Sussex Avenue eatery needs new digs; petitions University for spot on Campus
“When I think of leaving here, I get a sad feeling,” said Masoud Abedin, the owner of Café Elise, the popular campus lunch spot at the corner of Spadina and Sussex. “All my customers are university people-staff, students, faculty.”
Whether Abedin (“Everyone calls me Masoud,” he says with a smile) will get to stay near campus, however, is now largely in the hands of U of T.
“My lease is over in June, and my landlord is asking for a 60 percent increase,” he says. “I cannot afford it.”
So this week Abedin got “about 170” names on a petition and made a presentation to university officials, asking them to lease him a new space on campus. The decision will be made next week.
Abedin says he wants to stay near the customers who have been coming to his place for seven years now.
“I’d like to stay here. I have a clientele here.”
–Graham F. Scott
Multi-faith centre really, really going to happen this time, honest
Plans for U of T’s long awaited multi-faith centre are finally underway, as U of T recently announced its commitment to moving forward with the project. The centre, which will serve as a hub for the diverse religious and spiritual needs of students on St. George campus, is to be located at the Koffler Institute for Pharmacy Management, just north of Spadina Circle. In addition to providing a space for prayer and religious observance on campus, it is hoped that the new multi-faith centre will become a dynamic site that brings together a wide array of students and community members under one roof. Educational programs, colloquia, community events and spiritual counseling, are also expected to take place at the multi-faith centre. Though construction has yet to begin, the university is currently reviewing designs for the site, and expects completion some time near the end of 2005.
–Dennis Choquette
