Right To Repair Legislation Is Officially Being Considered In Canada

Canada is the newest frontier in the fight for the 'right to repair' after an Ontario politician introduced a bill on Thursday that would ensure individuals and independent professionals can repair brand-name computers and phones cheaply and easily. From a report: Manufacturers make it incredibly difficult to repair our broken devices ourselves. Instead of taking a smashed phone to a local repair professional for an affordable fix, a complex matrix of trade secrets and government intervention often means consumers have to make a pricey trip to the Genius Bar or buy a new device entirely. This is bad for your wallet, but also bad for the planet.

Ontario Liberal Party MPP Michael Coteau ran into this issue head-first after his daughter dropped his Samsung smartphone. An official repair job from the manufacturer was more expensive than just getting a new phone from his carrier, he told me over the phone. 'It's a shame,' Coteau said, 'because the Samsung S8 was very good for me. Everything was perfect. I would've kept using it. But now I've replaced it.' On Thursday, Coteau introduced a private member's bill in provincial parliament that, if passed, would be the first 'right to repair' law for electronic devices in North America. More than a dozen US states are currently considering similar bills, but nothing is on the books yet in the US or in Canada.

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