Guelph’s bike repair lady finally catches a ‘brake’
CTV
A Guelph woman who fought city hall and won in a bid to keep operating a bicycle repair service out of her garage, which benefits charity, scored another victory Thursday night.
A Guelph woman who fought city hall and won in a bid to keep operating a bicycle repair service out of her garage, which benefits charity, scored another victory Thursday night.
Mary Rife is finally getting a refund on the fee she had spent on her successful fight for a property zoning variance.
Rife’s son, Jake Branch, was at the Committee of Adjustment meeting advocating on her behalf because in true Mary fashion, she couldn’t attend since she is in Florida fixing up bikes for migrant farm workers.
“I’m asking today that the money that was intended for the work of the Stephen Lewis Foundation in Africa be returned to the Stephen Lewis Foundation,” Branch told the committee – a reference to a charity Rife supports with the bike repair proceeds.
A complaint to the city about her charitable bicycle repair service resulted in Rife having to pay the $1,900 fee to apply for a zoning variance, which was eventually granted and allowed her to continue the work.
"At the last committee meeting, we heard how the Stephen Lewis Foundation was giving a young lady in Africa carpentry training and tools so that she could build caskets for all the people, babies included, that are dying from the AIDS epidemic there,” said Branch.
Despite being told she could continue repairing out of her garage, Rife was told she would not be getting the $1,900 back.
