Re: Alex Donaldson
ORB File No: 8899
Hearing held on: Thursday, November 27, 2025
Place of Hearing: Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
Pursuant to: Section 672.47(1) of the Criminal Code
Before:
Alternate Chairperson: Mr. R. Bigelow
Members: Dr. S. Simpson
Dr. M. Kalia
Mr. G. Beasley
Ms. R. MacIntyre
Parties Appearing:
Accused: Alex Donaldson
Counsel: Ms. J. Boissoneault
The Person in charge of Hospital: Counsel: Ms. A. Marshall
Attorney General of Ontario: Counsel: Ms. N. MacDonald
REASONS FOR DISPOSITION
(Dated December 31, 2025)
Introduction
On October 23, 2025, Alex Donaldson was found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (NCR) on a charge of Aggravated Assault contrary to the Criminal Code. The court did not make a disposition and referred the matter to the Ontario Review Board (the Board) to do so.
On Thursday, November 27, 2025, the Board convened a hearing at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (the Hospital) to make an initial disposition pursuant to section 672.47(1) of the Criminal Code. The issues to be determined at the hearing were whether Mr. Donaldson represented a significant threat to the safety of the public as defined in section 672.5401 of the Criminal Code and, if so, what was the necessary and appropriate disposition that was also the least restrictive and least onerous, taking into account the factors set out in section 672.54 of the Criminal Code.
Mr. Donaldson was present at the hearing and represented by counsel Ms. Boissonneault. Mr. Donaldson’s mother was also present at the hearing.
Initial Positions of the Parties
At the commencement of the hearing the parties were requested to provide their initial without prejudice positions with respect to the issues before the Board. Counsel for the Hospital indicated that it was the position of the Hospital that Mr. Donaldson constituted a significant threat to the safety of the public and that the necessary and appropriate disposition was a detention order at the Forensic Service of the Hospital with privileges and conditions as set out at pages 19 and 20 of the Hospital Report.
Counsel for the Attorney General supported the Hospital position but submitted that there should be an additional term in the disposition prohibiting contact with the victim of the index offence.
Counsel for Mr. Donaldson also supported the Hospital recommendation but submitted that the terms with respect to passes into the community at (d) and (e) of the recommended terms be extended to 48 hours. Counsel specifically conceded the issue of significant threat.
Evidence at the hearing
- The evidence at the hearing consisted of the Hospital Report and the oral evidence of Dr. Choung, Mr. Donaldson’s attending psychiatrist.
Findings:
- For the Reasons that follow, the Board finds that Mr. Donaldson represents a significant threat to the safety of the public and that the necessary and appropriate disposition is a detention order on the terms recommended by the Hospital with the addition of the term recommended by counsel for the Attorney General and the variations suggested by counsel for Mr. Donaldson.
Index Offences:
- The allegations surrounding the index charge taken from the Agreed Statement of Facts filed with the court at the time of the NCR Hearing:
On Tuesday, April 21, 2025, Durham Regional Police were dispatched to the Emergency Room of Lakeridge Health Oshawa, 1 Hospital Court, Oshawa. Hospital staff reported that a male patient had stabbed another male patient. Officers arrived to Zone 11 of the Emergency Room which is a locked and secure unit for mental health in patients.
The accused was an inpatient in Zone 11-Room 4.
At approximately 7:40pm, Mr. Donaldson exited his room and began pacing the hallway in front of the victim's room #7 and nursing station. The victim, Mark ROBINSON was lying in bed in his room when Mr. Donaldson walked in and stabbed him 5 times with a knife. Donaldson exited the room following the stabbing and attempted to hide the knife he used by shoving it in the frame of his hospital bed in room #4. Officers arrested Mr. Donaldson in room 4 and located the pairing(sic) sized knife used in the altercation, hidden in the frame of his hospital bed. The blade was 8.2 cm in length. The entirety of the offence is caught on camera in the South Corridor video. The accused is seen pacing in unmatched socks in the hallway outside of the victim's room, briefly looking inside at him while a nurse is with the victim. He places sunglasses on his eyes. There is another female in the hallway. As soon as the nurse with the victim leaves the room, the accused walks in, up to the victim, and begins to stab him repeatedly in the torso while the victim tries to kick him away. The accused leaves and closes the victim's door slowly. The knife is placed in his pocket. The nurses soon appear, then security, and within 10 minutes police arrive. Robinson sustained 5 stab wounds to his upper body, including his chest and stomach area. He was transported to St. Michael's Hospital to undergo treatment.
