A word from the founder

As we approach the end of 2025

I pause to reflect on how true we have been to our mission and what progress we have made so far.

Our purpose remains steady: helping individuals live more sustainably and contributing to the collective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through local, doable, tangible action.

2025: A Year of Focus

While this message is not meant to be a full summary of our achievements—we reserve that for the impact report—I would like to highlight a few initiatives that shaped my end-of-year reflection.

This past year marked a deepening of our commitment to practical, local action. Everything we did stayed grounded in our core purpose.

Repair Don’t Replace

Our signature accomplishment was the advancement of our repair initiative.

Our vision has been to help revive a repair culture locally by making repair services more visible and accessible. I believe that repairing things—electronics, clothes, small or large appliances—honours the gifts this planet offers us and helps protect the environment.

In October, we launched the first version of our digital Right-to-Repair Directory.

It is still modest in size, but it is steadily growing and has already generated interest among residents seeking reliable repair options. Our aim is to build it into a trusted community resource that supports a culture of repair and reduces waste across the city.

Humane Treatment of Crustaceans

This past year also brought meaningful progress on a file that is close to my heart.

Our advocacy for the humane treatment of crustaceans in Ontario under the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act (PAWS) reached an important milestone. Hundreds of supporters added their voices to this cause, and our petition was submitted to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

We look forward to offering our support as the Ministry considers opportunities to enhance regulations for these sentient beings.

Tree Equity

Although we did not hold our annual tree-planting event this year, we completed foundational work in support of tree equity in Somerset Ward, made possible through a micro-grant from Nature Canada.
Together with partners, we developed an engagement framework that could guide future action.

A Quiet Truth About This Work

This has been a year of learning as well. Funding for environmental organizations remains limited, and like many small nonprofits, we face the ongoing challenge of doing meaningful work with modest resources.

I continue to donate my time, as I have for the past six years, and remain committed to guiding GentleWays for the full ten-year period I set at the beginning.

This work is both a responsibility and a privilege, and I draw strength from the dedication of everyone who walks this path with us.