Re: Lindsay Perrault
ORB File No: 7446
Hearing held on: Wednesday, October 08, 2025
Place of hearing: North Bay Regional Health Centre – North Bay Site
Pursuant to: Section 672.81 (1) of the Criminal Code
Before: Alternate Chairperson: Ms. M. Labrosse Members: Dr. W. Johnston Dr. G. Nexhipi Hon. E. Kruzick Ms. D. Smith
Parties Appearing: Accused: Lindsay Perrault Counsel: Mr. M. Rode The Person in charge of Hospital: Representative: Ms. C. Condie Counsel: Mr. P. Trenker via Zoom Attorney General of Ontario: Counsel: Ms. M. Mazurski
REASONS FOR DISPOSITION
(Dated December 2, 2025)
Introduction
1On November 1, 2018, Ms. Lindsay Perrault was found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (“NCR”) on charges of arson and breach of probation, contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada.
2Ms. Perrault is currently subject to a disposition of the Ontario Review Board dated November 5, 2024, which detains her at the Forensic Program of the North Bay Regional Health Centre – North Bay Site with privileges up to and including to live in the community in accommodation approved by the person in charge.
3On October 8, 2025, the Ontario Review Board (“ORB”) convened a hearing at the North Bay Regional Health Centre – North Bay Site, herein after referred to as “the hospital” to review Ms. Perrault’s disposition, pursuant to s. 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada. Ms. Perrault was present at the hearing and represented by counsel, Mr. M. Rode. A hospital report dated September 2, 2025, was entered as Exhibit 1 for the hearing. A Rule 13 Transfer Notice to Providence Care, dated September 19, 2025, and the Response from Providence Care to the Rule 13 Notice, dated October 3, 2025, were entered as Exhibits 2 and 3, respectively.
4The issues for this hearing are whether Ms. Perrault continues to pose a significant threat to the safety of the public and if so to determine the necessary and appropriate disposition. Also, on behalf of Ms. Perrault, a request for a transfer to Providence Care in Kingston was at issue for this hearing.
Position of the Parties
5At the commencement of the hearing the parties were canvassed as to their initial without prejudice positions on the issues before the Board at which time the Board was presented with a joint position regarding the issue of significant threat and new disposition to issue. The parties all indicated their wish to ask questions regarding the issue of the transfer prior to determining their final positions. At the end of the hearing, the parties maintained their joint position and all agreed that the transfer to Providence Care was necessary and appropriate.
Decision of the Board
6For the reasons set out below the Board finds that Ms. Perrault continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public. Ms. Perrault shall be transferred to Providence Care under a detention order on the same terms and conditions, with the North Bay Regional Health Centre – North Bay Site retaining residual authority pending that transfer.
Index Offences
7The circumstances of the index offence have been extracted from last year’s Reasons for Disposition are as follows:
“On Wednesday June 13th, 2018, at 0552hrs the fire department responded to the reports of a fire at 26 Albert Street East, Sault Ste. Marie.
26 Albert Street East is a 2 story, multi-unit apartment building which is attached to 28 Albert Street and is situated on the Northeast Corner of Albert Street and Blucher Street.
Fire arrived on scene a short time after the initial call and observed flames coming from a first floor apartment, extending to the roof. The fire was on the west side of the building facing Blucher Street. All occupants of the building were outside and there were no reports of any injuries.
Fire inspector PROVENZANO attended the scene and at approximately 0900hrs he was approached by a member of the USWA local 2251 advising they had cameras on their building which captured the incident. The camera shows a heavy set female approach the first floor window of 26 Albert Street East at 0554hrs and ignite unknown materials, throw it in the window and walk away. After reviewing the footage PROVENSANO (sic) contacted Police to report the incident as suspicious.
At 0930hrs Police arrived on scene and were briefed by fire inspector PROVENZANO. There were no injuries as a result of the fire and the tenants were brought to the Delta
Hotel for temporary lodging.
The fire started in a bedroom of apartment #2 which has a window on the main floor
and is accessible on foot from the parking lot off Blucher Street. That bedroom is rented to, Kelly HODGSON. HODGSON was not on scene at the time of Police arrival and did not attend the Delta Hotel with the other tenants……
…. video surveillance …. positively identifies Lindsay PERRAULT as the culprit.”
