Future of Halifax community workshop unclear following alleged theft of power tools

A community workshop in Halifax’s north end says its future is in doubt because $1,000 worth of power tools have disappeared, possibly due to theft.

Hands on Halifax is a “social enterprise” in which costs are covered by volunteers, membership passes, and donations.

The workshop is in the midst of moving to another location for Sept. 1.

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Dave Clearwater said the workshop realized on Saturday that the tools had been stolen.

“It kind of cut us off at the knees, because we really can’t afford to buy new tools and move at the same time.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It kind of cut us off at the knees, because we really can't afford to buy new tools and move at the same time."

Among the stolen tools are an electrical sander, electrical plainer, a lathe, diamond coated sharpening plains for routers and chisels, and a makita biscuit joiner.

“Maybe this person needed the tools for something else. Maybe they need to feed their family. Maybe they’re on hard times.”

At this point, the workshop has not filed a police report. Clearwater said the workshop hasn’t yet had a chance to record any of the serial numbers of the tools, but he said he does have his suspicions about who took the tools.

“It really was more gut wrenching disbelief that my trust had been broken. That’s how Hands on Halifax operates, on trust and respect,” Clearwater said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It really was more gut wrenching disbelief that my trust had been broken. That's how Hands on Halifax operates, on trust and respect," Clearwater said.

Clearwater said the workshop is now taking some time ahead of the planned move to decide how to proceed, and if the workshop will stay open.

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He said he does not want to punish everyone because of what might have been one person’s bad decision. He said there is lots of support for the workshop to stay open.

“Social media has been really good. A lot of people are offering donations of tools. On our website, we just had a person donate some funds for tools.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Social media has been really good. A lot of people are offering donations of tools. On our website, we just had a person donate some funds for tools."

He said he is thankful to everyone for their support and is hopeful Hands on Halifax will be able to keep the community workshop alive.