Ontario Review Board
Re: Jonathan Borbridge
ORB File No: 5834
Hearing held on: Monday, June 16, 2025
Place of hearing: Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health 401 Sunset Drive, St. Thomas
Pursuant to: Section 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code
Before:
Alternate Chairperson: Ms. S. Kert
Members: Dr. T. Verny Dr. J. C. Rose Ms. K. Tomaszewski Ms. C. Plyley
Parties Appearing:
Accused: Jonathan Borbridge Counsel: Mr. J. J. Chapnick
The person in charge of hospital: Counsel: Ms. J. Zamprogna
Attorney General of Ontario: Counsel: Ms. K. Dalrymple
REASONS FOR DISPOSITION
(Dated July 22, 2025)
Introduction
On March 23, 2011, Jonathan Borbridge, then 19 years old, was found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (NCR) on charges of possession of break-in instruments, attempted break and enter with intent, carrying a concealed weapon, assaulting a peace officer causing bodily harm, failure to comply with an undertaking and criminal harassment, all contrary to the Criminal Code. Mr. Borbridge was most recently subject to a Disposition of the Ontario Review Board (“ORB” or “the Board”) dated July 2, 2024, detaining him at the Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care (“Southwest Centre”, “SCFMHC” or “the Hospital”), with privileges up to and including community living in approved accommodation.
On June 16, 2025, a panel of the Board convened to review Mr. Borbridge’s Disposition pursuant to s. 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code. He was present for his hearing and represented by his counsel, Mr. J. J. Chapnick.
When parties were canvassed for their initial, tentative positions at the commencement of the hearing, counsel for the Hospital submitted that Mr. Borbridge remained a significant threat to the safety of the public and that the necessary and appropriate Disposition was a Detention Order containing the same terms as found in the previous Disposition with two changes: the removal of the annual numerical limit on the number of the 72-hour community passes; and the addition of an annual numerical limit on the number of seven (7)-day travel passes. Counsel for the Attorney General supported the Hospital’s position.
Counsel for Mr. Borbridge indicated he did not contest the issue of significant threat; agreed with the Hospital’s recommend changes to the Disposition; and requested the addition of a two-week pass to travel to Newfoundland for up to two weeks with an approved itinerary and indirectly supervised travel to and from Newfoundland, accompanied by an approved person at the destination. The purpose of this pass is to enable Mr. Borbridge to visit his mother, who is an approved person, and who now lives in Newfoundland.
Counsel for the Hospital and the Attorney-General agreed with the addition of the two-week pass to travel to Newfoundland. After hearing from Dr. Prakash that no restrictions on the number of passes are necessary, the parties agreed that the annual number of seven (7)-day passes would not be restricted. By the end of the hearing the Board was presented with a joint submission on all issues.
Following deliberations, the panel unanimously concluded that Mr. Borbridge is a significant threat to the safety of the public as that term is defined in s. 672.5401 of the Criminal Code and explained in the governing authorities. The panel further found that the necessary and appropriate Disposition for the management of Mr. Borbridge’s risk is a Detention Order with the modifications jointly proposed by the parties, for the reasons which follow.
Index Offences
- The index offences occurred in stages as described below. The circumstances are taken from the Board’s Reasons for Disposition dated July 23, 2024, in an edited form as follows:
January 23, 2011
" On January 23, 2011, male victim was in the basement of his residence watching TV. He noticed a shadow by his basement window; he then observed a hand slide open the screen of the basement window.
He ran upstairs and out the front door and looked down the side of his house. He saw a male still standing by the window. The victim asked the male what he was doing. The male responded with something like, "My bad". The male then walked away.
The victim called the police and continued to watch the male. The male walked across the road. The victim observed the male pull on the front screen door; however, the screen door was locked. The male then walked to another house, opened the side screen door and attempted to open the interior door; however, this door was also locked. The male then began to walk away southbound. At this time, police officers arrived on scene. During search subsequent to arrest, the officer located a black handled stainless-steel Wiltshire kitchen knife in the front right pant pocket of the male. The knife had an 8" blade.
There was no damage to any property and nothing was stolen.
January 24, 2011
The accused in this case, Johnathan Borbridge, 18 years, and the victim, were not known to each other. The victim is a Special Constable Court Security Officer with the London Police Service.
