Ontario Review Board
Re: Jason Vasanthkumar
ORB File No: 7957
Hearing held on: Tuesday November 25, 2025
Place of Hearing: Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
Pursuant to: Sections 672.81(2) of the Criminal Code
Before:
Alternate Chairperson: Mr. R. Bigelow
Members: Dr. T. Wilkie Dr. M. Kalia Mr. G. Beasley Ms. B. Little
Parties Appearing:
Accused: Jason Vasanthkumar Counsel: Ms. R. Levin
The person in charge of hospital: Counsel: Ms. A. Marshall
Attorney General of Ontario: Counsel: Ms. N. MacDonald
REASONS FOR DISPOSITION
(Dated December 30, 2025)
Introduction
On October 8, 2021, Jason Vasanthkumar was found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (NCR) on charges of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, discharge firearm with intent, assault with a weapon, careless use of a firearm, and uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, all contrary to the Criminal Code. He is currently subject to a disposition of the Ontario Review Board (the Board) dated August 7 2025 ordering that he be discharged subject to conditions including reporting to the person in charge of Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (the Hospital) or their designate not less than once per month and submitting samples of his urine and/or breath on request.
By letter dated October 6, 2025 the Hospital notified the Board that Mr. Vasanthkumar was admitted to the General Forensic Psychiatric Rehabilitation Unit (FPRU) voluntarily after experiencing psychiatric decompensation following substance use and passive suicidal ideation. The Hospital also reported that Mr. Vasanthkumar assaulted a co-patient while in hospital and was placed in seclusion. He was charged with assault and subsequently placed on a Form 3 under the Mental Health Act.
The Hospital requested an early review of his disposition to determine whether both his best interests and those of public safety required that his current disposition be varied to that of a detention order with privileges up to and including community living.
On Tuesday, November 25, 2025, the Board convened a hearing to review Mr. Vasanthkumar’s disposition pursuant to section 672.81(2) of the Criminal Code. Mr. Vasanthkumar was present at the hearing and represented by counsel, Ms. Levin.
The issues to be determined at the hearing were whether Mr. Vasanthkumar continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public and, if so, what was the necessary and appropriate that was also the least onerous and least restrictive taking into account the factors set out in 672.54 of the Criminal Code.
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. Vasanthkumar continued to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public and that the necessary and appropriate disposition that was also the least onerous and least restrictive was an order detaining him on the Forensic Program at the Hospital with conditions and privileges as set out at pages 29 and 30 of the Hospital report.
Counsel for the Attorney General supported the Hospital position but also submitted that additional names should be added to the no contact provision.
Counsel for Mr. Vasanthkumar conceded the issue of significant threat but submitted that the necessary and appropriate disposition would be a continuation of the current conditional discharge on the terms as recommended in the Hospital Report. She took no issue with the addition of the names to the no contact provision.
Evidence at the hearing
- The evidence at the hearing consisted of the Hospital Report dated November 12, 2025 and the oral evidence of Dr. Pallandi, Mr. Vasanthkumar’s most responsible physician.
Findings:
- For the Reasons that follow, the Board finds that Mr. Vasanthkumar continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public and that the necessary and appropriate disposition is a detention order on the Forensic Program of the Hospital with privileges as recommended in the Hospital Report.
Index Offences:
- The allegations surrounding the index charges as summarized in the last year’s reasons for disposition are as follows:
In summary, as noted in Dr. Meng’s psychiatric report dated August 25, 2021, according to the York Regional Police initial officer report, officers were dispatched on Monday October 12, 2020, to a weapons call at the intersection of Crestwood Road and Payson Avenue in the city of Vaughan. The complainant [victim 1] reported that a male with a possible knife in his hand was making stabbing gestures.
Subsequently York Regional Police received a second call advising that the accused now had a gun and was chasing someone in the street. It was noted that the accused approached victim 1 holding a folding pocketknife and threatened him with it, left and soon returned carrying a rifle chasing and firing it at victim 1 as they ran around the exterior of the residence.