Background History
8Ms. Perrault’s personal, legal, and psychiatric history is set out in detail in the hospital report. Briefly summarized, Ms. Perrault is currently 42 years of age and was born in Sault Ste. Marie. Both of her parents struggled with substance and alcohol use and she and two of her siblings were reportedly sexually abused by their father as children. Ms. Perrault left home at the age of 16. She has six children and was in an off and on-again relationship for 11 years with the father of her four oldest children. Those four children reside with their father in Barrie and the two youngest who have different fathers are in the care of the Children’s Aid Society.
9Ms. Perrault has an extensive substance use history which began when she was 12 years of age with regular cannabis consumption. She reports that the only time that she has been abstinent from substances was when she has been incarcerated. Ms. Perrault also began regularly using cocaine when she was 19 and methamphetamines in her early thirties. She has also struggled with opiates.
10Ms. Perrault has an extensive criminal record which is set out in the hospital report and includes convictions between 2001 and 2017 as well as the details of the custodial sentences which Ms. Perrault served in relation to those convictions. Among them are several assault convictions.
Psychiatric History
11Ms. Perrault has a long history of psychiatric problems and was first hospitalized in 2004 for suicidal behaviour. She has had many admissions to hospital which are set out in detail in the hospital report. In 2007, Ms. Perrault suffered from post partum depression with psychosis. In 2014, she was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and severe personality disorder.
12Ms. Perrault’s current diagnoses include:
Schizoaffective Disorder
Substance Use Disorder in Sustained Remission in a Controlled Environment
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Evidence at the Hearing
13The hospital’s evidence was presented through its report and through the oral testimony of Dr. G. Munro who has been Ms. Perrault’s attending psychiatrist since March of 2024.
14Dr. Munro agreed that Ms. Perrault has made slow and steady progress at the Hummingbird Lodge unit of the hospital. She has done quite well over the past year, has been cooperative with the treatment team, compliant with medication, and uses her privileges appropriately.
15With respect to the Hummingbird Lodge program, Ms. Perrault is reaching the final stages of the third and final phase of the Hummingbird treatment program for women. The hospital is starting to look at discharge planning to commence over the course of the next few months.
16Ms. Perrault has indicated her wish to be transferred to Providence Care in Kingston and Dr. Munro acknowledged that they have been discussing this for the last few months. Ms. Perrault’s rationale is that this may expedite her discharge to the community but that she also has a wish to be closer to family who reside in the Kingston area, namely an aunt and uncle, who would be able to visit her but who are unable to do so while she is in North Bay.
17Dr. Munro explained that a transfer could in fact delay Ms. Perrault’s discharge to the community, as she will likely require a period of admission to hospital for the treatment team at Providence Care to get to know her. Ms. Perrault understands this and has expressed to Dr. Munro that she believes that it is worthwhile to be closer to family. Dr. Munro advised that the clinical treatment team does not oppose the request for transfer.
18Dr. Munro testified that she does not know how long the transfer would take but that the treatment team in North Bay would continue with plans, including discharge plans, pending the transfer.
19In response to questions posed to her by members of the panel, Dr. Munro reiterated that the hospital would continue with its plans for Ms. Perrault as there is no indication how long it might take for the transfer to occur, as this will depend on bed availability as well as housing availability in the community. Pending the transfer, the hospital will continue progressing Ms. Perrault through the Hummingbird program. Dr. Munro believes that the transfer could take “months to years” as is the case with many inter-hospital transfers.
20In response to a question regarding a previous borderline personality diagnosis from the psychiatric member of the panel, Dr. Munro stated that Ms. Perrault did attended DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy); however, in the opinion of Dr. Munro, Ms. Perrault’s symptoms would more appropriately be diagnosed as part of the complex trauma that she has experienced as opposed to an actual BPD diagnosis, and therefore it is no longer included in the hospital diagnosis of Ms. Perrault.
21Dr. Munro confirmed that pending a transfer to Providence Care, Ms. Perrault will continue to enjoy the current privileges that she is exercising and as she has not yet reached the ceiling of those privileges. It is possible that she will progress further to fully exercising the privileges in her current disposition.
