One complaint puts a damper on 14 years of charity bike repair

Mary Rife has spent the last 14 years repairing bicycles in her garage and then selling them to raise money for charity. But it was shut down earlier this month after someone first complained to city law enforcement.

Last year alone, Rife repaired and sold nearly 300 bikes from her home on Arkell Road, raising more than $25,000. She estimates she has raised more than $100,000 in the past four. No one has ever complained, until now.

“My neighbors are not upset, so I don’t know who complained,” she said. “I wish I knew because then I could go and explain what I’m doing. Maybe they thought I was trying to raise money for myself. I don’t; 100 percent of everything goes to charity.

“I’m retired, I don’t need money. It’s just something that needs to be done,” she said. “I could watch TV or do something useful all day.”

When city officials received the complaint, an inspector came out and said she was technically in violation of three bylaws: housekeeping in her garage, having a permanent display and a sign indicating bicycle sales on her front lawn.

“You can have it in your house, like (people do) hairdressing or music lessons, but I’m definitely not going to fix bikes in my kitchen,” she said.

She usually only puts the bikes out for a few hours a day before stashing them back in her garage, so while it happens every day, it’s not all the time. In fact, she takes pride in keeping her yard nice and tidy.

If the bikes are on display, people won’t know what’s going on unless there’s a sign saying they’re for sale, she said.

To avoid a fine, it was legally closed from October 19. However, it intends to apply for minor bylaw changes to allow it to continue operating. Her tentative hearing date is November 14. The application cost her $1,900 out of pocket, which she will likely never get back.

But she is confident that the support of the community will show that the difference is needed and it will not cause any harm.

“Developers do this all the time,” she said, adding that developers of a subdivision near her home had submitted 11 options.

Once city staff gives the go-ahead, the variance application will go to the Board of Adjustment for approval, likely on Nov. 14.

“If 100 people came to me and said, ‘What she’s doing is shit,’ then it would be shut down. But I hope it will go the other way,” she said. “I’ve already received emails of support from people I don’t even know.”

Last year she sold 296 bicycles. Last year there were 292. This year she really hopes to sell over 300.

All bicycles are donated, and repairs and purchases are financed by donations; there is no set fee as it does not run a business.

The endeavor originally began when her parents moved in and her boisterous dad Bob McNish (or Biker Bob) needed something to do.

“He was bored to tears,” she said. So he started fixing people’s bikes for charity. Rife joined him and it grew from there.

For the past few years, all donations have gone to the Stephen Lewis Foundation, an NGO that helps grassroots AIDS and HIV projects in Africa.

“I’m disappointed that one person can harm hundreds of people who come here for help, that one person can shut it down,” she said.

However, she added that she was “absolutely grateful” to those who have donated hundreds of bikes over the years that would otherwise have ended up abandoned or in landfill.

“I am quite grateful. If the city of Guelph hadn’t supported me and donated the bikes, I wouldn’t have been able to do this. These are the people who actually keep it going,” she said.

Rife is asking community members to express their support at the hearing or by emailing the Board of Adjustment and referencing its file A-83/24.