Ontario Review Board
Re: Jameson Alexander
ORB File No: 8711
Hearing held on: Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Place of Hearing: Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre
Pursuant to: Section 672.47(1) of the Criminal Code
Before:
Alternate Chairperson: Mr. G. Beasley
Members: Dr. S. Lessard
Dr. R. Cormier
Mr. D. Sandor
Mr. A. Bernardo
Parties Appearing:
Accused: Jameson Alexander Counsel: Ms. A. Dupras
Person in charge of the hospital: Representative Dr. F. Wood
Attorney-General of Ontario: Counsel: Ms. M. Dufort
REASONS FOR DISPOSITION
(Dated May 27, 2025)
Introduction
On January 17th, 2025, the accused, Alexander Jameson, was found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder on charges of Assault (2 counts), Assault with a weapon (1 count), Uttering threats – cause death or bodily harm (1 count), Mischief under $5000 (1 count), Possession of imitation weapon for dangerous purpose (1 count), Causing a disturbance (1 count) and Common Nuisance – cause physical harm (1 count), all contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada. At the time of the finding of not criminally responsible, the Honourable Court did not make a disposition and referred the matter to the Ontario Review Board.
On April 16th, 2025, the Ontario Review Board convened at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, hereinafter referred to as the hospital, to conduct an initial hearing for Mr. Alexander pursuant to s. 672.47(1) of the Criminal Code. Mr. Alexander attended his hearing and was represented by his counsel, Ms. Audrey Dupras. Also in attendance was a French Interpreter to assist Mr. Alexander with simultaneous translation.
The following documents were entered as Exhibits:
Revised Notice of Hearing
WOC
Disposition Hearing Outcome
Charge Sheet & Synopsis
Information
Assessment Report July 2024
Assessment Report Oct 2024
Assessment Report Nov 2024
Assessment Report Dec 2024
Assessment Report Jan 2025
Victim Impact Statement
Hospital Report dated April 10, 2025
The issues for the hearing were whether Mr. Alexander represents a significant threat to the safety of the public and, if so, to determine the disposition that is necessary and appropriate in the circumstances.
For the reasons set out below, the Board finds that Mr. Alexander continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public and that the necessary and appropriate disposition is a detention order with privileges up to and including residing in the community in accommodation approved by the person in charge.
Index Offences
- The circumstances of the index offences have been extracted from the hospital report and are summarized as follows:
“According to the Crown Brief Synopsis, on this date, a staff member from the Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School called the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to report a male on the school property that had just assaulted and threatened multiple persons at the location. It was reported to officers that this male had a large knife in his possession and his location was unknown at the time of the call. The school property was placed on a lock down while officers responded.
An officer found the suspect matching the description on the school property south of the soccer field, where he was hiding behind a bush on the other side of a fence. The officer drove up to the soccer field towards the male and stepped out of the vehicle. the suspect proceeded to hop over the fence while possessing the large buck knife in his hand and then walked towards the officer without dropping the knife. The officer drew their service pistol towards the suspect while providing verbal demands to drop the knife. The suspect threw the knife on the ground next to him but failed to listen to the verbal commands, including not stepping away from the knife. He appeared to be agitated, pacing back and forth, and swinging his arms around. He was warned that he would be tased, and he proceeded to say, “do it.” The taser was deployed and made contact with the suspect, causing him to fall backwards to the ground and to be taken into custody by the responding officers. He was then handcuffed and escorted to the police vehicle. It was noted that the suspect understood his rights to counsel, and police caution. The suspect requested to speak with duty counsel. He then confirmed his identity as being Mr. Alexander, which was confirmed with government issued identification. It was further noted that Mr. Alexander suffered a minor cut from the knife he possessed after he hopped over the fence. He received treatment from paramedics at the scene and was released to police for bail.
