The Things We Can’t Fix: Repair Culture, Corporate Control, and the Fight from the West

A flat lay of assorted repair tools and broken household items on a beige fabric surface, including a cracked smartphone, pliers, a disassembled fan motor, screwdrivers, a broken garden hose nozzle, an electric drill, circuit board, and scissors—symbolizing the everyday challenges of repair in a disposable economy.

Western Canadians are pushing back on throwaway culture—and calling for a return to repairable, durable, affordable goods. The rest of us should be, too. My dad always called them whipper snippers, and that’s what they remained—even as brands got slicker and trimmers got smarter. He was a Croatian‑Italian immigrant to Ontario, a lifelong Mr. Fixit who took pride in doing …