Edmonton New Technology Society

Members of the Edmonton New Technology Society have 24/7 access to a woodworking shop, an electronics lab, a metal shop, and a pottery studio, plus room to leave a project part-finished on a bench. ENTS has been running since 2009, and it exists so that a project can be larger than the tools and the spare corner available at home.

How it works

ENTS is a registered Alberta non-profit society, governed by bylaws and policies ratified by the membership. Dues fund the space; surplus goes back into repairing and upgrading equipment. Along with the shops there is a standing supply of people willing to compare notes and show you how to run a machine you have not used before.

Founding

I started ENTS in 2009 with another founder, after years of building things and looking for other people interested in the same kind of technical exploration. The initial group briefly used the name YEGSpace and met in Edmonton pubs while the idea took shape.

Roughly twenty people came to the founding meeting to formalize the bylaws and the incorporation application. That was the point where a conversation about wanting a hackerspace turned into an organization expected to find and run one.

The first workshop opened in a converted clothing factory in Queen Mary Park in August 2009. ENTS moved to a larger nearby space in 2012, which added garages and room for a wider range of work.

After the founding years

I stayed on the board for several years. Other people have led ENTS for most of its life, the arrangement a member-run society is supposed to reach.

I remain periodically involved and keep in touch with current leaders and members, but the organization belongs to the people who have kept rebuilding and extending it since 2009.

From Geeks Anonymous to a makerspace

Geeks Anonymous was a loose group around school lunch tables. ENTS was the practical version of the same instinct, with bylaws, tools, rent, and a workshop where the ideas could become physical.