P. Prendergast

The Ontario Review Board conducted an annual review for an accused found not criminally responsible for weapons and threat offences.

The accused has schizophrenia and severe substance use disorder.

The treatment team and Crown recommended a continued Detention Order, noting the accused's intermittent cocaine use and resulting psychiatric deterioration.

The Board found the accused continues to pose a significant threat to public safety.

A Detention Order was maintained, but the Board expanded the accused's travel radius to 200 kilometres to facilitate visits with his girlfriend, provided he maintains abstinence and stability.

The Ontario Review Board conducted an annual review for an accused found not criminally responsible for assaulting police.

The accused, diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and substance use disorder, had a stable year and was expected to transition to supervised community living.

The Board accepted the joint position of the parties, finding that the accused continues to pose a significant threat to public safety due to his brittle illness and need for supervision.

The Board ordered a continued Detention Order with expanded privileges, including travel within Southern Ontario and indirectly supervised access to the community.

The accused, who was previously found not criminally responsible for arson, was detained at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Her liberty was restricted when she was admitted as an inpatient due to severe psychiatric decompensation and medication non-compliance.

The Ontario Review Board held a hearing to review the restriction of liberty.

The Board concluded that the restriction was justified, necessary, and the least onerous option available to ensure public safety and address the accused's mental health needs.

The accused was subsequently stabilized and discharged back to the community.

The Ontario Review Board held a mandatory annual review hearing for an accused previously found not criminally responsible for offences including uttering threats and possession of a weapon.

The accused had recently been discharged to transitional housing and demonstrated medication compliance and abstinence from substances.

However, due to his history of rapid decompensation and substance use, the Board found he continued to pose a significant threat to public safety.

The Board ordered the continuation of his Detention Disposition to ensure rigorous oversight and the ability to rapidly return him to the hospital if necessary.

The accused, who was previously found not criminally responsible for sexual assault, was subject to an annual review of his disposition by the Ontario Review Board.

The accused has schizophrenia and substance use disorders.

While he has been adherent to treatment in the hospital, his insight remains limited and his immigration status poses a barrier to community reintegration.

The Board found that the accused remains a significant threat to public safety, as a return to the community without supervision would likely lead to substance use, treatment non-adherence, and further offences.

The Board ordered a continuation of the detention order with expanded community passes to facilitate reintegration.

The Ontario Review Board conducted an annual review of the accused's disposition.

The accused was previously found not criminally responsible for sexual offences and has a history of severe schizophrenia, substance use, and unprovoked violence against co-patients and staff.

The Board found that the accused remains a significant threat to the safety of the public due to his unpredictable violent behaviour and lack of insight.

The Board ordered his continued detention in the Forensic Program at Ontario Shores, with the possibility of indirectly supervised community passes if accompanied by a suitable person.

The Ontario Review Board held a hearing to review the restriction of liberties imposed on the accused, a patient at a mental health centre.

The hospital had suspended the accused's privileges and transferred him to a secure unit following medication non-compliance, decompensation, and aggressive behaviour.

The Board found that the initial restrictions and transfer were necessary, appropriate, and the least restrictive options available at the time.

However, the Board concluded that the ongoing restrictions ceased to be necessary and appropriate in the days leading up to the hearing, as the accused had stabilized and returned to baseline.

The Board directed that the accused be transferred back to a general ward and that less restrictive measures be enabled.

The accused, previously found not criminally responsible for dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death, was subject to a discharge with conditions.

Following a dramatic deterioration in his mental status, including new paranoid delusions regarding his wife and family, the hospital requested an early hearing.

The Ontario Review Board found that the accused remains a significant threat to the safety of the public.

The Board ordered a detention order with conditions, concluding it was necessary to allow the treatment team to investigate the precipitating factors, manage his risk in the community, and approve his accommodations.

The Ontario Review Board held a hearing to review the restriction of liberty of the accused, who had previously been found not criminally responsible for attempted murder and aggravated assault.

The accused's liberty was restricted when he was readmitted to the hospital after testing positive for cannabis, deteriorating compliance with community supervision, and exhibiting aggressive behaviour.

The Board accepted the joint submission of the parties that the restriction of liberty from February 19, 2026, to March 10, 2026, was justified, necessary, and represented the least onerous and least restrictive option available to the hospital.

The Ontario Review Board conducted a mandatory review hearing for a dual status offender who was found not guilty by reason of insanity for attempted murder and kidnapping, and later convicted of escaping lawful custody and sexual assault with a weapon.

The Board found that the accused continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public due to recent institutional misconduct, including physical altercations and sexually inappropriate behaviour.

