No cash, no trades and no barters: 'Buy Nothing' movement picks up in Quebec
Bill Wexler's garage is filled with things his community has given him for free -- and things he's ready to give away, no strings attached.
He's part of the "Buy Nothing" movement, when community members give away items they're ready to part with.
The only rule? It has to be for free, with no money, trading or bartering involved.
"There's a lot more people that are a lot more unfortunate than we are," said Wexler, adding that the movement has environmental benefits as well.
But it's more than just giveaways: he says the main objective is to build community.
"The aim of the Buy Nothing is to get to know your neighbour."
The movement started in the U.S. and made its way to Canada. In Montreal, several networks have already been set up on Facebook.
Cindy Giroux, who started the Buy Nothing Baie-d'Urfé Facebook group, lives just down the street from Wexler.
She was inspired by a Buy Nothing group in Seattle, where she lived for a few years before coming back to Montreal.
Upon her return, Giroux needed some supplies for her daughter's science project and made a post on Facebook.
Within a few minutes, she had all the supplies she needed, and the idea to set up her own Buy Nothing page was born.
"The goal is to keep things out of landfills," she said. "So maybe [it's] the pot that doesn't have a handle that works, somebody else looks at that and says, 'I can use that in my garden.'"
Like Wexler, she says it's been a great way to get to know her neighbours.
"[It's] the same way you'd knock on your neighbour's door if you needed a cup of sugar."
The idea is to keep each group hyper-local, so most pick-ups are within walking distance.
Giroux hopes the movement can change people's attitudes towards money and consumerism.
"I hope people can rethink the need to buy everything."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.