B. Apted

The Ontario Review Board held an annual hearing for an accused found not criminally responsible for second-degree murder.

The accused, diagnosed with schizophrenia, had a history of treatment non-compliance and substance abuse.

The hospital recommended a continued detention disposition with an increased reporting frequency, while working towards a community housing placement.

The Board accepted the uncontroverted psychiatric evidence that the accused continues to pose a significant threat to public safety.

The Board ordered a detention disposition with privileges up to living in the community, emphasizing the need for a cautious approach to his transition to less structured housing.

The Ontario Review Board held a mandatory annual review hearing for an accused found not guilty by reason of insanity for second-degree murder in 1987.

The accused, who suffers from treatment-resistant schizophrenia, sought an independent housing assessment, arguing a residential impasse existed under the Shortt framework.

The Board found that the accused continues to pose a significant threat to public safety due to the risk of decompensation and violence if unmedicated.

The Board renewed the detention disposition but expanded the geographic scope for supervised community accommodation to all of Southern Ontario, finding that an independent housing assessment was currently unwarranted given the hospital's ongoing placement efforts.

The Ontario Review Board held a hearing to review the hospital's decision to readmit the accused and restrict his liberties following a positive urine drug screen for methamphetamines.

The accused, who has a history of substance-induced psychosis and schizophrenia, denied substance use and alleged his urine samples were tampered with.

The Board found the accused's testimony lacked credibility and upheld the hospital's decision, concluding that the readmission and ongoing restriction of liberties were warranted and represented the least restrictive means to stabilize his mental state and manage his risk to public safety.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual review hearing for an accused previously found not criminally responsible for assault with a weapon and assault.

The accused, diagnosed with schizophrenia, had a successful year in the community with no hospital readmissions, maintained abstinence, and complied with treatment.

The Board accepted the attending psychiatrist's uncontroverted evidence that the accused's mental state remains fragile and he would rapidly decompensate without forensic oversight.

The Board found the accused continues to pose a significant threat to public safety and ordered a loosened conditional discharge.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual review hearing for the accused, who was found not criminally responsible for assault with a weapon.

The accused has diagnoses of schizoaffective disorder, intellectual disability, and substance use disorders, and has a history of violent conduct while under the Board's jurisdiction.

The Board found that the accused continues to pose a significant threat to the safety of the public, as he would likely become non-compliant with medication and relapse into substance use without supervision.

The Board ordered the continuation of the current detention disposition, denying the accused's request to amend the disposition to allow the use of cannabis under medical supervision.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual hearing for an accused previously found unfit to stand trial on charges of uttering threats and forcible confinement.

The accused, diagnosed with schizophrenia, continued to experience grandiose delusions and believed his charges were resolved.

Applying the Supreme Court's recent decision in Bharwani, the Board found the accused remained unfit to stand trial.

The Board also found he continued to pose a significant threat to public safety.

The Board ordered the continuation of his detention at the hospital, but granted an expansion of privileges to include indirectly supervised community passes, subject to mental state monitoring and random drug screening.