Image courtesy of Ian McCausland.

Before 4R recycling depots came to Winnipeg, an astounding amount of household items got chucked into landfills per year—including computers and fridges, and around 4,500 bicycles. Appalled at this unceremonious dumping of once-loved bikes, a group formed in 2009 with the mission to rescue the ones they could, and The Wrench was born.

Today, thankfully, the process is a little simpler with 4R sites in play. Every bicycle that’s dropped at a 4R depot gets collected by The Wrench crew and brought to their main workshop, where it’s processed by a core group of super-productive volunteers.

Lucas Stewart, The Wrench’s director, estimates that, of every three or four unwanted and non-functioning bicycles, the team can “Frankenstein” together one great bike to be sold or donated to someone in need, plus salvage a bunch of parts. For any remaining unusable parts, Stewart says the crew “separates the rubber and the different types of metals and make sure that as much as possible gets recycled.” That’s the primary mission of The Wrench: to keep bikes out of landfills.

Then there’s the second part of what the group does, says Stewart. “We make it so that people can choose to ride more often by helping them keep their bikes safe, reliable and in good working order—and to do that at a cost that’s accessible.”

To achieve that goal, they set up a shop where you can buy affordable bikes and have your ride tuned up. They also run classes on fixing and building your own two-wheeler or, for those just learning how to ride, on how to be comfortable on the roads. After School Leaders is a biweekly three-month course for local youths that The Wrench offers when funds and space allow. Upon completion, participants leave with a bicycle they built themselves plus a new skillset. Mellow Vélo is a monthly “safe space offering” that provides women, trans, nonbinary and two-spirit individuals access to tools, parts and bike-repair knowledge. The group also hosts one-off bike bazaars where kids can swap rides for a better fit, and any leftover ones are given away to those in need. Thursday Open Shop provides deeply discounted repairs, reclaimed parts and basic refurbished bicycles on a pay-what-you-can basis.

As well, The Wrench runs the annual Cycle of Giving in December. At this 24-hour bike-building and repair marathon, some 200 volunteers come out to work on kids’ bikes—“It’s what I imagine Santa’s workshop is like,” says Stewart. The bikes are then given out to families in need. “We really just want people to ride bikes more often,” Stewart notes. “And we can help them do that.”

Do you know of a Good Place? We want to celebrate community organizations that strive to make life better for all. Send nominations to drivenbygoodmb@caamanitoba.com to share their stories.