Recently, I had the experience of trying to find a replacement part for a garden hose reel/cart. Having gone from store to store searching, I learned that the replacement part – a plastic handle – was not available to the consumer, and consequently, the hose reel/cart was rendered obsolete. As well, my right to repair was denied by the manufacturing company. It got me thinking. In this period of COVID-19, where people and governments are rearranging priorities and calling for change, it’s time that stopping companies from making their products with parts they know are going to fail, and which they then expect you will buy again, becomes a priority. And, it’s time to ensure that citizen-consumers have "the right to repair." Among the benefits – it will save consumers money but especially reduce environmental harm. Canada is one of the worst, if not the greatest, generator of waste in the world. We need legislation here in P.E.I. and at the federal level to make this happen.
Gerard Gallant,
Charlottetown