On January 24, 2011, at 10:58 a.m., the accused was in Bull Pen #3, a group holding cell, at the Provincial Courthouse, 80 Dundas Street, London, ON. At this time, the accused was requesting that Court Security staff remove him from the group holding cell and place him in an individual cell.
Court Security Officers attended Bull Pen #3 to facilitate the transfer of the accused from this area to a private cell. At this time, the door of the Bull Pen cell was opened and the accused proceeded down a long narrow hallway, towards the private cell area of the facility. As the accused and staff reached the end of the hallway, they began to turn to the right to enter the area where the private cell was located.
As the staff led the accused towards his private cell, he exclaimed, "I am not going in there" and stopped abruptly, preventing officers from placing him in the cell. Upon seeing the sudden change in the accused's behaviour and his increasing resistance to willingly enter the cell, the victim left the area to obtain appropriate restraining devices. As soon as the victim turned his back and proceeded back towards Bull Pen #3, the accused turned his body and lunged aggressively back towards the hallway towards the victim. This sudden, aggressive and intentional lunging motion of the accused resulted in the victim being thrown head first towards the cement wall adjacent to where the group was waiting. The victim was able to position himself on top of the accused, after striking his head, to restrain the accused and wait for other officers to attend the area.
February 22, 2011
The accused in this case, Johnathan Borbridge, 18 years, and the female victim, are known to each other. They have not been in a relationship, but the accused has made repeated advances towards the victim via the online social website, Facebook.
The accused and victim had gone to the same high school, but the accused had left the school and the victim had not heard from the accused since early 2010.
Starting in November of 2010, the accused began contacting the victim by leaving messages on her cell phone and sending her friend requests on Facebook. The victim made repeated denials to the "friend" status requests made by the accused. The accused repeatedly asked the victim to date but the victim said no. These incidents were reported to London Police Service and, on December 22, 2010, police warned the accused not to have any further communication with the victim. At the time, the accused agreed that he would not.
On the morning of January 23, 2011, the accused was arrested for an attempted break and enter in the neighbourhood of the victim. At the time, he had a knife in his possession and stated he was looking for the victim. The accused told police that the voices in his head were telling him that the victim was trying to hurt him so that is why he had the knife.
The accused entered into an Undertaking given to a Justice or Judge at the Ontario Court of Justice in the Southwest Region and was released on the January 23-24 charges on February 17, 2011, with various conditions. One condition of release was:
- Abstain from communicating, associating or having any contact with: the female victim under any circumstances, either directly or indirectly.
This was a stronger indication to the accused that his criminally harassing behaviour was not welcomed by the victim.
On February 22, 2011, the victim received messages on her Facebook account ... from a "Jonn Borbridge", the same account previously used by the accused. The first message, received at 10:43 a.m., included the following comments:
"…I gotta hlf km restriction against you ..."
"…the truth is you have to come to me becuz of the restriction ..."
"…BUT SERIOUSLY I WAS CHARGED TO HAVE NO CONTACT WITH YOU WHATSOEVER SO PLEASE DON'T KILL ME ... teehee"
"…[female victim's name]. I have loved you ever since I saw you ... "
"…See you soon Eve, [female victim's name]-Eve, [female victim's name]-Eve...”
The second message, received at 2:25 p.m., stated: ➢ "My bad cops said stay away so my bed. Don't get me charged."
Diagnoses
Mr. Borbridge’s diagnoses are listed in the Hospital Report as Schizophrenia; Substance Use Disorder in sustained remission; and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (by history).
Mr. Borbridge was found NCR just over one month after the index offences, which had occurred shortly before his 19th birthday. His history and background are described in detail in the Hospital Report, and as the Report is in evidence, this information need not be summarized for the purpose of these Reasons, given the parties’ joint position on the issues. What follows are excerpts taken from last year’s Reasons.
Mr. Borbridge did not finish high school. To his credit, during his time under the ORB’s jurisdiction he obtained his high school diploma. He was not employed at the time of the index offences.
Mr. Borbridge started using cannabis and alcohol at the age of 15 and has also used other substances including cocaine, ecstasy and stimulants.
