CanRepair! Exploring Canada's World-Leading Right to Repair Efforts
| Fri 07 Aug 9:45 a.m.–10:25 a.m.
Presented by
-
Denver is a software right-to-repair activist who is currently Director of Compliance at Software Freedom Conservancy, where he enforces software right-to-repair licenses such as the GPL, and is also a director of the worker co-operative that runs JMP.chat, a FOSS phone number (texting/calling) service. Denver writes free software in his spare time: his patches have been accepted into Wine, Linux, and wdiff. He gives presentations about digital civil rights and how to ensure FOSS remains sustainable as a community and financially, having spoken at conferences such as FOSSY, SCALE, the Canadian Repair Convention, WineConf, FOSDEM, Linux Plumbers Conference, SFSCON, CopyleftConf, Radical Networks, DebConf, Git Merge, CopyCamp Toronto, FOSSLC's Summercamp, and the Open Video Conference.
-
Associate Professor Alissa Centivany is a researcher in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at Western University. Her primary investigative work centers on information policy, intellectual property, and the right to repair with a focus on the intersection of technology and law. She seeks to understand how legal frameworks and design choices impact innovation, sustainability, and community autonomy. Holding a Juris Doctor and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Michigan, she is affiliated with the Rotman Institute of Philosophy. She teaches courses on data ethics and digital ownership and is currently available for doctoral supervision.
-
Rick Gold
@thestemgroup
https://www.thestemgroup.com
Rick Gold is the founder of The Stem Group, a Calgary-based technology company providing computer and mobile-device repair, Apple support, web development, video production and cybersecurity services. With more than 30 years of experience in technology—including a history as an Apple Value Added Reseller—Rick has seen firsthand how closed systems, restricted repair access and forced replacement affect both users and independent service providers.
An active advocate for Right to Repair in Canada, Rick brings a practical, frontline perspective to conversations about ownership, interoperability, software freedom and digital autonomy. His work focuses on helping individuals and small organizations maintain control of the technology they depend on, rather than being trapped by unnecessary replacement cycles, artificial restrictions or corporate roadblocks.
-
• Avid nature lover. lets talk about fishing.
• Working on reducing my carbon footprint. lets talk about solar and van conversion.
• Intrigued by Distributed Systems, Linux Kernel and open source.
Denver is a software right-to-repair activist who is currently Director of Compliance at Software Freedom Conservancy, where he enforces software right-to-repair licenses such as the GPL, and is also a director of the worker co-operative that runs JMP.chat, a FOSS phone number (texting/calling) service. Denver writes free software in his spare time: his patches have been accepted into Wine, Linux, and wdiff. He gives presentations about digital civil rights and how to ensure FOSS remains sustainable as a community and financially, having spoken at conferences such as FOSSY, SCALE, the Canadian Repair Convention, WineConf, FOSDEM, Linux Plumbers Conference, SFSCON, CopyleftConf, Radical Networks, DebConf, Git Merge, CopyCamp Toronto, FOSSLC's Summercamp, and the Open Video Conference.
Associate Professor Alissa Centivany is a researcher in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at Western University. Her primary investigative work centers on information policy, intellectual property, and the right to repair with a focus on the intersection of technology and law. She seeks to understand how legal frameworks and design choices impact innovation, sustainability, and community autonomy. Holding a Juris Doctor and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Michigan, she is affiliated with the Rotman Institute of Philosophy. She teaches courses on data ethics and digital ownership and is currently available for doctoral supervision.
Rick Gold
@thestemgroup
https://www.thestemgroup.com
Rick Gold is the founder of The Stem Group, a Calgary-based technology company providing computer and mobile-device repair, Apple support, web development, video production and cybersecurity services. With more than 30 years of experience in technology—including a history as an Apple Value Added Reseller—Rick has seen firsthand how closed systems, restricted repair access and forced replacement affect both users and independent service providers.
An active advocate for Right to Repair in Canada, Rick brings a practical, frontline perspective to conversations about ownership, interoperability, software freedom and digital autonomy. His work focuses on helping individuals and small organizations maintain control of the technology they depend on, rather than being trapped by unnecessary replacement cycles, artificial restrictions or corporate roadblocks.
• Avid nature lover. lets talk about fishing. • Working on reducing my carbon footprint. lets talk about solar and van conversion. • Intrigued by Distributed Systems, Linux Kernel and open source.
Abstract
The right to repair (R2R) movement has existed in many forms for over a century. Software, and the FOSS movement in particular (a subset of this larger R2R movement), is becoming more critical to these efforts.
Exciting work being done here in Canada grounds the incredible global movement that continues to grow. Join us for this panel to learn about recent developments in the broader right to repair movement, how people leading the movement in Canada got their start, and how right to repair is improving both in Canada and around the world.
The right to repair (R2R) movement has existed in many forms for over a century. Software, and the FOSS movement in particular (a subset of this larger R2R movement), is becoming more critical to these efforts. Exciting work being done here in Canada grounds the incredible global movement that continues to grow. Join us for this panel to learn about recent developments in the broader right to repair movement, how people leading the movement in Canada got their start, and how right to repair is improving both in Canada and around the world.