Ontario Review Board
Re: Amritpal Singh Soor
ORB File No: 6540
Hearing held on: Monday, October 20, 2025
Place of Hearing: Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre
Pursuant to: Sections 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code
Before:
Alternate Chairperson: Mr. P. Capelle
Members: Dr. S. Lessard Dr. G. Boulais Mr. P. Hageraats Mr. R. Rainboth
Parties Appearing:
Accused: Amritpal Singh Soor Counsel: Ms. L. Konarowski
Person in charge of hospital: Counsel: Dr. A. Sandhu
Attorney-General of Ontario: Counsel: Ms. M. Dufort
REASONS FOR DISPOSITION
(Dated December 8, 2025)
Introduction:
Mr. Soor was found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (“NCR”) on four sets of charges when he appeared in the Quebec Court on October 29, 2010, and again on June 29, 2012.
NCR findings were made in relation to the following charges under the Criminal Code of Canada: Break and enter, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, carrying a concealed weapon, utter threat to cause death or bodily harm, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from a peace officer and extortion.
On May 16, 2014, the Tribunal administratif du Quebec (“TAQ”) ordered an inter-provincial transfer, placing Mr. Soor under the jurisdiction of the Ontario Review Board (“ORB” or “the Board”).
Mr. Soor is subject to an ORB disposition dated October 22, 2024, ordering that he be detained at the Secure Forensic Unit of the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre (“ROMHC” or “the hospital”). Privileges were awarded, including to live in approved accommodation within 20 kilometres of the hospital.
Mr. Soor has remained on inpatient status at the ROMHC since February 27, 2025, when he arrived on transfer from the Providence Care Centre in Kingston.
The current disposition awarded travel privileges, to visit family members. Mr. Soor’s parents live in the Montreal area. It is important to note that the family continues to provide active support, much as they did during his stay at Providence Care.
On October 20, 2025, the Board convened at the ROMHC to conduct an annual review. Mr. Soor appeared in person. He was represented by counsel, Ms. Lauren Konarowski. Mr. Soor’s mother and father attended, as did the hospital behavioural therapist and Mr. Soor’s community support worker.
Documents were filed in evidence, including a hospital report dated October 2, 2025.
The issues to be considered by the Board are whether Mr. Soor continues to present a significant risk to the safety of the public, and, if so, to determine the necessary and appropriate disposition.
Initial Positions of the Parties
At the outset, all three parties presented a joint submission recommending that, subject to minor changes involving travel privileges, the current detention order should remain in place. Ms. Konarowski confirmed that they agreed with the hospital regarding both the issue of significant threat and the need for a detention order.
For the reasons set out below, the Board accepted the joint submission. A detention order was provided, along with the requested minor changes.
Current Psychiatric Diagnoses, Hospital Report p.16
- Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar Type
- Cannabis Use Disorder
- Stimulant Use Disorder
- Borderline Intellectual Functioning
- Dependent and Borderline and Personality Traits
Index Offences:
- The circumstances are described in the hospital report and in last year’s Reasons for Disposition dated October 22, 2024. In summary:
On September 17, 2010, Mr. Soor entered an apartment building in which he believed a young woman with whom he was in love was located. He asked someone in the apartment building to advise where a certain tenant lived and that person refused to provide the information. Instead, he walked through the hallway using his phone until he heard the tenant’s phone ring on the other side of the door. He knocked upon the door, and forced the door open when the victim went to the door. Although she ordered him to leave he refused to do so. This was the basis of the break and enter charge.
On September 21, 2010, he was pursued by police while driving at speeds up to 200 kms. on Highway 40 and the edges of that highway. He avoided police officers pursuing him by driving on the shoulder, driving on the grass, driving around the studded mat, accelerating, and reversing the direction in which he was driving until he collided with a lamp standard, after which he fled on foot along Highway 40. This gave rise to the charges of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and evade a police officer.
On September 24, 2010, he again encountered the same victim who had tried to stop him from entering the above-mentioned apartment and threatened to stab her displaying a knife. He also threatened the owner of the tanning salon where she had been. These circumstances gave rise to possession of a dangerous weapon, carry a concealed weapon and utter threat charges.