Mr. Borbridge had no prior criminal record and no history of previous mental health admissions, although according to Mr. Borbridge's father, in the early morning on the day prior to his son's first arrest, he wanted to take his son to hospital. Mr. Borbridge had been exhibiting disturbing and odd behaviour, sitting in his father's car for hours throughout the night, talking about driving up north (he did not have a driver's licence), and wanting to save [the female victim] from being murdered. Mr. Borbridge was emotional, shaking, crying and screaming; however, he refused to be taken to hospital. He eventually calmed down somewhat and proceeded back into the house.
Mr. Borbridge has been under the ORB’s jurisdiction since 2011. He was at the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care at the time of his initial Review Board hearing. On June 21, 2011, the Board ordered that he be detained at the Southwest Centre. He was admitted there on January 26, 2012. In September of 2018, he moved into a CMHA group home. He was granted a Conditional Discharge in 2019 and in April of 2021 he moved into a CMHA-subsidized independent apartment in St. Thomas. There, he received the support of the Hospital’s forensic outreach team.
After moving into his apartment, Mr. Borbridge, who is capable of consenting to his psychiatric treatment, gradually reduced, and then discontinued, his clozapine medication. He also began to consume alcohol again, to the point of intoxication. He self-reported using cannabis on his birthday. His outreach team began to observe changes to his mental state in the spring of 2022, including auditory hallucinations and disorganization. On June 13, 2022, Mr. Borbridge stated that he was experiencing an increase in stress due to difficulties finding employment. He also said that the voices had increased and were bothering him more, and that he was drinking alcohol both socially and alone to manage the auditory hallucinations.
In the evening on June 14, 2022, five days before his annual ORB hearing, he suddenly and without provocation assaulted an elderly woman who lived in his apartment building while they were in the smoking area at the rear of the building. Two witnesses were present: one called 911 while the other yelled at Mr. Borbridge to let the victim go. When there was a “crack sound” he let go, said sorry and walked away. The St Thomas Police left a message for the treatment team stating that Mr. Borbridge allegedly "attacked/grabbed a woman and put something around her neck".
Mr. Borbridge was arrested by police and readmitted to the Hospital. Mr. Borbridge’s Disposition was changed to a detention order in June 2022.
In March 2023, the June 2022 assault charge was stayed because Mr. Borbridge was already residing in a forensic hospital and was subject to a disposition of the ORB.
Mr. Borbridge transitioned to independent living in St. Thomas, Ontario, at Indwell Supportive Housing on April 4, 2024. This transition went very well, with no significant concerns noted by the Indwell staff or his Outreach Team. His mental status has remained at baseline, and he has been actively engaged with his Outreach Team and organized for his appointments.
The Indwell Residence is a fully supported and 24-hour staffed residence in St. Thomas, Ontario. Within this residence, Mr. Borbridge resides in a private one-bedroom apartment with en-suite kitchen and bathroom facilities. Within this residence, Mr. Borbridge is supported by the Forensic Outreach team, which includes a full-time on-site Occupational Therapist, as well as various support staff from Indwell, including housing support, recreation support, on-site nursing, and addictions support.
Evidence at the Hearing
The Board received documentary evidence in the form of a Hospital Report dated May 29, 2025. The Board also heard oral testimony from Dr. Ajay Prakash, Mr. Borbridge’s attending psychiatrist.
According to the Hospital Report, Mr. Borbridge continues to experience auditory hallucinations. When he experiences a bad or low mood, the voices are more intense. At various times, he identifies that the use of video games or other high-focus activities helps to reduce the impact of these auditory hallucinations and allows him to focus on something other than the voices. Despite the ongoing presence of voices, his thought content remains appropriate, with no significant reports of delusions, suicidal or homicidal ideation throughout the year.
During the past reporting year, while living at Indwell, Mr. Borbridge continued to engage in his structured routine, including twice-weekly volunteering, playing Magic the Gathering at the Elgin Mall on the weekends with his peers, attending Talbot House, and participating in Indwell in-house programming. Mr. Borbridge also met regularly with Employment Services Elgin to pursue his goal of finding part-time employment.
Mr. Borbridge was also extensively involved with Occupational Therapy (OT) support for both Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs). He continued to receive support from his Outreach OT and Indwell staff to structure his week with a variety of activities. This included education, volunteering, social events, and personal hygiene. He worked with the OT to develop a hygiene plan, which included showering, exercising, and cleaning his apartment as per a schedule outlined on his monthly calendar. Despite ongoing reminders, assessments by Indwell and Outreach staff continued to document noticeably poor hygiene, inadequate self-care, a messy living environment, and difficulty with cleaning.
