First of all, what a result! After just a day and a half, over 700 people have signed this petition - clearly there's many of us who care about Ahmad and the future of his shop. It’s so amazing to see how many lives he has touched and to read your comments about what he and his store have meant to you.

Now onto the update: I have in the meantime found out more about the background situation of the leasing arrangements for Ahmad's shop. The mini Convenience Store is currently subleasing its space from the owner-operator of the shop next door. I had a telephone call with the Portfolio Leasing Manager, LTU Infrastructure & Operation, Marc Grant, to understand what options are available to help Ahmad. He reported that the University is open to finding a suitable alternative arrangement for the store.

After talking a bit more with Ahmad, the goals now are:

• Finding a new space for Ahmad to lease directly from the University.
• Getting a date for his shop to reopen in a new location on campus.
• Arranging a transition plan so that Ahmad will have an income in the interim.

Marc, the Portfolio Leasing Manager, was open to discuss all of the above with me. He appreciates the strength of the community support for Ahmad and his store and agrees that an alternative needs to be found so that the store isn’t lost.

So this petition can now become a tool to show that Ahmad's contribution is valued by the wider community. Our signatures can be used to push the University to find new premises for the mini Convenience Store, and a new date for Ahmad to reopen his shop as soon as possible without losing a form of income in the meantime.

Keep signing to reach these goals and secure a new space for Ahmad’s shop!