Shortly afterwards, an officer obtained a statement from a victim, who reported that Mr. Alexander opened her car door, grabbed her arm, and then grabbed her phone. He then threw the phone on the sidewalk resulting in damage. Another victim provided a statement, where it was noted that Mr. Alexander approached him outside and punched him on the jaw. He then kicked the victim’s leg, pulled out the knife, and pointed it towards According to the Crown Brief Synopsis, on this date, a staff member from the Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School called the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to report a male on the school property that had just assaulted and threatened multiple persons at the location. It was reported to officers that this male had a large knife in his possession and his location was unknown at the time of the call. The school property was placed on a lock down while officers responded. An officer found the suspect matching the description on the school property south of the soccer field, where he was hiding behind a bush on the other side of a fence. The officer drove up to the soccer field towards the male and stepped out of the vehicle. the suspect proceeded to hop over the fence while possessing the large buck knife in his hand and then walked towards the officer without dropping the knife. The officer drew their service pistol towards the suspect while providing verbal demands to drop the knife. The suspect threw the knife on the ground next to him but failed to listen to the verbal commands, including not stepping away from the knife. He appeared to be agitated, pacing back and forth, and swinging his arms around. He was warned that he would be tased, and he proceeded to say, “do it.” The taser was deployed and made contact with the suspect, causing him to fall backwards to the ground and to be taken into custody by the responding officers. He was then handcuffed and escorted to the police vehicle. It was noted that the suspect understood his rights to counsel, and police caution. The suspect requested to speak with duty counsel. He then confirmed his identity as being Mr. Alexander, which was confirmed with government issued identification. It was further noted that Mr. Alexander suffered a minor cut from the knife he possessed after he hopped over the fence. He received treatment from paramedics at the scene and was released to police for bail. Shortly afterwards, an officer obtained a statement from a victim, who reported that Mr. Alexander opened her car door, grabbed her arm, and then grabbed her phone. He then threw the phone on the sidewalk resulting in damage. Another victim provided a statement, where it was noted that Mr. Alexander approached him outside and punched him on the jaw. He then kicked the victim’s leg, pulled out the knife, and pointed it towards the victim. Another statement was provided from a third victim, who advised that Mr. Alexander approached and nudged her before punching her on the chest.”
Personal History
Mr. Alexander’s background is set out in the hospital report (Exhibit 12). Briefly summarized, he is 36 years old and reported that he was born in Haiti and grew up with his father, four sisters and aunts. He stated that his mother left the home when he was 4 years of age to move to USA and then Canada. Mr. Alexander had little contact with his mother over the years, but she continued to reach out to his father asking to have Mr. Alexander sent over to Canada. Mr. Alexander stated that his father finally agreed in 2012 as it was seen better for his education. He lived in Ottawa for a few years and then relocated to Toronto. He has since primarily stayed in Toronto. Mr. Alexander stated that he does at times travel to other parts of the country as he is a music producer.
Mr. Alexander stated his father died in 2015 from a car accident. He stated his mother celebrated his death as she had a long-time hatred for him. He stated he has one sister still in Ottawa with his mother and another in Alberta. He also has a sister in the United States and another in France. He explained that he has not had a relationship with his mother or sisters in over 7 years. He stated that he was thinking of stopping in Ottawa after the bus stop in Cornwall to try and reconcile with them. He now has no plans to follow up with them as they have not been around to support him despite the police having called his sister when he was arrested. Mr. Alexander refused permission to contact his family.
Mr. Alexander reported that he upgraded his high school education at Cite Collegial once residing in Ottawa. He also stated he completed several courses at Algonquin College before moving to Toronto. He had also told Dr. Wood he completed "private investigator" program in Toronto.
Mr. Alexander reported that he was working security jobs in Toronto. He mentioned that he worked security at the Eaton Centre Mall and at high-end stores like Gucci. He explained he would get called with various locations and shifts. Mr. Alexander stated he had over $1000.00 on him when arrested the police must have taken the money. Mr. Alexander stated he would like to apply for Ontario Works and ODSP. He stated he was on Ontario Work about a year ago before getting his security job.