The extortion charge arose from an earlier series of events with a girlfriend with whom he had an on again/off again relationship. At several times between May 1, 2010, and September 8, 2010, he borrowed money which he did not repay. Although the first instance was perhaps voluntary, subsequent payments were made by the then ex-girlfriend under threat of physical harm.
These offences occurred in the Province of Quebec, and he was found not criminally responsible with respect to all but the extortion count on October 29th, 2010, while his NCR finding on the extortion was on June 29th, 2012. He was transferred from Quebec pursuant to a disposition of the Tribunal Adminsitratif du Quebec dated May 16th, 2014.
Personal Background:
Mr. Soor is 35. When he was seven, he moved to Canada from the Punjab in India. He has three sisters. Before the index offences arose, he was living with his family. Little information is available about his education or child development. Initially, as a young adult, he worked in a pizza restaurant.
Mr. Soor has a history of substance abuse for cannabis, opioids, and cocaine. He has been non-compliant over the years with medication. Historically, he has shown very little insight into his illness and his need for medication.
Before the index offences arose in 2010, he had a criminal record: obstructing a peace officer (x2), theft under five thousand dollars, and breach of probation.
Mr. Soor’s mother and father still live in Montreal. He has been in regular contact with them over the years. In recent years, his mother moved to Kingston, where Mr. Soor was hospitalized, to be closer to him. However, she later returned to Montreal. The family stays in frequent telephone contact and visits. Mr. Soor is quite attached to his parents and has spoken of his wish to be near them in order to help take care of them.
Mr. Soor is an only son. Of the three sisters, one lives in Montreal, one in Ottawa, and a third in Norway.
In 2019, the forensic hospital in Kingston granted Mr. Soor community privileges. He was discharged from the inpatient forensic unit to reside at the transitional housing rehabilitation program (“TRHP”). Intensive supports were provided. His stay at the TRHP was short-lived, lasting less than a month.
By November 6, 2019, Mr. Soor was readmitted to the Providence Care Forensic Unit. His stay at the TRHP was described as turbulent: there were concerns about impulsive behaviours and difficulties with him following policies and guidelines. Compliance with medication was a concern as was a time when he admitted to having smoked cannabis -although he did not show any more severe symptoms.
Recent Course at Providence Care Hospital, Kingston
- In last year’s ORB Reasons for Disposition dated October 22, 2024 – para. 17, the writer quoted from the previous year’s Reasons:
“The treatment team continues to provide psychoeducational programs to Mr. Soor. Mr. Soor also reports feeling unmotivated to engage in programming because, having been in the forensic systems, he feels he has already completed many groups. Mr. Soor reported that the issue remains that he does well in terms of understanding content discussed but has difficulty applying the concepts into strategies to remain well. The clinical team will continue to focus their intervention helping Mr. Soor to develop adaptive coping strategies to manage his mental illness and various stressors which he continues to experience routinely.”
Last year’s Reasons noted that Mr. Soor had been involved with three psychiatrists over the previous reporting year. Mr. Soor was lamenting his lack of progress for the previous ten years. His course was characterized by fluctuations, fits and starts, as he moved forward and then backward. Mr. Soor repeatedly acquired community privileges, only to have them revoked due to repeated absences without leave and “self-sabotaging” behaviour that he was aware he engages in.
It was also observed that Mr. Soor was suffering from “impairments in personality that have had a considerable impact on his trajectory through the forensic mental health system.”
Last year’s Reasons note concerning incidents where Mr. Soor expressed an attempt to harm others as well as using threats to intimidate others into behaving a certain way. At one point, when he reportedly made death threats to a peer, his behaviour escalated to the point that clinical seclusion and chemical and mechanical restraints were required.
The previous reporting year saw Mr. Soor continue to experience residual psychotic symptoms, even with consistent medication compliance. In last year’s hospital report from Providence Care, there appeared to be an overall worsening course of his illness: periods of stability between exacerbations of reported symptoms were becoming shorter in duration. This was complicated by multiple lapses into substance use.
At the last annual review hearing held on October 1, 2024, Dr. Chan testified that Mr. Soor’s mental illness diagnosis of Schizoaffective Disorder and Borderline Personality Traits, as well as his proclivity for drug use, was very challenging for the treatment team.
