ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½

She was in her mid-40s. 

“She was the most selfless person I’ve ever met. I cannot think of one instance where I’ve heard her complain. Not once,” Mysterion said, adding that Shiner had a drive to look after other people even in the last months of her life. 

The bar owner’s death was announced on her Instagram page in a post by her sister Erica, who shared that a celebration of Shiner’s life will be organized in the coming weeks. Shiner used this account to document her cancer battle, with her latest update two weeks ago.

“I’m not scared — I’m sure I’ll be scared while I’m dying, in the last moments. But I don’t want to think about them. God, that’s the last thing I want to think about,” Shiner said in her last Instagram post, with a breathing tube secured to her nose. “What’s the big deal guys, I’m still here right now and it’s still nice.” 

Mysterion has known Shiner for over 25 years, first meeting the girl who he said looked “cool” on the subway. They became friends and would often spend time at Kensington Market. 

Once when he was having a bad day and out a stroll, Shiner was driving by and noticed Mysterion looked upset. She stopped and invited him to  take a drive around the neighbourhood and chat. 

“It just made my day better,” he said. 

Shiner opened Swan Dive in 2016 and co-owned the bar with her husband, Mike Ojala. But after years of booming business, Swan Dive suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Just as things started to return to normal, Shiner was hit with another challenge when she was diagnosed with metastatic cancer in 2022 and told she would live for another five to 10 years. 

As Shiner underwent treatment and multiple surgeries, things took another turn when she  and Ojala received an eviction notice to move out of their apartment where she had lived for 23 years. Shiner posted a , imploring her landlord to withdraw the notice, and over 33,000 supporters signed it. 

“The chances of finding a home within my restricted budget are very low (due to the amount of time I spend dealing with my cancer I cannot work very much),” Shiner wrote in the petition. “The stress that this is causing me is having an extremely negative impact on my health and could very well impact my chances at a few more good years of life.

“I only ask that my life is valued more than a few thousand dollars.” 

In a , Shiner told TV personality and journalist Nam Kiwanuka that she’d been fighting the eviction since 2022. Mysterion said she and Ojala moved from their beloved apartment six months ago. 

“We know cancer stopped her as a human being, but nothing broke her will. Nothing broke her spirit. Nothing broke her positivity,” said Mysterion, adding that he never knew anyone as resilient and will miss her “infectious smile.”

Mysterion will never forget one of the last times he saw Shiner, at a gathering at her home this year where they had a laugh, “just having fun and enjoying life” — something he says Shiner “would want us to continue doing.”

Hundreds of people online are mourning Shiner who they call, a “pillar of Dundas West.” 

“Hilarious, kind and ain’t afraid of anyone or thing. She was a gold soul. She fought a hell of a fight,” one person posted on Reddit. Another said, “this is a sad day for ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½. She made the city a fun and worthy place to live.”

“Abra’s love of community was such that everyone was her family,” said Lizz de Savoye, Mysterion’s partner who was also friends with Shiner. “We’ve all lost a sister, that is how deeply she has impacted this world. Every person she has met was an instant friend and instant family. So the loss is felt even more so.”

A set up in April originally to support Shiner and help create a garden at her new home, has received thousands of dollars in donations but continues to receive more since her death, to support her husband who now runs Swan Dive on his own. 

“A huge chapter has been turned in the scene in the west end because of this. She was integral with so many people and so many different walks of life and in every genre. it’s just unbelievable how many people she’s impacted,” Mysterion said.