It appears that Mr. Alexander has had various housing over the past few years. He was residing in Toronto starting around 2019/2020 and his address was identified as a homeless shelter. He stated that the shelters in Toronto were "intense" and he was happy when he got an apartment. He stated he still has an apartment in Toronto but is not worried about keeping it as he just plans on leaving Canada. Mr. Alexander stated that he had travelled from Toronto to Montreal to work on his music production. He stated he was not in Montreal long and was travelling back to Toronto when his bus had a stop in Cornwall. It was in Cornwall where the recent charges occurred.
Current Diagnoses
Main diagnoses
Schizophrenia
Contributory diagnoses
Nil
Contributory personality features
Deferred
Contributory Psychosocial stressors
Limited social support and current legal involvement
Criminal Record
- Mr. Alexander did not have a criminal record prior to the commission of the index offences.
Positions of the Parties
- At the outset of the hearing, Dr. Wood stated that the recommendation of the hospital and the treatment team was that Mr. Alexander continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public and that the necessary and appropriate disposition was a detention order with privileges up to and including residing in the community in accommodation approved by the person in charge. Ms. Dufort stated that she expected to support the recommendation of the hospital but wished to ask a few questions with respect to privileges. Ms. Dupras reserved her position on the recommendation until the conclusion of the evidence but did concede that there would be no challenge to a finding that Mr. Alexander continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public.
Evidence at the Hearing
The hospital’s evidence was presented through its report as well as through the oral testimony of Dr. F. Wood, Mr. Alexander’s treating psychiatrist. Dr. Wood testified that Mr. Alexander has had a “convoluted journey” since the commission of the index offences in May of 2024. Initially, he had been found fit to stand trial after an assessment at the hospital. He was returned to the detention centre but then due to his increasing paranoia, he was found unfit to stand trial and returned to hospital. Once at the hospital and receiving long- acting injections of antipsychotic medication, Mr. Alexander once again became fit to stand trial and was returned to the detention centre again. He has remained in the detention centre since being found not criminally responsible on January 17th, 2025. At the present time, he is number six on the list to transfer to the Royal Ottawa Hospital from the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre.
Dr. Wood testified that Mr. Alexander has recently stopped accepting the injections of antipsychotic medication at the jail. He has also now stopped receiving oral medications. Mr. Alexander has advised the treatment team that the medications make him “too relaxed” and that given the environment in which he is detained, he needs to be more vigilant. Dr. Woods expressed the opinion that Mr. Alexander’s illness may now be in partial remission. He has been without medication for approximately two weeks, but it is unclear if there has been any decline in his mental status. He continues to display negative symptoms of his illness. Mr. Alexander’s wish is to be released from the detention centre as he has been there “too long.”
Dr. Wood testified that in the opinion of the treatment team, a detention order is needed in order to protect the safety of the public. At this time, the treatment team have insufficient information about Mr. Alexander to evaluate his level of function in the community. He has consistently refused permission for the treatment team to speak with his mother. Dr. Wood said that the team understand that Mr. Alexander has lived in the community for extended periods of time and they expect that he will have some level of functioning. The treatment team’s plan is to restart his antipsychotic medication. They will then gradually extend privileges to move Mr. Alexander towards community integration. There will have to be some occupational therapy testing to determine his level of functioning and his ability to live independently. Dr. Wood said that the team were asking for community living in the privileges as it is likely that with a return to medication, Mr. Alexander could be discharged to the community within the next reporting year.