In addition, Mr. Soor has a recent history of elopements, from both Providence Care and more recently this year at the ROMHC.
Recent Course, February to October 2025
Throughout his admission here in Ottawa, Mr. Soor has exhibited persistent psychotic symptoms including delusions described as grandiose, paranoid, and religious in nature. Ideas of reference and disorganized thinking are also documented. Mr. Soor is described as having poor insight. While he occasionally acknowledges having a mental illness, his admissions are inconsistent and are typically followed by rationalizations rooted in cultural or spiritual belief systems. During symptomatic episodes, he does not recognize clinical features of decompensation, but instead, attributes them to poor sleep and the result of “spiritual experiences.”
Between April 4 and June 26, 2025, Mr. Soor experienced three incidents involving altered levels of consciousness. These are noted in the hospital report at pages six to seven.
While Mr. Soor has had privileges available for him to access the community, he has not been able to consistently maintain off-ward privileges. These were periodically revoked due to mental status decompensation, aggressive incident scores, somatic complaints, and elopement risk. His adherence to prescribed medications, especially with antipsychotic and diabetic medications, has been inconsistent. His lapses in taking medication often correlate with distress, imposed limits, or perceived injustices, which, as the report describes, involve a behavioural component to non-compliance.
Between August 9 to 12, 2025, Mr. Soor eloped from the hospital. During that time, he consumed multiple illicit substances including methamphetamine, amphetamine, cannabis, and cocaine. It was the police who returned him to hospital on August 12.
Mr. Soor has participated in the weekly concurrent disorders group facilitated by the addictions’ counsellor and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) social worker. Mr. Soor engages positively in group settings, showing a constructive attitude and interest in the material presented. At times however, his participation is inconsistent.
Despite certain challenges, Mr. Soor is said to demonstrate good knowledge retention, and to effectively articulate the negative consequences of substance use while expressing a sincere commitment to abstinence.
Since May 5, 2025, Mr. Soor has been engaged with the hospital social worker, Ms. Agathe Gramet-Kedzior, MSW, RSW. At family meetings with two of Mr. Soor’s sisters, the sisters appear able to report their own concerns to the treatment team.
The social worker’s report notes that Mr. Soor is not yet ready for discharge planning. He has been unable to maintain his hospital grounds access privileges, due to concerns about his mental status, physical health, elopement, and aggressive incidents.
Once he becomes more stable and is ready for discharge to the community, Mr. Soor would likely be appropriate for the hospital’s TRHP program at Grove House. However, he will need to become independent at managing his diabetes. This is because the daily assistance he requires with monitoring blood glucose and insulin administration is not offered in community housing or by the hospital outpatient department. The need to keep up compliance with diabetic medication and to manage appropriate blood sugar levels has proved challenging for Mr. Soor in the past. He is currently working with the dietician and diabetes education nurse.
The hospital team is helping Mr. Soor with occupational therapy.
Current Violence Risk Assessment
- The attending forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Amanjot Sandhu, made recent use of the HCR-20-v3 structured clinical judgement tool to assess the risk of future violence. Having regard to the various items, including historical, clinical and risk management, Dr. Sandhu is of the opinion that Mr. Soor presents a moderate to high risk of future violence.
Evidence at the Hearing
By way of update, Dr. Sandhu testified about the importance of maintaining close contact between Mr. Soor and his family members. Mr. Soor’s parents, like the three sisters, continue to be involved. Quite recently, Mr. Soor was granted leave to attend his mother’s 75th birthday party outside the hospital. The visit went well.
Dr. Sandhu described a recently added diagnosis of Borderline Intellectual Functioning. This is important when considering the best way to manage Mr. Soor’s behaviours. Dr. Sandhu explained that the hospital will be giving greater consideration to using a different perspective, that is, by not just imposing consequences when things do not go well.
Responding to questions from the parties, Dr. Sandhu advised that he supports permitting Mr. Soor to attend a wider range of family activities outside the hospital. Dr. Sandhu agreed it would be appropriate to amend the travel radius so that Mr. Soor might attend certain events in other parts of Quebec and Ontario. Dr. Sandhu was encouraged that Mr. Soor had been successful in recent months when he joined extended family members at a wedding in Brampton.