When officers arrived, a motorist flagged them down and stated, "there is a guy with a gun in front of 152 Crestwood". As officers approached the address they identified the accused, Jason Vasanthkumar, standing on the driveway and smoking a cigarette. When advised he was under arrest, he flipped his cigarette towards the officers and turned around and returned inside the residence. He subsequently exited and began walking toward the officers, ignoring their demands to stop and get to the ground. The accused turned his back to the officers and began to walk up the stairs of the porch to the landing and a long with an object was noted on the porch. Before he could approach it, officers deployed a CEW successfully stopping him.
It is noted that he asked officers why they had tased him as he wanted to be shot. He was subsequently handcuffed and escorted to the police station. Of note the long thin object on the porch was determined to be a bolt action pellet rifle.
Background Information Regarding the Accused:
As of the date of the hearing Mr. Vasanthkumar was 32 years of age, was born in India and immigrated to Canada at the age of eight. He reports a long history of tension and strife within his family largely between him and his father related to the cultural transition from India to Canada.
Mr. Vasanthkumar denied any academic difficulties until grade 11 when his anxiety “kicked in” and his grades started dropping. However, he did complete high school and graduated as a “B” student. After completing secondary school, he enrolled in a neuroscience program at McMaster University but failed his first year and then worked on-and-off at various occupations. He attempted to return to school in 2014 at Humber College but failed his second term.
Mr. Vasanthkumar was of no fixed address numerous times over the years and had a strained relationship with his parents.
Substance Use History
- Mr. Vasanthkumar states that he first tried cannabis at the age of 18 but disliked the effect finding that it heightened his anxiety and made him feel paranoid. He did not return to the use of cannabis until 2019 when he started using again but stopped after one month due to returning paranoia. However, he returned to the use of cannabis in the spring of 2020. By June 2020 he was smoking daily and maintained this pattern of use in the months leading up to the index offences. After his release from custody on bail pending trial in late October 2020, he was abstinent from cannabis use for a number of months. However, in April 2021 he returned to the regular use of cannabis and was noncompliant with psychiatric medication leading up to his reincarceration in May 2021.
Legal History:
- Mr. Vasanthkumar has no prior criminal record.
Psychiatric History
Mr. Vasanthkumar had no history of admissions to hospital with respect to mental health related issues prior to the index offences although upon admission to custody after his arrest with respect to the index offences he reported a history of anxiety and treatment with Cymbalta. He complained of recent difficulties with “thought insertion, Hearing voices”.
Subsequent to his release from custody with respect to the index offences, he was admitted to hospital on a Form 1 under the Mental Health Act after his parents contacted police advising that he was planning to kill his father. He reported a number of psychotic symptoms including hearing voices, feeling like others could read his mind and paranoia. During the early course of his admission, he was aggressive and threatening and required mechanical restraints on at least two occasions. He was given a diagnosis of bipolar one disorder, recurrent, current episode manic, severe with mixed and psychotic features, cannabis use disorder as well as anxiety disorder and cluster C personality traits.
After discharge from hospital, Mr. Vasanthkumar was nonadherent to prescribed medications and re-incarcerated.
Current Diagnosis
- Mr. Vasanthkumar’s current diagnoses are:
Schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type
Polysubstance use disorder (in remission)
Cluster B personality traits
Evidence of Dr. Pallandi
- Dr. Pallandi indicated that:
He was Mr. Vasanthkumar’s attending psychiatrist and adopted the contents of the Hospital Report. By way of an update since completion of the Hospital Report, he indicated that Mr. Vasanthkumar had recently admitted to staff that he had purchased and consumed a substance which he had ordered on the Internet purported to be opioid. He provided no medical explanation for the use only stating that he wanted to see what it was like. The Hospital expected the results of a urine drug screen in the next several days.
Early on in the reporting year Mr. Vasanthkumar was doing quite well, was employed and caring for a companion animal. However, within weeks of his last annual review (August 7, 2025) he began to use cannabis and psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”) and became psychotic. He was readmitted into hospital and 10 days after his admission he assaulted a co-patient and was criminally charged.
After being stabilized on medications and with the introduction of intramuscular medication, he was discharged back to the community into the same housing which could become permanent. Due to his hospitalization, he lost his employment and is now seeking further employment as his rent is currently overdue.