In response to questions from Ms. Dufort, Dr. Wood agreed that it might be appropriate to include in a disposition a paragraph prohibiting Mr. Alexander from approaching the school in Cornwall where the index offences occurred. Dr. Wood agreed that Mr. Alexander did improve when on a 60-day treatment order from the court. He stated that a functional assessment of Mr. Alexander’s ability to live independently would be absolutely necessary before any discharge to the community. Dr. Wood did not see the need to have a specific level of supervision set out in a disposition beyond that of accommodation approved by the person in charge. Dr. Wood said that Mr. Alexander is presently considered to be capable to consent to his medications but there are some concerns about capacity since he stopped taking his antipsychotic injections and oral medications.
Dr. Wood reiterated that Mr. Alexander has made it clear that his reason for stopping his medications was fears arising from the jail environment. When asked about insight, Dr. Wood stated that Mr. Alexander continues to be confused about the scenario surrounding the index offence. He continues to believe that he is the center of a plot, and that people are targeting him. He feels unsafe. Dr. Wood stated it took considerable persuasion for Mr. Alexander even to speak with Dr. Wood at the detention centre.
Ms. Dupras asked Dr. Wood about the timeline for transferring Mr. Alexander from the detention centre to the hospital. Dr. Wood stated as before that Mr. Alexander is number six on the list. By way of reference, he said that the individuals who are first and second on the transfer list have been there since November 2024. He stated there is a considerable challenge in moving people from the Detention Centre into the hospital and from the hospital out into the community. Once Mr. Alexander is transferred to the Hospital, he will need to be on medication for four to six weeks before an occupational assessment can be completed. If Mr. Alexander were to accept medication at the detention centre, then the process would be expedited. Dr. Wood stated that it is not possible to initiate the assessment while Mr. Alexander is in the Detention Centre. Dr. Wood also stated that the process of assessment could be assisted by Mr. Alexander providing consent to the treatment team to speak to his mother in terms of assessing his level of community support. He believes that this consent had been denied as a result of a belief by Mr. Alexander that his mother was involved in voodoo.
In response to questions from the panel, Dr. Wood stated that in his opinion, Mr. Alexander’s refusal to take long-acting injections is related to his illness and not to a personality component. Dr. Wood was asked about the role of marijuana as a component of the risk evaluation. He stated that Mr. Alexander’s use of marijuana is currently in remission but that when it is used, it results in a decline in his mental status by exacerbating psychotic features. It also diminishes the effectiveness of the antipsychotic medications. The team believe that Mr. Alexander’s use of marijuana was limited but this is one of the questions they wish to ask his mother. Overall, the use of marijuana would increase his risk to the safety of the public.
When asked about insight into his risk, Dr. Wood stated that it is “emerging.” Dr. Wood stated that he is concerned about the length of time that Mr. Alexander continues to remain unmedicated while at the Detention Centre. He said that the longer Mr. Alexander is off his medication, the longer it will take to restore his mental status to baseline. When Dr. Wood was asked about the breadth of the privileges being requested in the hospital report, he agreed that they represented the very outer limits of what might be feasible for Mr. Alexander. He acknowledged that it was unlikely that Mr. Alexander would have any reason to be in the community outside the Ottawa area at any point in time in the next reporting year. Dr. Wood stated that the 200- kilometre radius was intended to encompass the area of Montreal although he had no direct knowledge that Mr. Alexander has any connection to that city.
Neither the Attorney-General nor Mr. Alexander called evidence at the hearing.
Submissions of the Parties
- Prior to the commencement of submissions, Ms. Dupras advised the panel that following a brief discussion with Mr. Alexander, he was in support of the recommendations of the hospital as supported by Ms. Dufort for the Attorney-General. Dr. Wood relied on the submissions made at the outset of the hearing and once again indicated that he was “not married to” the recommendations with respect to the travel privileges. Ms. Dufort supported the recommendations of the hospital but submitted that there should be a specific condition which prevented Mr. Alexander from being in proximity to the location of the index offences at the school in Cornwall. Ms. Dupras had no further submissions.
