatting planned obsolescence, where companies make products that are only intended to last for a period of some years."

Scott said farmers are familiar with the issue as high-tech advances are made to agricultural equipment.

Bradford West Gwillimbury is the northernmost municipality in the Greater Toronto Area and one of Canada's fastest-growing communities situated in Ontario. The Holland Marsh to the south and Cook's Bay in Lake Simcoe to the north are encircled by farming communities.

"As the 'soup and salad bowl of Canada,' Bradford West Gwillimbury is home to many farmers and growers, so we know firsthand how important an issue this is and how critical proper consultations with the sector will be," he added.