Toronto woman's fight with cancer continues

Abra Shiner leaned against the narrow hallway of her home of nearly 25 years at Queen Street West and Dovercourt in late January, the red glow of fairy lights matching her red hair.

“My energy seems to be split directly between fighting for my health and fighting for my house,” said the Swan Dive bar owner.

The battle to stay in her home continues from December 2022 when the N12 eviction notice arrives on her doorstep. New ownership has taken over the Victorian home, which was then split into four affordable units less than a year after she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.

So Shiner took her case to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), which has the power to refuse or delay eviction on compassionate grounds. “I try to stay up as long as I can,” Shiner said.

In response, the property's three tenants told CTV News Toronto that they “cannot comment on the legality of (the case)” until it is in court.

The next hearing date has been set for March 18, when the LTB said it would “consider the circumstances of both parties”.

March's hearing isn't the first time he's been scheduled — Scheiner missed his first LTB hearing in September 2023 after being hospitalized for a low white blood cell count, which he attributed to stress.

“The tribunal itself may be the reason I can't attend,” he said at the time.

He remained stable for six months after the trial was adjourned until March. But facing eviction again, Shiner says the added stress of the situation made things worse.

Stress can come from something as small as talking to homeowners on the phone about a leaking faucet, she said. “When something goes wrong at home, I get really sick,” Scheiner continued, spending the day on the couch with his bulldog, Nugget, trying to run a strip on his iPad.

Shiner's doctors wrote to the owners of the house. More importantly, it highlights the need to be close to Princess Margaret Hospital and the lack of affordable accommodation close to the facility.

“Moving could be the end for me,” Shiner said, pointing to a note from another doctor, Dr. Ratika Birdie, who said the sudden change in her living situation could be “harmful.”

With time running out on a potential eviction, Shiner says his health began to deteriorate further. While tracing the lump on her neck, which is often covered with a colorful scarf, she says she feels another lump in her groin area and pain in her left breast.

Dr. Steven Hwang, a research scientist at MAP Urban Health Solutions, said stress directly affects the immune system and its ability to fight cancer.

When patients leave their care, she says, “It often causes them to miss appointments and have trouble accessing care. This confidence can have a negative effect on someone's health,” Hwang said.

Drawings obtained by CTV News Toronto for 1086 ½ Queen Street West show plans to demolish two rental units on the second floor and one on the ground floor behind the house and expand the existing commercial space below.

Shiner's apartment is the only one left – the owners of the apartment are going to repair one of their children. Unless family members have plans to move, landlords would have to legally offer Shiner an updated unit before putting it on the market.

“Things don't really add up,” said Samuel Mason, a lawyer representing one of the second-floor tenants. “How can you take your child to the third floor and break something on the second floor?”

Dan Noffke, 79, has lived in a one-bedroom apartment below Shiner for 20 years, with a large desk pushed against one wall, a bed next to it, and a medium-sized refrigerator at the bottom. His income comes from Old Age Security and other government financial support of $2,000 per month.

“It's not easy to want to stay,” Noffke said. However, he received an N13 termination notice, which means he has to vacate the unit permanently.

The LTB sided with the landlord in a written order last December, but Mason is appealing the decision in district court, saying the board “erred” in determining whether the landlord's plan constituted a violation.

“It's very important that any final decision is the right one because there's a lot at stake,” Mason said.