Mr. Donaldson was brought to the Lakeridge Health emergency department by his mother on April 1, 2025. At that time, he received a provisional diagnosis of psychosis and was involuntarily admitted on a Form 1 under the Mental Health Act. After he was admitted, Mr. Donaldson's fear persisted; he was exhibiting concerning thoughts and behaviour wherein he believed that certain individuals were following him; that they were armed; and that they could potentially kill him. He posted a Facebook status saying he needed help. He also repeatedly began calling 911 at 4:48pm on April 2nd (approx. 3 hours prior to the incident), reporting that he was in the psychiatric ward at Lakeridge Heath; that his life was in danger and that he felt threatened; that he was scared; making statements such as "somebody is going to die. I'm telling you. It might be me, but I could do it to somebody else." He also reported hearing threatening voices prior to the admission." There are several 911 recordings to substantiate this prior to the offence taking place, as well as Mr. Donaldson attending at the police station prior to his admission at Ontario Shores.
Nursing notes indicated that Mr. Donaldson was paranoid, exit-seeking, and had a flat affect. He slept poorly. He was preoccupied with gaining access to his cellphone and other belongings. He made several calls to 911. He pretended to take his prescribed medication, olanzapine 5mg when administered the first few doses. He was subsequently adherent to it. A nursing note on April 2 indicated that Mr. Donaldson was "paranoid, telling [his] mother that 'everyone in here has a gun, and that they want to kill him'." He then stated that "I will end up killing someone."
The stabbing occurred during the course of this admission. Mr. Donaldson while being an inpatient at Ontario Shores during this period was treated with olanzapine 5mg twice daily and improved enough to be transferred out of the psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) into the general milieu of the unit. His speech was minimal, and it was difficult to elicit meaningful responses. He continued to present as guarded with a flat affect and irritability, with no insight. His sleep improved. He was discharged into the custody of correctional officers. A Form 5 was completed. The discharge diagnosis was "psychosis — delusional disorder with severe paranoia.”
Background Information Regarding the Accused:
As of the date of the hearing Mr. Donaldson was 32 years of age, was born in Oshawa in raised primarily in Whitby. His parents divorced when he was approximately six years of age and he was raised principally by his mother. He had little contact with his father subsequent to the divorce due mainly to his father’s abuse of alcohol until approximately one year before the index offence when his father reported that he had ceased consuming alcohol.
Mr. Donaldson completed high school although he took one year off due to social anxiety related issues. He did not pursue further education.
Mr. Donaldson started working at a Loblaw’s warehouse in 2017. In November 2024 he had requested and was granted a transfer to the night shift (11 PM to 7 AM) reported difficulty sleeping after the change. Shortly before the index offence he requested and was granted a leave of absence because he needed to “deal with some things” and to “figure this out in reflect on what was happening to me.”
Substance Use History
Mr. Donaldson began using cannabis when he was approximately 16 or 17 years of age. At first he was using a couple of times a week but it escalated quickly to daily or near daily consumption. His use was consistent from that time without any significant periods of abstinence. In the time leading up to the index offence, he used cannabis daily, typically 2 g per day which he consumed using a bong.
In the fall of 2024 Mr. Donaldson began to use “shatter” ( a concentrated form of cannabis containing an extremely high level of THC) as well. He was uncertain as to whether cannabis contributed to his paranoia but felt that his paranoia was more related to lack of sleep and his extreme diet.
Mr. Donaldson denied use of any other substances.
Legal History:
- Mr. Donaldson has no prior charges or convictions.
Psychiatric History
Although Mr. Donaldson experienced severe social anxiety in high school which led him to taking a year off from school he had no contact with a psychiatrist or any history of diagnosed mental illness prior to April 2025. He reported that he began to develop paranoia in November 2024 at the time of his transition to night shift work and his use of ‘shatter’. The paranoia was initially manageable until mid-March 2025 when he developed increasing suspiciousness and discomfort in public places and a few days before the index offence he went to a police station and told the receptionist that people were following him.
On April 1, 2025 Mr. Donaldson attended at the Emergency. Department of Lakeridge Hospital with his mother and received a provisional diagnosis of psychosis and was involuntarily admitted on a Form 1 under the Mental Health Act. After admission he continued to believe that certain individuals were following him and that they were armed and could potentially kill him. The index offence occurred on that date at the hospital.
