A Guelph woman will get to continue her hobby of repairing and selling bicycles – and funnelling thousands of dollars to charitable causes – after what many called a no-brainer approval.
Mary Rife was all smiles when she heard the magic words from Guelph’s committee of adjustment Thursday.
The committee unanimously approved her three zoning amendments for her home on Arkell Road, allowing her to get back to what she was doing.
“A long journey to get back to where I started,” she told GuelphToday shortly after.
For the last 14 years, Rife has been working on bicycles at her home. It started as a way to keep her dad, Bob McNeish, busy as he was “bored to tears.”
The endeavour grew from there, with Rife joining the effort along the way.
Last year, she repaired and sold almost 300 bikes and raised over $25,000.
It’s estimated she has raised over $100,000 in the last four years alone.
Money raised over the last few years has gone to the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which helps AIDS and HIV-related grassroots projects in Africa.
Last month, city bylaw enforcement responded to a single complaint about her activities.
Enforcement found she was violating three bylaws: she had a home occupation in her garage, had a permanent display, and a sign indicating bikes for sale on her front lawn.
Rife was given the choice to either shut down or be fined.
She has been shut down since Oct. 19.
It was confirmed by the committee that one complaint was filed, and it wasn’t “an overzealous bylaw officer.”
“Zoning inspectors do not go out and look for issues,” Kelly Patzer, the city’s zoning inspector, told the committee.
Rife told the committee she understands the purposes of bylaws, that they are a good thing and protect residents, property values and communities from harm.
“(But) they should never prevent us from doing good,” she said.
In the end, her voice, the voice of multiple delegates and the 120 letters of support spoke volumes.
"That is the most number of letters received for a committee of adjustment application that I am aware of," said Trista Di Lullo, the COA's secretary-treasurer.
None of the letters spoke against the request, and some even called on the city to refund the $1,900 Rife had to pay to make the variance request.
Rife said she also had to spend another $4,000 to survey her property, in order to fill out the applications properly.
“It’s been astounding,” she said of the attention and support.
“Sometimes when you work by yourself, like I do, you don’t realize the impact that you have on people.”
Rife told the committee her hobby is a big benefit to the city and beyond, and she has also become a role model to seniors to become active, and hopes she is a positive role model to young girls who want to pursue a trade.
“I am very sorry that one single complainant, who has never been harmed, sought to close down a 14-year-old endeavour that benefits so many,” she said. “One complainant has cost this city thousands of man hours and money that could’ve been better used elsewhere.”
Rife offered apologies for the negative publicity the city has gotten, adding that wasn’t her intent.
She was also told she can file an application to get the $1,900 refunded, which she plans to do.
The plan is, if approved, to put the money back toward the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
As for the person who filed the complaint, Rife said she would thank them for helping generate all this publicity.
“A lot of good will come out of it,” she said. “Whoever complained actually did me a favour.”
Rife has a few months to prepare for this newfound popularity, as she doesn’t do the hobby between November and April.
In the meantime, she is planning to take a vacation in Florida, where she will be – you guessed it – fixing and selling bikes to help immigrant farm workers in the area.
