Ontario Review Board
Re: Taylor Lewis
ORB File No: 8548
Hearing held on: Monday, September 8, 2025
Place of hearing: St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton West 5th Campus, 100 West 5th Street
Pursuant to: Section 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code
Before: Alternate Chairperson: Mr. C. MacIntyre, KC Members: Dr. P. Prendergast Dr. G. Nexhipi Ms. L. Maunder Mr. A. Mete
Parties Appearing:
Accused: Taylor Lewis Counsel: Mr. K. Ferreira
The person in charge of hospital: Counsel: Ms. L. Barney
Attorney General of Ontario: Counsel: Mr. B. Adsett
REASONS FOR DISPOSITION
(Dated November 3, 2025)
Introduction
On April 29, 2024, Taylor Lewis was found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder on a charge of breaking and entering with intent, contrary to the Criminal Code. Mr. Lewis is currently subject to an Ontario Review Board Disposition of September 11, 2024, which detains him at the Forensic Psychiatry Program of St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton (“St. Joseph's”) with privileges up to and including to live in the community within the catchment area of St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, in supervised accommodation approved by the person in charge.
On September 8, 2025, the Ontario Review Board convened at St. Joseph's to conduct Mr. Lewis’ annual review and to make a Disposition further to s. 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code.
At the outset of the hearing the parties were asked to present their preliminary positions. The hospital submitted that Mr. Lewis’ Disposition should remain the same except for the removal of “supervised” from his accommodation privilege in the community. The hospital further requests that privilege 2(h), which allows for passes up to seven days to enter the community in the catchment area of the hospital indirectly supervised, be amended to allow for passes up to seven days within the community of Southern Ontario accompanied by approved persons or indirectly supervised. The Attorney General supported the hospital’s position.
On behalf of the accused, Mr. Ferreira agreed with the changes suggested by the hospital but asked that the prohibition from the non-medical use of alcohol or drugs or other intoxicants contained in clause 4(a) of the Disposition be removed but that the testing requirement at 4(b) be retained.
Implicit in the parties’ positions is the joint recognition that Mr. Lewis remains a significant threat to the safety of the public.
Of note is that condition 4(d) of the current Disposition requires the accused to refrain from contact or communication directly or indirectly with the two victims of the offence, unless they provide their written revocable consent to the person in charge. The Board was advised by a letter of September 24, 2024, that one of the victim’s, Caitlin Watson, had provided her written consent to have contact with the accused as of Tuesday, September 24, 2024. This communication was made to Ms. Heidi Eden, a social worker, at St. Joseph's.
At the conclusion of the hearing, the Board found that Mr. Lewis is a significant threat to the safety of the public and that he should continue to be detained at St. Joseph's Hospital with the same terms and conditions as his current Disposition Order with no change other than the recommended amendments proposed by the hospital and agreed to by the parties. The substance use prohibition remains in the Disposition.
Index Offence
Mr. Lewis was originally charged with break and enter with intent, mischief under $5000 and assault and possession of weapon for dangerous purpose.
At Mr. Lewis’ NCR hearing, only the breaking and entering with intent was proceeded with and on which Mr. Lewis was found NCR. Notwithstanding this, in the course of today’s evidence, the Board was advised by accused’s counsel that he had accepted the Crown Synopsis regarding all the circumstances surrounding the time of the index offence including the Crown Synopsis description that in the course of the break and enter to Cavendish Drive in the city of Burlington, the male victim confronted the accused who threw a punch at him and then Mr. Lewis ran into the kitchen and grabbed a steak knife and charged towards the victim.
The Hospital Report contains a description of all three charges against Mr. Lewis, including the break and enter charge, which is described as follows:
“On the 04 of January, 2023 the complainant received a phone call from the accused that he had entered her residence, located at 2301 Cavendish Drive unit 140 in the City of Burlington in order to see his daughter Sophia and that he had a present for her. The complainant advised that she has not lived with the accused for the last five years and she is not sure how he entered her apartment. When she arrived home, she noticed her front door was open with a salt lamp and candle sitting in the doorway and hair bows were scattered all over the front lawn. The complainant became fearful and ran to a neighbours house where she subsequently called police. Police arrived on scene and noted he made entry into the home by cutting the screen of a ground floor window located at the rear of the evidence. Grounds were established for the offence of break and enter.”
Background
A Hospital Report of August 18, 2025, authored by Dr. Kolawole, was filed as an exhibit at today’s hearing. This contains a detailed account of the circumstances surrounding the index offence and Mr. Lewis’s personal and social history and medical and psychiatric history. It is noted that Mr. Lewis had no criminal record prior to the index offence.
Mr. Lewis is now a 29-year-old man who grew up in the east end of Hamilton. Much of his childhood and adolescent history has been obtained from Mr. Lewis’ mother. She advised that her son did not get into trouble at school or at home, however, he did struggle with defiance and anger issues in his teenage years. He moved out of his family home when he was 16 years old and has lived independently since or with roommates.
In high school his grades were reported as average. He was suspended once for consuming cannabis on school property.