Analysis and Disposition
At the outset of the hearing, the parties made a joint submission that Mr. Alexander represents a significant threat to the safety of the public. The panel accepts this submission without hesitation. The circumstances of the index offences are serious. Mr. Alexander chose to arm himself with a large knife which could have resulted in far more serious injuries. As it is, as set out in the victim impact statement, the events of May 8th, 2024, have had a long lasting psychological trauma for at least one of the victims. Since his arrest, Mr. Alexander has spent the majority of his detention in the Ottawa- Carleton Detention Centre. He is presently untreated for his major mental illness. Given the history of the index offence and Mr. Alexander’s current mental status, it is clear that he represents a significant threat to the safety of the public at this time.
Once a determination has been made that the accused represents a significant threat, the panel has the responsibility of drafting a necessary and appropriate disposition order which considers all of the provisions of Section 672.54 of the Criminal Code. As set out in that section, the paramount concern is the safety of the public followed by the rehabilitation of the accused and his other needs. As indicated above, Mr. Alexander has spent much of his time since the index offences in custody at a detention centre. Although he was initially treated with long-acting injections of antipsychotic medication and other oral medications, for reasons of his personal safety, Mr. Alexander has chosen to stop taking medication. He is at this time untreated. Regrettably, Mr. Alexander will remain in the detention centre until such time as a bed becomes available for him at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre so that he can be admitted into the hospital for treatment. At this time, Dr. Wood stated that Mr. Alexander is sixth on the list where the first and second placed persons have been waiting since November 2024 for transfer. The joint submission of the parties was that the necessary and appropriate disposition is a detention order in the Integrated Forensics Program at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. The panel unanimously agrees with this submission.
The recommendation of the hospital, as supported by counsel for the Attorney-General and counsel for Mr. Alexander, included privileges of indirectly supervised access to the community within 200 kilometres of Ottawa and passes for up to seven days to enter the community of Ontario, indirectly supervised. When questioned, Dr. Wood stated that he was “not married” to the breadth of the privileges requested. He reiterated this position during his submissions. The panel is unanimous is finding that the extent of the privileges set out in the hospital recommendation is neither necessary nor appropriate. At this point in time, the hospital has little information about Mr. Alexander. He has consistently refused to allow the hospital to speak with his mother about his background. The hospital has no other information about him beyond the limited detail found in the hospital report. His connections to the Ottawa area or indeed to the Province of Ontario are for the most part unknown. Until Mr. Alexander has been transferred from the Detention Centre to the hospital, the hospital will not have the opportunity to assess his ability to function independently in the community. Given this lack of historical information, the panel does not agree that the proposed level of privileges adequately secures the safety of the public which is the paramount concern.
The panel is also charged with the responsibility of considering Mr. Alexander’s rehabilitation and other needs. It is trite to say that those needs are not being met while he remains an inmate at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre. Given Dr. Wood’s evidence as to the status of his position on a list of persons waiting for transfer to hospital, it is quite likely that he will have a number of months to wait before he is able to leave the Detention Centre. In light of this situation, the panel is unanimous in finding that the appropriate disposition should consider all of the resources available to the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group.
Given the panel’s concerns about the anticipated length of time it will likely take before the accused will be admitted to hospital, the panel is ordering a pre-hearing conference (“PHC”) to be held within four weeks of the date of the disposition. At the PHC, the hospital will advise the Board of the anticipated date the accused will be admitted. Furthermore, the hospital shall canvass Brockville Mental Health Centre prior to the PHC to inquire about the anticipated date the accused could be admitted to that facility in the event of an early review hearing.
Given the limitation on travel set out in the privileges to be found in the disposition, the panel found it unnecessary to specifically name the location of the index offences in the disposition. However, for greater certainty, the disposition will contain a prohibition against Mr. Alexander entering the City of Cornwall, Ontario.
DATED this 27th day of May 2025, at the City of Toronto, in the Toronto Region.
Mr. G. Beasley
Alternate Chairperson
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Office of the Registrar
Ontario Review Board