Mr. Borbridge demonstrated the ability to organize his day with activities that he enjoys and considers a priority. He demonstrated the skill set to repair/rebuild electronics when they break to help save money on purchasing a new video game controller. However, he relied on Outreach and Indwell staff to aid in organizing various “medical appointments” for him, such as seeing his General Practitioner (GP), renewing his health card, and arranging transportation for him.
Mr. Borbridge demonstrates developing insight into the Index Offences, the 2022 offence, and the need for treatment for both his physical and psychiatric health issues. He has fair insight into his mental illness, but partial insight into his risk for future violence.
He has a good understanding of the effects of substance use on his symptoms of mental illness, reporting that alcohol makes the voices quieter, whereas cannabis makes the voices unbearable. He reports a continued plan to remain abstinent from substances, as they have historically resulted in a decompensation in his mental status. He reports no longer experiencing cravings or desire to use cannabis or alcohol, and even when he has been around people who drink and use cannabis (other Indwell residents, for example), he has not experienced cravings or temptations.
Mr. Borbridge remains incapable of managing his finances, which are managed by the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee.
In March 2025, Mr. Borbridge was notified by the London Subsidized Housing Unit that he was being offered an apartment and that he only had 40 hours to make a decision or he would be put at the bottom of the waitlist. Dr. Prakash approved his move and Mr. Borbridge transitioned to the independent living apartment on April 26, 2025. The Outreach Team organized a plan to help support, implement, and address the necessities of the move. Since that time, the Outreach Team has been providing weekly support to help Mr. Borbridge sustain independent living and promote a healthy lifestyle. Mr. Borbridge calls the Outreach Team twice daily for morning and dinnertime medication compliance.
Dr. Prakash testified that the Outreach Team supported this move to London because Mr. Borbridge’s father and brother, who are very supportive of Mr. Borbridge, live in London. In addition, the Indwell accommodation was available only temporarily, unlike the subsidized apartment. Mr. Borbridge also expressed a long-term preference for independent living rather than a group home situation.
Living in this independent apartment will give Mr. Borbridge the opportunity to demonstrate that he can continue to follow the Outreach Team’s recommendations to maintain routines; structure his days with activities which bring him into the public in contact with other people; care for his apartment; maintain his personal hygiene; and continue to take his medications and not use substances or alcohol.
According to Dr. Prakash, Mr. Borbridge has done well since moving to the apartment in London. He continues to take his medications, supported by the Outreach Team. With family support, the apartment has been furnished. His family provides additional supports to Mr. Borbridge on a daily basis.
In response to questions, Dr. Prakash told the panel that while it is possible that Mr. Borbridge could relapse into alcohol use, in the past cannabis use has been problematic. However, Mr. Borbridge has not used alcohol or cannabis since 2022 and has had no cravings or desire to use alcohol or cannabis. Mr. Borbridge has no history of using either alcohol or cannabis in breach of his Disposition, although he did use them in the past when the abstain clause was removed from his Disposition.
According to Dr. Prakash, Mr. Borbridge remembers the events of 2022 very well and is very anxious not to repeat the relapse and decompensation. Although he has moved away from the supports provided by Indwell staff, substances were readily available in the Indwell environment. Mr. Borbridge remained abstinent despite his access to substances, and despite the behaviours of other tenants.
Mr. Borbridge has not yet replaced the structured activities he was involved in while living in St. Thomas at Indwell. Engaging in structured activities is a major goal for the upcoming year. Mr. Borbridge is aware of the Outreach Team’s expectations. The outreach Team continues to encourage Mr. Borbridge to engage in activities apart from gaming (or other activities solely on a computer) and apart from staying in his apartment.
Mr. Borbridge needs to participate in activities that take him out of his apartment and allow him to be with other people. For this reason, Dr. Prakash indicated that Mr. Borbridge is strongly encouraged to make use of his passes.
The doctor was opposed to limiting the number of passes available to Mr. Borbridge, stating that there was no risk that Mr. Borbridge would make excessive use of passes.
Dr. Prakash supported the addition to the Disposition of a travel pass to Newfoundland. Mr. Borbridge’s mother has been a strong support and is an approved person. Mr. Borbridge is encouraged to make use of this pass.
