Haven, a long-standing local café, is preparing to close its doors after 17 years of operation. The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA), who operates the business, is citing persistent financial difficulties as the reason for closure.
Located on the corner of Sunnyside Avenue and Seneca Street, Haven has served as a hub for students and community members, offering baked goods, coffee and a welcoming environment for studying and social gatherings.
Its closure has sparked disappointment among staff and community members, amid broader community implications. Local artists have already started removing their artwork from the café.
A recent “Save Haven” petition garnered more than 1,100 signatures in just a few days.
Kiran Niet, a Haven employee and fourth-year Carleton student, created and posted the “Save Haven” petition on Nov. 16.
“I’ve been getting a lot of fantastic feedback from folks,” Niet said. “Ideally, what I want to accomplish from the petition is that CUSA’s decision to close Haven be re-evaluated.”
The comments on the petition paint a picture of Haven’s impact on the community, with adjectives such as “Safe and warm,” “valuable,” “necessary” and “lovely” repeatedly used to describe the coffee shop.
Niet said Haven’s absence would leave a “huge hole in the day-to-day lives of customers.”
“It’s a community hub in every way — all kinds of people in the neighbourhood can come together in such a beautiful manner,” they said. “When I picture what I want Carleton’s student life to look like, I imagine Haven as a huge part of it — a safe space.”
For Ashlyn Murray, a fourth-year Carleton student and Haven employee since 2022, the announcement came as an unexpected shock.
“I didn’t learn about it until Nov. 15th, the day they announced the closure to the public,” she said. “I don’t think CUSA was planning on directly informing [the staff], but they clearly had a plan to publicly announce it.”
Murray also said CUSA has yet to provide support to Haven employees in finding new employment opportunities.
“We’re all disappointed and upset by it. We feel like we were hung out to dry. We would’ve appreciated contact from CUSA and for our opinion on it to be put forth,” she said. “CUSA needs to be more transparent with students, and especially the students they employ.”
Niet also noted Haven’s second floor underwent extensive renovations over the past few years to transform it into Haven Connect, a rentable space for students.
“It was just launched a month ago, and now it’s closing. It really shows how little CUSA has thought about this decision,” Niet said.
Fifunmi Oluwajana, a Haven employee and fourth-year Carleton student, also said she is not optimistic about CUSA helping her find another job.
“Finding out your place of business is closing in the middle of the holidays is horrible,” Oluwajana said.
Ben Kissner, Haven’s events and programming co-ordinator, said CUSA’s claims on the state of Haven are false.
“CUSA has shared misleading and very vague public messaging,” he said. “For one, regarding the claim that Haven’s manager was involved in the decision, our manager actually continues to advocate for Haven to remain open.”
In an email to the Charlatan, Artur Estrela da Silva, CUSA’s vice-president of student issues, said the association’s executive team will address the circumstances around Haven’s closure soon.
“We have been working on a response to be published next week with detailed answers to some of the questions regarding the Haven closure,” Estrela da Silva wrote.
Kissner added that CUSA officially terminated his employment with three weeks notice as of Nov. 15.
“Haven is on track to lose significantly less than the amount cited and is on track to lose less than other CUSA businesses,” Kissner said. “If this trend continues with the opening of our new space, the shop is on track to become profitable in the next few years.”
Kissner expressed claims of Haven’s financial distress are overblown, on account of misleading CUSA statements, which he said cite losses from the bookstore operations, despite book operations no longer being operational.
CUSA did not comment on Haven’s finances, following a request from the Charlatan.
While Haven is not currently wheelchair accessible, Kissner said CUSA has access to an accessibility grant that Haven has been requesting to use for years, with the intention of upgrading its wheelchair ramp to meet legal accessibility requirements.
“This grant currently remains unused with no intention of being used at any point in the future,” he said.
CUSA did not comment on Haven’s request for an accessibility grant, following a request from the Charlatan.
Kissner said he speaks for the staff on the importance of Haven in the lives of local residents.
“It offers a warmth unlike any other CUSA business and is home to a vibrant community,” Kissner said. “The fact CUSA has offered no transparency regarding their decision has added insult to injury.”
Featured Image by Sarah Yule/The Charlatan.