At 15 years of age, he had a romantic relationship with Caitlin Watson. They had a daughter together while he was in high school. He left high school temporarily and returned afterwards to complete his secondary school diploma.
When he was 22 years old, the relationship with Ms. Watson ended. Ms. Watson has denied any acts of abuse during her relationship with the accused. Both have conveyed that they have been a support in each other’s lives.
Mr. Lewis sees his daughter every weekend and values his time with her.
When interviewed, Mr. Lewis provides an inconsistent report of his mental health history. His medical records indicate that he started accessing mental health services in 2017 at St. Joseph's Hospital and he had received mental health supports on multiple occasions through the Crisis Outreach and Support Team (COAST) as well as his family doctor regarding depressive symptoms.
Mr. Lewis’ former partner, Ms. Watson, has indicated that she has seen the accused engage in self-harm in 2016, cutting himself and making suicidal comments. These apparently were in the context of work and financial stress.
An admission in January 2023 to Joseph Brant Hospital resulted from Mr. Lewis being brought in by police after significant agitation, bizarre and tangential thoughts, and poor insight into his psychiatric symptoms. According to the records he ripped items off the wall, punched the wall and required prolonged use of chemical and mechanical restraints. He fractured his hand from punching the wall. This required surgery following which he reportedly removed the surgical dressings, attempted to bite his hands and continued to punch things. He was then put on antipsychotic medication, Invega Sustenna, with the substitute consent of his mother.
As a result of this medication his thought organization improved. The addition of lithium showed further improvement and, although he continued to endorse spiritual delusions, he no longer met the criteria for certification under the Mental Health Act and he was discharged with a diagnosis of first episode psychosis and manic symptoms.
The next admission to Joseph Brant Hospital was in February to March 2023. He had been non-adherent with his oral psychiatric medication. His psychotic symptoms continued including auditory command hallucinations and delusional beliefs and bizarre behaviours such as getting into strangers’ cars in the community. He had reportedly been experiencing command hallucinations to kill his mother.
Additional antipsychotic treatment was administered (olanzapine). His behaviour improved but he continued to lack insight into his symptoms. The discharge diagnoses were unspecified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorder; rule out bipolar spectrum disorder.
Earlier in his history when Caitlin Watson observed his cutting behaviour and suicidal thoughts, he was diagnosed at St. Joseph’s Hospital with major depressive disorder on a background of borderline personality traits and cannabis use disorder.
Repeat substance use and failure to follow treatment recommendations including antipsychotic medication were common themes throughout his hospitalization. During his assessment process for criminal responsibility the Hospital Report describes the following:
“Mr. Lewis endorsed using cannabis regularly since the age of 14. He reported that he consumes both plant-based and high potency forms of cannabis. Mr. Lewis reported that cannabis has been beneficial for him throughout his life in that it improves his mood. Mr. Lewis stated that he has historically used cocaine, psilocybin, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD), oxycodone, and Percocet recreationally. He relayed that he last used LSD and cocaine on December 31, 2022, and continues to use cannabis daily. Mr. Lewis indicated that he consumes alcohol socially.
Records from Cleghorn Early Intervention Clinic indicated that Mr. Lewis has been provided with psychoeducation around the impacts of substance use, specifically cannabis, on his mental status form. Records indicate that he remains pre-contemplative with respect to reducing his cannabis use. The Cleghorn Early Intervention Clinic staff contacted the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario in November 2023, to report concern related to Mr. Lewis’ disclosure of driving while under the influence of cannabis, resulting in a restriction of his ability to drive.”
- At last year's initial Review Board hearing, Dr. Chaimowitz testified that Mr. Lewis’ insight was very limited; he avoided medications and does not believe he has a mental disorder and believes that he should be able to use marijuana as he had done in the past.
Evidence at Hearing
Dr. Kolawole is now Mr. Lewis’ attending psychiatrist. Mr. Lewis’ current diagnoses are schizoaffective disorder and cannabis use disorder-in remission in a controlled environment. Last year saw an improvement in most areas. He has been pleasant and more engaged when prompted. There have been no incidents of aggression. There has been stability in his mental state, and he has been medication compliant and abstained from using substances.
Mr. Lewis has utilized his privileges quite well. He was able to maintain a roofing job over the summer, made possible by his 72-hour passes for work and for visiting his family.
Mr. Lewis’ insight has improved over the year in that he has recognized that he suffers from a mental illness and needs medication for it. However, he still believes that cannabis would help him to relax and in the past year has been asking for a cannabis exemption in his Disposition Order. Mr. Lewis was involved with a substance use program but his lack of engagement and his view that he does not benefit from it in group sessions has prompted the hospital team to focus on 1:1 substance abuse engagement in the coming year.
Dr. Kolawole testifies that Mr. Lewis’ insight into how substances negatively affect his illness is still low. Dr. Kolawole and the hospital team are opposed to any removal of the abstinence clause from his Disposition. Dr. Kolawole stresses that Mr. Lewis’ history of substance use is significant. In the past reporting year, he has not been exposed to substances and his lack of insight into the detrimental effects of substances causes the hospital to conclude that any removal of the substance prohibition clause is premature.