Although Mr. Borbridge should not spend all of his time gaming, at this point gaming itself does not enhance Mr. Borbridge’s risk of violence. However, the lack of structured activities does enhance Mr. Borbridge’s risk of violence.
The Hospital needs the ability to approve Mr. Borbridge’s accommodations and needs the Warrant of Committal to bring Mr. Borbridge back to the Hospital expeditiously if he decompensates or relapses into substance use. This is the first time Mr. Borbridge has lived independently for many years. He has just moved to an independent apartment away from the supports provided at Indwell, to a new city where he does not yet have structured activities in place. The housing situation does not provide any supports or structured activities.
When the abstain clause was removed in the past, Mr. Borbridge used substances, decompensated and engaged in violent behaviour. Mr. Borbridge is capable of consenting to treatment. If Mr. Borbridge uses alcohol or substances, the Mental Health Act is not sufficient to admit Mr. Borbridge quickly enough to protect the safety of the public.
No additional evidence was called by the parties.
Analysis and Conclusions
The panel finds that Mr. Borbridge is a significant threat to the safety of the public. The evidence is compelling in this regard. He has a major mental illness, schizophrenia, and a substance use disorder. Mr. Borbridge’s illness and substance use led to the relatively recent (2022) unprovoked assault on an elderly female co-resident of his apartment building, despite having been in contact with his Outreach Team and CMHA worker earlier that day. Prior to this event Mr. Borbridge discontinued his medications and engaged in increased use of alcohol.
The panel notes that Mr. Borbridge has been compliant with his medications and has expressed a desire to abstain from alcohol and cannabis. He has made improvements in his insight this year, although his insight into his risk for future violence remains underdeveloped. While living in St. Thomas, Mr. Borbridge participated in activities to structure his day and increase his exposure to people in the community. His transition to the independent apartment in London has gone well, and to date, Mr. Borbridge has received excellent support from his family. These are all positive developments, and the Board encourages Mr. Borbridge to continue on this trajectory.
Nevertheless, Mr. Borbridge is in the process of adjusting to the stresses of independent living in accommodation that does not provide the structured supports and activities that were available to him at Indwell. He has yet to establish a routine of structured activities which will help to reduce his risk of future violence. While he has good family support, it is unknown if they would be able to recognize symptoms of decompensation. Mr. Borbridge does not have any community health supports, apart from the Outreach Team.
The panel adopts the Re-Offence Scenario set out at page 238 of the Hospital Report:
Absent forensic supervision and support, Mr. Borbridge would likely struggle with the increased stressors, which would lead to worsened psychotic symptoms and potential other risk-enhancing behaviours, including substance use. As a result, he would likely fall away from treatment and become nonadherent with medication. His auditory hallucinations and persecutory delusions would intensify, and he would become physically violent, as in the past.
The panel is further satisfied that the necessary and appropriate Disposition is a Detention Order in accordance with the joint recommendation of all parties. We are satisfied that the Detention Order, including the terms proposed by the Hospital and agreed to by all parties, constitutes the least onerous and least restrictive measure for managing Mr. Borbridge’s risk over the next year while supporting his reintegration into society and meeting his mental health and other needs.
The Outreach Team will continue to assess how Mr. Borbridge copes with the additional stresses of living independently in the community over the next year. Given the relatively recent assault that occurred when he was last living in an independent apartment, it will be important for the Outreach Team to be sensitive to any mental status changes and have the authority to readmit him to the Hospital for investigation and stabilization if necessary. Consideration of a Conditional Discharge is simply premature at this stage, and no party asked the panel to consider such a Disposition.
The panel acknowledges the progress Mr. Borbridge has made this year and encourages Mr. Borbridge to structure his days by finding and participating in activities in the community. The panel also encourages Mr. Borbridge to make full use of his passes. The panel hopes that Mr. Borbridge will have a successful year in his new apartment.
In coming to these conclusions, the panel has considered protecting the public as the paramount factor, along with the objectives of addressing Mr. Borbridge’s mental condition, his other needs, and his reintegration into the community.
DATED this 22^nd^ day of July 2025, at the City of Toronto, in the Region of Toronto.
Ms. K. Tomaszewski
Legal Member
______________________________
Office of the Registrar
Ontario Review Board