Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
A 31-year-old disabled Toronto woman who was conditionally approved for a medically assisted death after a fruitless bid for safe housing says her life has been "stabilized" by an outpouring of support after telling her story.
"It's ... mind-blowing and inspiring," said Denise, in a phone interview.
Her voice sounded considerably stronger than in April when she last spoke with CTV News about her pending approval for MAID, a decision she said she made, in part, because she was suffering from severe chemical sensitivities in an apartment filled with smoke and fumes that made her ill.
She told CTV News at the time that she had spent months trying to secure housing with cleaner air and essentially gave up and was cleared by two doctors as qualifying for an assisted death.
But now she's found a temporary home, is no longer struggling for every breath and her extreme suffering has lessened, her application for MAID is on pause. However, Denise says she has not cancelled the MAID application outright as she still has several other pain-causing chronic health issues that haven't been properly addressed.
But because she does not have a permanent solution, if the hotel she is currently staying in is booked, she says she needs to return to the apartment that makes her sick.
After the story garnered worldwide attention, supporters set up a GoFundMe campaign that has now has amassed over $65,000 in donations from nearly 1,000 people along with countless emails of encouragement.
"These are strangers saying they do not want this to happen. I am even struggling to find the words," Denise said.
She says she is now staying in a hotel room in Toronto that uses low-scented cleaning chemicals, and has windows that open on a ravine, providing fresh air.
"I am no longer focusing on just survival," she told CTV News. "Mentally, I am more clear to put things in place to put a more liveable life."
She is working to find long-term subsidized housing and is hoping to help others with chemical sensitivities.
The "irremediable suffering" that qualified her for a medically assisted death was fixable, said Dr. Riina Bray, the medical director of the Environmental Health Clinic at Women's College Hospital in Toronto, and one of Denise's physicians.
"It says these patients can easily return to wellness if they are given the right environment to live. It's a simple equation," she said.
Denise, who asked CTV News not to use her real name to protect her identity, was diagnosed with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), which trigger rashes, difficulty breathing, and blinding headaches.
Research shows that people with multiple chemical sensitivities often improve in chemically cleaner environments.
She is also a wheelchair user after a spinal cord injury six years ago.
But her only income comes from Ontario’s Disability Support Program (ODSP) which pays $1,169 a month plus $50 for a special diet. That made it impossible for Denise to pay for a better apartment away from smoke and chemicals.
When repeated requests for subsidized apartments in healthier locations went unanswered by housing officials she applied for MAID, "essentially, because of abject poverty," she told CTV News in April.
She was approved by two doctors and was asked for documentation on funeral preparations by a third.
Denise's supporters are calling for a closer look at how and why she was approved for MAID when what she needed was housing that didn't aggravate her symptoms.
"We're calling for an investigation .... into physicians who are improperly applying the (MAID) legislation," said David Fancy a professor at Brock University and one of Denise's supporters.
Denise says the doctors who offered medical assistance in dying discussed her suffering, not solutions. "During the assessment, very little was focused on what services I had, what I needed to achieve some level of normal. Nothing was offered in terms of support," she said.
The Well Earth collaborative, which is fundraising for Denise, is also applying to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation for funding to build special housing for others with environmental sensitivities, with a 50-acre plot of land in a rural region north of Toronto identified as a possible site.
Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) is a recognized disability under the Canadian Human Rights Act. It’s believed to be caused by exposures to chemicals, or other environmental exposures that cause physical symptoms, although it is a controversial diagnosis in the medical community.
Her story is disturbingly similar to one reported by CTV News earlier in April. Sophia also suffered from Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. She received a medically assisted death in February, after many attempts to get an apartment away from the smoke and chemicals in her building.
Canadian statistics suggest that at least 700,000 people in the country suffer from sensitivities to chemicals.
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.