The hospital’s preliminary discharge plan is to discharge Mr. Lewis to Emmaus House, a transitional home in Hamilton. This is a rehabilitation home with an average of two year stay after which it is hoped that the residents would move to more independent living. Although Emmaus House is the current placement focus, the hospital is still considering other homes should they become available.
If a position became available today at Emmaus House, Dr. Kolawole testified that Mr. Lewis is ready to move there. Once the adjective “supervised” is removed from his accommodation privilege, the hospital will have the ability to broaden its search for housing.
Dr. Kolawole testified that Mr. Lewis has difficulty with the structure and rules required under the Ontario Review Board’s system. Some of the programs he has been involved in have helped with his insight in this regard, but it is still underdeveloped and accounts for his struggle in accepting recommendations of his treatment team. Mr. Lewis’ risk is elevated with the use of substances.
Mr. Lewis also has a history of non-adherence. If he does not have externally controlled treatment, Mr. Lewis would likely relapse and resort to violence in circumstances similar to those of the index offence and those surrounding it. When Mr. Lewis does experience a relapse, the behavioural results are significant, and they are psychiatrically unpredictable. Dr. Kolawole states that there is a link between cannabis use and Mr. Lewis’ aggression and violence.
Dr. Kolawole states that the hospital team would never likely get a complete picture of the significance of substances until Mr. Lewis is free of cannabis. His past long-term use of substances has dominated his life and has had long term effects on his mental health. Cannabis is a significant factor in bringing about relapses with someone who suffers from a mental disorder.
In their submissions, the hospital and the Attorney General continued to support the Detention Order as worded in last year's Disposition with the amendments proposed and with the substance prohibition clause remaining.
Mr. Ferreira has no issue with any of the hospital’s recommendations but repeats that his client would like the prohibition of cannabis removed. He submits that the removal of cannabis in the circumstances is least onerous and restrictive disposition for his client.
Analysis and Decision
- The Board accepts the joint submission of the parties that Mr. Lewis remains a significant threat to the safety of the public. Notwithstanding their agreement, the Board accepts the evidence of Dr. Kolawole and as outlined in the Hospital Report to support this finding. The clinical risk summary provided in the Hospital Report states:
“This has been Mr. Lewis’ first reporting year under the supervision of the Ontario Review Board. While Mr. Lewis has notably struggled with the rules and structure of the forensic mental health system, to his credit, he has had a relatively stable year. There have been no positive urine drug screens, no incidents of physical or verbal aggression, and he has remained adherent to his medication. His mental state has remained relatively stable, and there has not been any re- emergence of mood or psychotic symptoms related to his diagnosis of Schizoaffective Disorder.
Nevertheless, Mr. Lewis’ insight into the nature of his mental illness, the need for treatment and the contribution of substance use to exacerbating the symptoms of his mental illness and risk, remain under-developed. Mr. Lewis’ superficial engagement in therapeutic programming and his attitude towards the rehabilitative structure of the forensic mental health system reflect the need for ongoing close supervision and monitoring. Accordingly, Mr. Lewis remains, in our opinion, a significant risk to the safety of the public. Absent of the close oversight from the Ontario Review Board, Mr. Lewis will likely discontinue his medication, resume cannabis use and re-offend in a similar manner to his index offence.”
In so far as Mr. Lewis’ request to remove the prohibition on cannabis is concerned, the Board takes note of the hospital’s testimony that Mr. Lewis continues to have little to no insight into the risks associated with cannabis and its effect on his mental state and by extension, to the risk that he presents to the members of the public. The evidence is quite clear that Mr. Lewis will relapse into the use of cannabis. He has struggled to follow the treatment team's recommendations for both medication and a decrease in his cannabis use and he continues to have poor insight into these.
The psychological risk assessment report prepared on July 18, 2024, which is still considered valid, states that “Mr. Lewis’ fluctuating state of mental stability and decompensation ... combined with substance use have been the primary drivers of instability resulting in emotional dysregulation, aggression and violent ideation regarding harm to self and others, poor judgment and impulsivity, rule violations and restrictions”.
Relatively speaking, Mr. Lewis is progressing, and his successful advance does not go unnoticed by the Review Board, and he should be commended for this. The Board agrees with Dr. Kolawole’s view that any removal of the cannabis prohibition would be premature. To do so would inevitably remove the external control over its use and as Mr. Lewis wishes to use cannabis, he would likely return to it forthwith. The Board considers that this would be a set back and interfere with his treatment program and increase the risk to the safety of the public.
Accordingly, the Board finds that Mr. Lewis represents a significant threat to the safety the public and the least onerous and least restrictive Disposition and one that is necessary and appropriate in all the circumstances is a continuation of his current Disposition Order with the agreed amendments to the passes and community living privileges.
DATED this 3^rd^ day of November 2025, at the City of Toronto, in the Region of Toronto.
Mr. C. MacIntyre, KC Alternate Chairperson
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Office of the Registrar Ontario Review Board