The Board ordered his continued detention at the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, should his federal incarceration cease, and extended the time for his next review to 24 months.

The Ontario Review Board held a mandatory hearing to review the restriction of the accused's liberty following his placement in seclusion at the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care.

The accused's mental condition had deteriorated due to medication non-adherence, leading to aggressive behaviour.

The Board found that the seclusion from February 16 to March 15, 2026, was necessary and appropriate to mitigate the risk to co-patients and staff, and was the least onerous and least restrictive option available.

The Ontario Review Board held a Restriction of Liberty hearing after the accused, who had been living in the community, was readmitted to the hospital.

The hospital presented evidence that the accused had become increasingly unreliable in attending appointments and had tested positive for substances, leading to a deterioration in his mental status.

The Board accepted the medical evidence that the accused was not yet ready to return to the community.

The Board found that the return to hospital was warranted and that his ongoing detention in the hospital was the least onerous and least restrictive decision available.

The Ontario Review Board convened a hearing to review the restriction of the accused's liberty after he was placed in seclusion for a period exceeding seven days at the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care.

The accused, who has treatment-refractory schizophrenia and a history of violence, experienced a rapid deterioration of symptoms and became aggressive towards staff.

The Board found that the restriction of liberty was justified, necessary, and represented the least onerous and least restrictive option available to the hospital at the time, given the failure of de-escalation techniques and the risk posed to staff and others.

The Ontario Review Board conducted an annual review of the disposition for an accused found not criminally responsible for criminal harassment.

The accused, diagnosed with schizophrenia, was residing in a supervised community facility and no longer receiving electroconvulsive therapy.

The hospital and the Attorney General jointly recommended an absolute discharge.

Applying the Winko standard, the Board found that the accused lacked the physical ability to cause significant harm and no longer represented a significant threat to public safety.

An absolute discharge was granted.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual review hearing for an accused found not criminally responsible for aggravated assault.

The accused, diagnosed with schizophrenia, had remained stable in the community under a conditional discharge, with no incidents of violence or substance use.

The hospital and the Attorney General recommended maintaining the conditional discharge, noting that the accused's insight remained variable and a transition to a non-forensic community provider was still pending.

The Board found that the accused continued to pose a significant threat to public safety due to the risk of medication non-compliance and relapse.

The Board ordered a conditional discharge, applying the principle of minimal intrusion, but removed the condition requiring absolute abstinence from alcohol and drugs given the accused's sustained period of abstinence.

The Ontario Review Board conducted an annual review of the disposition for an accused found not criminally responsible for attempted murder.

The accused has a diagnosis of schizophrenia and a history of severe decompensation when non-compliant with medication.

Relying on uncontroverted expert psychiatric evidence, the Board found that the accused continues to pose a significant threat to public safety due to his lack of insight and reliance on external supervision for medication adherence.

The Board ordered a Conditional Discharge with terms including residence at a specified address and regular reporting.

The accused, previously found not criminally responsible for arson, had his annual review before the Ontario Review Board.

He suffers from schizophrenia and neurocognitive disorder, and requires significant care.

He was readmitted to the hospital after failing in supportive housing due to aggressive behaviour and unsafe smoking habits.

The Board accepted the uncontroverted psychiatric evidence that he continues to pose a significant threat to public safety and ordered his continued detention at the hospital.

The Ontario Review Board held an initial disposition hearing for the accused, who was found not criminally responsible for second-degree murder.

The accused, diagnosed with schizophrenia and a substance use disorder, had been detained at CAMH.

The Board accepted the joint recommendation of the parties, supported by the treating psychiatrist's evidence, that the accused remains a significant threat to public safety.

A Detention Order was issued directing the accused's detention on a General Forensic Unit with specified privileges and prohibitions, without overnight passes.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual review hearing for an accused found not criminally responsible for criminal harassment and failing to comply with conditions.

The accused, diagnosed with schizophrenia and cannabis use disorder, sought the removal of disposition clauses restricting his internet and cannabis use.

The Board accepted the treating psychiatrist's evidence that the accused's cannabis use leads to aggression and decompensation, and that internet restrictions are necessary to manage his risk.

The Board found the accused continues to represent a significant threat to public safety and ordered his continued detention within the Forensic Service at Ontario Shores.

The Ontario Review Board conducted an annual review of the accused's conditional discharge.

The accused, who was found not criminally responsible for sexual assault, had a successful year in the community with his schizophrenia in remission.

The treatment team recommended removing the residence and substance abstinence conditions to foster independence.

The Board found that while the accused continues to pose a significant threat to public safety, the proposed variations would not increase his risk.

The Board ordered a conditional discharge with the requested conditions removed.