22The Hospital Risk Assessment is set out in detail in the Report and is summarized as follows:
There has been little change to Ms. Perrault’s risk summary. Although she has continued to progress in her ability to recognize the persistent symptoms of her mental illness and utilize appropriate coping skills during periods of heightened distress, she has required substantial support from her treatment team.
It is the unanimous opinion of Ms. Perrault’s treatment team that she continues to pose a significant risk of safety to the public. Ms. Perrault continues to experience significant sensory abnormalities and continues to struggle with perceived provocation by others. Ms. Perrault remains engaged in trauma informed care designed to address her significant traumatic history of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, which has understandingly been difficult for her. Any sudden lessening of restriction is highly likely to result in Ms. Perrault’s disengagement from treatment and appropriate mental health supports.
In light of her significant history of substance use, it is highly likely that absent ongoing support, Ms. Perrault would be at significant risk of reverting to the use of illicit substances, which would result in a significant decompensation of her mental status.
As indicated in the previous year’s risk summary, Ms. Perrault has a significant history of noncompliance with medication and follow up in the community. Although she has remained compliant with her medication regimen since her admission to this facility, she has experienced periods of fluctuating insight into the ongoing benefit derived from her current compliance with medication. If left to her own devices, it is highly likely that Ms. Perrault would become non-compliant with her medication regimen resulting in a deleterious effect on her current level of stability. A decompensation of her mental status, either by way of medication non-compliance or substance use, or a combination of both factors, is highly likely to result in behaviours similar to those exhibited at the time of the index offence, resulting in an increased risk to the safety of the public.
Ms. Perrault has continued to make progress in the exploration of her traumatic history and accepting appropriate treatment interventions. It is the unanimous opinion of her treatment team that as Ms. Perrault continues to progress through the Tri-phasic model of trauma therapy, it is imperative that the Person in Charge maintain the authority to grant privileges as appropriate, monitor her ability to manage such privileges successfully, and to approve any future accommodation in the community.
24No other evidence was presented.
Analysis and Conclusion
25Having considered all of the evidence presented at the hearing, and the joint submission of the parties, the Board finds that Ms. Perrault continues to pose a significant threat to the safety of the public as set out in s. 672.54 of the Criminal Code of Canada and as further defined in Winko v. British Columbia (Forensic Psychiatric Institute), 1999 CanLII 694 (SCC), [1999] 2 SCR 625.
26According to R. v. Winko, a significant threat to the safety of the public means a real risk of physical or psychological harm to members of the public that is serious in the sense of going beyond the merely trivial or annoying. The conduct giving rise to the harm must be criminal in nature.
27Our finding that Ms. Perrault continues to pose a significant threat to the safety of the public is based on the fact that she suffers from a major mental illness and has a significant history of non-compliance with medication and follow-up in the community. In light of her significant history of substance use, it is highly likely that absent an ORB disposition requiring that she continue to receive the significant supports that she is receiving, Ms. Perrault would be at high risk of relapsing into substance use. This would result in a significant decompensation of her mental status and the risk of reoffending.
28Ms. Perrault has been participating in the Hummingbird Lodge Program for Women to address her complex trauma history and she is making steady progress. It is important for the hospital to maintain the authority of managing her privileges and eventually approving accommodation when she is ready to be discharged.
29Ms. Perrault is requesting a transfer to Providence Care (Kingston) in order to be closer to her family. This request is not opposed by either facility or any of the parties. Though Ms. Perrault’s rationale included the possibility of expediting a discharge to the community, there is no indication that this will be the case. It could even delay her discharge, though Ms. Perrault accepts that this could be the case; however, her wish to be closer to family appears to be more important to her.
30Accordingly, we accept the joint submission of the parties for the maintenance of the current detention order on the same terms and conditions. There shall be a transfer to Providence Care with the North Bay Regional Health Centre maintaining residual authority. This will enable the hospital to continue with its discharge planning and overall plan of care for Ms. Perrault should the transfer take longer than anticipated.
31In coming to our decision, we have considered the four factors set out at s. 672.54 of the Criminal Code, namely the protection of the public, which is the paramount consideration, the mental condition of the accused, her reintegration into society and her other needs.
DATED this 2nd day of October 2025, at the City of Toronto, in the Toronto Region.
Ms. Michèle Labrosse Alternate Chairperson
Office of the Registrar Ontario Review Board