The treatment team has concerns with respect to Mr. Vasanthkumar’s insight into the impact of substance use on his mental health particularly given the abrupt decompensation he suffered and they clearly had to intervene before his risk escalated.
In response to questions from counsel for the Attorney General Dr. Pallandi indicated that although Mr. Vasanthkumar remained in hospital initially voluntarily, he was of the Criminal Code not sure whether Mr. Vasanthkumar would come in voluntarily should he suffer a further decompensation. He also agreed that the prohibition from the use of substances had been removed from Mr. Vasanthkumar’s disposition on the last annual review as he had been compliant with a prohibition for some time.
In response to questions from panel members Dr. Pallandi stated that Mr. Vasanthkumar had indicated prior to his last annual review that if the prohibition from the use of cannabis was removed, he would only use cannabis in moderation. He also noted that as part of his Cluster B traits Mr. Vasanthkumar exhibited distorted thinking and that, even when well Mr. Vasanthkumar’s risk was no lower than moderate but not high.
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 the evidence supports the conclusion that Mr. Vasanthkumar continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public. He suffers from a major mental illness as well as polysubstance abuse disorder and cluster B personality traits. Almost immediately after his last annual review and the removal of the prohibition from the use of substances he began to use cannabis and psilocybin and quickly became paranoid, delusional and evidenced fluctuating thoughts of self-harm. In addition to the use of substances, he stopped taking prescribed antipsychotic medication.
His insight into his illness and the need for medication as well as the impact of substances on his mental health is clearly limited despite the precipitous increase in his symptoms after electing to start using substances as evidenced by his behaviour leading up to his readmission and his recent attempt to obtain what he believed to be in opioid after his readmission. Absent supervision of the Board, Mr. Vasanthkumar is clearly at risk of a return to substance use and falling away from treatment resulting in an increase in his psychotic symptoms and a consequent increase in his risk to the public.
Analysis and Conclusion Necessary and Appropriate Disposition
The Board also finds that the necessary and appropriate disposition is a detention order and that a continuation of the conditional discharge would not be sufficient to manage risk. Although Mr. Vasanthkumar had a period of over two years in the community both adherent to antipsychotic medication and abstaining from substance use, almost immediately after the removal of the prohibition from the use of substances and the granting of a conditional discharge, he returned to the use of both cannabis and psilocybin resulting in a significant decompensation and the return of symptoms of his illness such as paranoia and delusions. He also acted out aggressively causing injury to a co-patient shortly after his readmission, displays no understanding of the seriousness of his actions and has sought out other substances while in hospital.
The impact of substance uses on his recent decompensation as well as his attempt while in hospital to obtain an opioid like substance confirms his lack of insight into the impact of substance use and also makes it necessary and appropriate to re-impose the term prohibiting the use of substances.
The evidence of Dr. Pallandi was that although Mr. Vasanthkumar returned to hospital voluntarily when requested most recently, he is unsure if he would return to hospital voluntarily in the future. The lack of insight into the importance of medication to his mental health and the impact of substance use raises a significant risk of nonadherence to medication and a return to substance use. The rapid decompensation experienced prior to his readmission to hospital makes it clear that the Hospital requires the ability to readmit him rapidly should he exhibit early signs of decompensation which would likely not support an admission under the provisions of the Mental Health Act of the nature required to stabilize him.
Given the rapid and significant decompensation resulting in his return to hospital it is also important that the Hospital have the authority to approve accommodation in order to ensure that Mr. Vasanthkumar is monitored and any early signs of decompensation noted.
The Board also notes that there has been a significant change in Mr. Vasanthkumar’s medication regime recently and that the long-term impact of that change is not yet known. We also note that due to the loss of his employment, he is currently in arrears with respect to his rent and his residence in the community is at risk resulting in additional stressors impacting on his mental health.
DATED this 30^th^ day of December 2025, at the City of Toronto, in the Toronto Region.
Robert Bigelow
Alternate Chairperson
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Office of the Registrar
Ontario Review Board