Why a complaint to the City of Guelph will cost a bike repair business $1,900

A Guelph woman says a complaint to the city about her bicycle repair business will end up costing her $1,900.

Mary Rife has been fixing up and selling bikes out of her garage for the last 14 years. As of October 2024, she’d sold 296 and raised over $25,000 for the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which helps people living HIV and AIDS in Africa.

Community conflict

That same month, she learned about a complaint that had been made to the city by one of her neighbours. A bylaw officer informed Rife she couldn’t run a business from her garage, put display bikes on her lawn or post advertising signs on her property.

Rife refused to back down and decided to apply for an official variance, which would allow her to continue her bike charity.

In November, she made an impassioned plea at the city’s Committee of Adjustment meeting, telling members she just wanted to do some good in the community.

“People feel good when they donate their bikes to a good cause instead of adding to the landfill,” Rife stated. “The city benefits from recycling and from promoting healthy and environmentally-friendly transportation. Low-income families and students get bikes that they can actually afford. Local churches who sponsor refugee families know that they can come and receive a free bike for their refugees. The Optimist Club of Puslinch Bike Rodeo and the Love Your Bike Festival downtown get free safety checks and minor repairs for the folks who attend their events. High schoolers can come and volunteer with me and learn a beneficial skill while working toward their 40 hours of [community] service they need to graduate. Kids get free lessons on how to ride a bike, and it’s just great fun.”

The committee also received more than 100 letters of support for Rife.

They ultimately decided to grant the variance, allowing Rife to continue her work.

Variance fee

Many community members also asked the city to return the $1,900 application fee Rife was required to pay for the variance.

But they weren’t the only ones.

“At the hearing, I was encouraged by the Committee of Adjustment to apply for a refund, which I did,” she explained in an email to CTV News on Dec. 8. “Then I get an email saying that city staff have recommended a refusal.”

Rife understands the entire process took up city resources but said it’s not fair to pin it all on her.

“The fact that the complainant did not even show at the variance hearing means both the city and I wasted time and effort and money,” she wrote. “The city should not be allowing frivolous complaints that tie-up city staff, if the complainant is not even going to bother showing up to defend their grievance.”

Rife continued: “I am dumbfounded that one single person’s complaint has cost the charity $1,900 of much-needed funding.”

Response from the city

CTV News reached out to the City of Guelph for clarification.

They said the fee wasn’t refunded because the person who made the complaint did not withdraw it.

“There is a Committee of Adjustment Free Refund Policy that city staff apply when applicants request, and this policy does not provide exemptions for charities or not-for-profits,” the statement, on behalf of Acting City Clerk Dylan McMahon, explained. “Refunds are typically issued when an application has been withdrawn, which is not the case in this particular circumstance.”

Rife’s meeting to discuss the variance fee is on Thursday, Dec. 12.

“There is a small chance that the Committee of Adjustment could overturn the staff recommendation,” Rife wrote. “But that seldom happens.”

The city confirmed the committee “ultimately makes final decisions on fee refunds.”