What is Foulab?

The goal of foulab is to provide its members an environment and resources that allow them to exchange knowledge, ideas and explore new technologies. To that end, the organization will arrange a space which allows its users to collaborate.

We are currently open every Tuesdays and Thursdays after 6:30pm - 11pm for visitors. If you show up after 11pm, you might not see anyone.

Become a member!

Foulab is a non-profit organization that aims to provide a collaborative and well-equipped environment that allows its users to explore new technologies while sharing knowledge and ideas.

If you would like to learn more about us, drop on by to our location at Suite 33B, 999 du Collège during our opening hours.

For more info on how to contact us, see the page Contact Foulab.

Support Foulab

Foulab is non-profit organization registered in the province of Quebec. Our funding come from user fees, class or workshop fees and donations. If you are interested in donating equipment or money to Foulab please contact info at foulab.org.

Would You Like To Know More?

Foulab is entirely member run and funded, and has been for over 10 years (EST. summer of 2008). It is one of the first Hackerspaces in Canada; along with Hacklab.to and VHS (Vancouver Hacker Space) all created within a couple of weeks of The Last HOPE conference.

Watch this short documentary film Repurpose (by Tom Smith aka Jack Oatmon) to learn more:

We were also featured in a short Radio-Canada segment from March 2024:

Since the early 2000s, then the scene has expanded and we’ve seen various Fablabs/Makerspaces open in the city (Echo Fab, Helios, iMusée’s Fablab Inc.). While opinions differ and definitions are not set in stone, the two differ slightly in that Hackerspaces tend to be more community/members oriented and subversive, while the other tends to run more like coworking spaces. It’s a complex topic that is the subject of many discussions. You can read about it more in this dissertation: Peer Production of Open Hardware: Unfinished Artefacts and Architectures in the Hackerspaces (specially the section titled ‘Shared machine shops compared to hackerspaces’).

More hackerspace theory can be found here: https://wiki.hackerspaces.org/Theory

• Be friendly and patient.

• Be welcoming. We strive to be a community that welcomes and supports people of all backgrounds and identities. This includes, but is not limited to members of any race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, colour, immigration status, social and economic class, educational level, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, size, family status, political belief, religion, and mental and physical ability.

• Be considerate. Your work will be used by other people, and you in turn will depend on the work of others. Any decision you take will affect users and colleagues, and you should take those consequences into account when making decisions. Remember that hackers are a world-wide community, so you might not be communicating in someone else’s primary language.

• Be respectful. Not all of us will agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for poor behaviour and poor manners. We might all experience some frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack. It’s important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. Users and members of Foulab should be respectful when dealing with other Users and Members as well as with people outside the community (Guests).

• Be careful in the words that you choose. We are a community of respectful humans, and we conduct ourselves with respect for others. Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other participants. Harassment and other exclusionary behaviour aren’t acceptable. This includes, but is not limited to:

      ¤ Violent threats or language directed against another person.
      ¤ Discriminatory jokes and language.
      ¤ Distributing unwanted sexually explicit or violent material.
      ¤ Distributing (or threatening to post) other people's personally
        identifying information ("doxxing").
      ¤ Personal insults, especially those using racist or sexist terms.
      ¤ Unwelcome sexual attention.
      ¤ Repeated harassment of others. In general, if someone asks you to stop,
        simply refrain from continuing with that course of action.
      ¤ Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviour.
  




• Different users of Foulab have different levels of comfort about sex and porn. Nobody should be forced to experience sexual or sexualised language or imagery. This does not mean that such material is prohibited, just that such conversations, presentations, etc. should include only interested and consenting people.
  We are a sex-positive space.
  If you are working on a sex- or porn-related project at Foulab, or are running such an event or presentation, please provide reasonable notice and warning to allow others the opportunity to opt out if they wish. With this — as anything else — each person has a responsibility to be considerate of the comfort levels of others. Discussions, projects, and events of this nature should strive to exist in a culture of respect and consent.

• When we disagree, try to understand why. Disagreements, both social and technical, happen all the time and Foulab is no exception. It is important that we resolve disagreements and differing views constructively. Remember that we’re different. The strength of Foulab comes from its varied community, people from a wide range of backgrounds. Different people have different perspectives on issues. Being unable to understand why someone holds a viewpoint doesn’t mean that they’re wrong.
  Don’t forget that to err is human. Blaming each other doesn’t get us anywhere. Instead, focus on helping to resolve issues and learning from mistakes.

  Any Foulab member may address and deal with any issue at their own discretion with input from the community.