Current Diagnosis
- Mr. Donaldson’ current diagnoses are:
Schizophrenia
Cannabis Use Disorder, moderate in early remission
Evidence of Dr. Choung
- Dr. Choung indicated that:
She had been Mr. Donaldson’s attending physician since his admission to hospital in October 2025 and had read and adopted the contents of the Hospital Report. She stated that although Mr. Donaldson remained on a secure assessment unit, he was likely to be transferred to a general unit as soon and space became available. His response to treatment had been positive and his mental state improved. He displayed no symptoms of his major mental illness and was less guarded than he had been prior to commencing antipsychotic medication.
The treatment team was considering a change to IM medication and had discussed that with Mr. Donaldson but he was somewhat apprehensive. She notes that while in custody prior to the NCR finding he had been nonadherent to recommended medication but was currently more receptive and had agreed to take oral medication “for now.” However, she noted that his insight into his illness and the need for medication was superficial and he continued to make comments that olanzapine, which had been prescribed in the emergency department after his admission to hospital on the date of the index offence, was connected to the offence.
Before Mr. Donaldson could be granted indirectly supervised privileges he would need to be transferred to a general unit and make his way up the privilege ladder.
Before any consideration with respect to discharge from hospital an occupational therapy assessment would need to take place. In her opinion, it was possible that community living would be appropriate within the reporting year but she was unable at this point to comment on the likelihood of it occurring.
The risk assessment contained in the Hospital Report continues to be valid.
In response to questions from counsel for the Attorney General, Dr. Chuong agreed that opportunities to access drugs on the assessment unit were limited but opportunities to access drugs on a general unit would be greater and that intramuscular antipsychotic medications mitigated risk associated with substance use.
In response to questions from counsel for Mr. Donaldson, Dr. Chuong agreed that his psychotic symptoms were in remission, his medication appeared to be effective and he tolerated it well. However, his insight into the importance of medication was minimal and although his stated goal is abstinence from substance use, his motivation is likely external.
In response to questions from panel members, Dr. Chuong reiterated that Mr. Donaldson’s insight into his illness was minimal. Although he says that he has an illness he cannot explain what that really means. He would clearly benefit from education with respect to his illness. Although he agrees that cannabis may have caused some of his symptoms he does not believe that cannabis had any relationship to the violence of the index offence.
Final Positions of the Parties
- At the conclusion of the hearing the parties jointly recommended that a detention order on the Forensic Program of the Hospital be directed with the terms as recommended in the Hospital Report with the addition of a term prohibiting contact and communication with the victim of the index offence as well as a variation of recommendations (d) and (e) to allow for passes into the community up to 48 hours.
Analysis and Conclusion, Significant Threat:
Although the issue of significant threat was not contested at the hearing, the Board nevertheless makes an independent finding that Mr. Donaldson represents a significant threat to the safety of the public. Mr. Donaldson suffers from a major mental illness, schizophrenia, as well as cannabis use disorder (moderate in early remission) and at the time of the index offence was experiencing symptoms of that illness resulting in an offence of significant violence. During his incarceration prior to the NCR finding, he was nonadherent to medication and, although currently adherent to medication, he has minimal insight into his illness or the need for treatment.
Mr. Donaldson has a lengthy history of cannabis use including the use of “shatter” in the months leading up to the index offence. His insight into the impact of cannabis on his mental health is limited and although he states he intends to remain abstinent, his motivation appears to be largely external.
Those factors clearly support a finding that absent the supervision of the Board, there is a significant likelihood that Mr. Donaldson could fall away from treatment, return to the frequent use of cannabis resulting in a recurrence of symptoms similar to those he experienced at the time of the index offence and a significant threat to the safety of the public.
Analysis and Conclusion, Necessary and Appropriate Disposition
The Board also finds that the joint submission with respect to disposition is also well supported by the evidence. The risk assessment contained in the Hospital Report finds that Mr. Donaldson would be a low-moderate risk for violence under the recommended disposition but that if granted a conditional or absolute discharge, the risk for future violence would increase to moderate–high.
It remains early days and, particularly given the nature of the symptoms Mr. Donaldson experienced and the level of violence of the index offence, the Hospital must take a cautious approach to increasing privileges and access to the community. A conditional discharge would not be sufficient to address risk.
DATED this 31st day of December 2025, at the City of Toronto, in the Toronto Region.
Robert Bigelow
Alternate Chairperson
Office of the Registrar
Ontario Review Board