Counsel for Mr. Soor asked about Mr. Soor’s aggressive incident scores. Dr. Sandhu confirmed that, during the various recorded incidents, Mr. Soor was never physically assaultive in a direct sense to staff members or co-patients. The focus, Dr. Sandhu agreed, seems to be “toward property.” Dr. Sandhu agreed that the patient’s cognitive limitations could possibly explain some of Mr. Soor’s attention-seeking and frustrations. Working with the behavioural therapist has been helpful to Mr. Soor.
Asked further about contact with family, Dr. Sandhu confirmed, the team has never had any issues during visits with family members and siblings. They are vital to his well being. Being closely involved with family is a protective factor. Dr. Sandhu stated, Mr. Soor is prepared to accept the authority of family members. They often attend case conferences and will support treatment team recommendations.
Responding to a Board member about Borderline Intellectual Functioning, and whether this would affect Mr. Soor’s ability to develop further insight, Dr. Sandhu stated that Mr. Soor did show effort when testing. This could demonstrate that he is able to learn about insight related issues. Dr. Sandhu confirmed, Mr. Soor remains capable to consent to treatment and to manage his finances.
Asked about Mr. Soor’s recent interest in attending courses at Algonquin College, Dr. Sandhu explained, Mr. Soor is not immediately able to step into such courses. He will first need further vocational orientation.
Mr. Soor has been developing more trust and cooperation with the hospital treatment team members and is beginning to realize that they want to promote his best interests. Dr. Sandhu agreed that he has seen more rapport developing for Mr. Soor in the way Mr. Soor perceives other treatment members.
The parties presented no further evidence.
Submissions of the Parties
- All three parties re-affirmed their earlier stated joint submission. On behalf of Mr. Soor, Ms. Konarowski noted, it has been a good year. While Mr. Soor has in the past expressed interest in having his care and supervision transferred to the Province of Quebec, he is content to remain under the jurisdiction of the hospital here at Ottawa. Counsel was encouraged by the evidence pointing toward an increased prospect of eventual reintegration into the community. Ms. Konarowski endorsed Dr. Sandhu’s position regarding the involvement of the parents and sister as a protective factor.
Conclusions and Disposition
Based on the clear and uncontradicted evidence, and supported by the appropriate joint submission, the Board finds that Mr. Amritpal Singh Soor continues to present a significant threat to the safety of the community. This is based on the behavioural history which is directly linked to the diagnosis of a severe mental disorder: Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar Type. The patient’s other diagnosed conditions, particularly substance abuse disorder, add to the risk presented. Mr. Soor continues to require detention in hospital given the destabilizing factors that remain present - symptoms of psychosis, use of substances, all of which continue to impair his ability to make safe decisions.
Mr. Soor appears to demonstrate more stability than was the case a year ago. It is appropriate to maintain the same set of available privileges, including the possibility of moving to a hospital-approved place of living in the community. Mr. Soor will require ongoing assistance in terms of medication and general health monitoring. He will benefit from ongoing assistance in terms of his substance use awareness. Hopefully, he will be able to make progress in terms of occupational and vocational goals. At the same time, the hospital treatment team still requires the authority of a detention order to be able to rapidly readmit Mr. Soor to care should his mental status start to deteriorate.
It is encouraging to see that Mr. Soor is now starting to participate in important family events. As he has family in both provinces of Ontario and Quebec it is appropriate to amend the travel condition, so that it now may read: passes for up to 14 days to enter the community of Ontario and Quebec, upon first obtaining approval of his itinerary by the person in charge of the hospital, indirectly supervised.
With these considerations in mind, having regard to the paramount need to keep the public safe, and keeping in mind Mr. Soor’s mental condition, his reintegration and other needs, a detention order will issue. The terms and conditions, as were discussed, are set out in the formal disposition.
We thank the parties and counsel for their assistance.
DATED this 8th day of December 2025, at the City of Toronto, in the Region of Toronto.
Mr. P. Hageraats
Legal Member
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Office of the Registrar
Ontario Review Board