Over the spring and summer months, I have been working very closely with an organization in the Notre Dame constituency that does really great work.
The Winnipeg Repair Education and Cycling Hub, also known as The WRENCH, builds, repairs, and helps to maintain bikes. They sell, rent, and donate their bikes, not just to individual people, but they even have entire fleets available for businesses.
Bicycles are a fantastic way to participate in active transportation. We know that getting around by bike is healthy not only for ourselves but for the environment and our community, as well. In cities around the world where bike use is more common, traffic congestion lightens up and air pollution is reduced.
The WRENCH is a permanent fixture of Hugh John Macdonald School, where staff and volunteers provide skills and training to students. They also do community outreach events such as cycling safety workshops and bike giveaway/tune-up events which they have held at IRCOM and Rossbrook House.
I was thrilled to work with The WRENCH on some of these outreach events where I got to witness firsthand how hard they work for our community.
Not only is The WRENCH promoting a healthier community by getting people on bikes, they are also saving bike parts that are still useable from landfills. Sustainably is a core value of the organization.
Most recently, I was happy to be in attendance when The Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) donated four laptops to The WRENCH that will be used by staff to keep the organization running, growing, and thriving.
Because The WRENCH has been so successful at making a good impact in our community, it is expanding. It is currently in a basement on Logan Avenue which it has outgrown. So, The WRENCH is looking to purchase a larger building to meet the demands of the growing organization. In order to achieve this, The WRENCH is planning a capital campaign to raise $250,000 to put towards the purchase of a bigger space.
To learn more about this fantastic organization and to see its event schedule, you can visit thewrench.ca/
As always, feel free to get in touch with my office at Malaya.marcelino@yourmanitoba.ca or call 204-788-0800.