Ontario Review Board
Re: Richard Laurin
ORB File No: 4854
Hearing held on: Thursday, June 19, 2025
Place of Hearing: Brockville Mental Health Centre
Pursuant to: Sections 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code
Before:
Alternate Chairperson: Mr. M.D. Segal
Members: Dr. G. Eayrs
Dr. Y. Alatishe
Mr. G. Beasley
Ms. R. MacIntyre
Parties Appearing:
Accused: Richard Laurin Counsel: Mr. M. Bird
Person in charge of hospital: Representative: Dr. A. Alabi
Attorney-General of Ontario: Counsel: Ms. C. Breault
REASONS FOR DISPOSITION
(Dated August 1, 2025)
Introduction:
Richard Laurin, age 68, was on August 22, 2007, found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder on charges of utter threats, fail to comply with a recognizance, possession of property obtained by crime under $5000, fail to comply with a probation order, and fail to comply with conditions of an undertaking, contrary to the Criminal Code.
On June 19, 2025, Mr. Laurin, who is subject to a detention order with privileges up to and including living in the community in accommodation approved by the person in charge, appeared before the Ontario Review Board (the Board) at the Brockville Mental Health Centre (the hospital) for his annual hearing.
Exhibit one was the Hospital Report dated May 16^th^, 2025. Exhibit 2 was the CPIC printout.
In preliminary positions, the Board was presented with a joint position that the current disposition continued to be appropriate. By the end of the hearing, after considering all the evidence, the Board agreed with the joint submission.
Index Offences
- A description of the index offences is taken from last year’s Reasons for Disposition as follows:
“The index offences occurred on three separate dates in the City of Ottawa. On April 13, 2006, Mr. Laurin was bound by probation order with a term to keep the peace and be of good behaviour. He tried to use a stolen credit card at the Bay store in downtown Ottawa. Security officers found him in possession of a wallet that had been reported stolen earlier that day from a nearby location. The wallet contained stolen identification and two stolen credit cards. The police released Mr. Laurin on an Undertaking to appear in court.
Later, on August 10, 2006, while still on probation and now bound by the Undertaking, Mr. Laurin was arrested at the Money Mart on Montreal Road in Vanier. He was in possession of a stolen cheque. He told the police officer that the officer was going to lose his job. He gave a story, claiming that the cheque had been given to him by a man as a deposit on a painting contract. In fact, there was no painting contract. The victim of the theft had earlier reported her purse stolen, with the cheque inside.
While subject to a recognizance of bail on November 26, 2006, Mr. Laurin was at the Shepherds of Good Hope kitchen on Murray Street in Ottawa. After breakfast, a volunteer staff member informed him that the kitchen was closing and that he would have to leave. He threatened her with words, “You better watch yourself or you’re going to get shot.” Despite being warned, he repeated the threat three more times. Fearing for her safety, the volunteer activated a panic alarm. Police attended and arrested Mr. Laurin.”
Current Diagnoses
- Mr. Laurin’s current diagnoses are:
Schizophrenia
History of Alcohol and Stimulant Use Disorder (Cocaine)
History of Adult Antisocial Behaviour
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Hypercholesterolemia
Background
Mr. Laurin’s background history is sparse, mainly because of his being a poor historian. It seems that he drank excessively as a teenager and engaged in street drugs.
Mr. Laurin has had several involvements with the criminal justice system and police commencing in 1984, details of which are outlined in his CPIC record filed as an Exhibit at this hearing.
Evidence at Hearing
Dr. A. Alabi, the patient’s current psychiatrist, testified. Mr. Laurin has chronic delusions of a grandiose nature.
Mr. Laurin was living in the FITT House but moved into independent living this past January. He manages his activities of daily living well. There are challenges arising from calling 911for non-emergencies.
Mr. Laurin receives a depot injection of paliperidone every three months, not every three weeks as stated in the report. Because of opposition to his injections, Dr. Alabi has decided to see the patient on site coincidentally with the injection to ease the process. Dr. Alabi sees the patient much more frequently than that. Forensic staff see Mr. Laurin in the community at least weekly, and sometimes daily, depending on needs.
There continues to be a lack of insight into his mental health condition, the impact and need for medication and like matters. If left to his own devices, Mr. Laurin would fall away from treatment and medication, and his risk of violence would re-emerge. Because of fluctuations in presentation, it has been necessary to redirect Mr. Laurin from time to time. For example, this past March, Mr. Laurin was readmitted for a week. His apartment continues to be available if readmitted for short periods.
Mr. Laurin does not always recognize Dr. Alabi as his Doctor. This may be explained in part because Dr. Gulati was his psychiatrist for a long time.
When Mr. Laurin first entered independent living, he resented staff entering his apartment, but that is no longer an issue.
Mr. Laurin has family in Ottawa but is not close to them. Given Mr. Laurin’s criminogenic history in Ottawa, Dr. Alabi is of the view that Mr. Laurin is better off in Brockville.
Mr. Laurin’s time is unstructured except for frequent visits to the YMCA.
Mr. Laurin briefly addressed the Board and spoke about how he was royalty.
Analysis
New this year is the step of moving into independent housing which has gone relatively well. There are variances in presentation and vexing conduct that disturbs the peace. Because of the real risk of falling away from treatment and medication, periodic re-admission is required. If Mr. Laurin stopped his medication and treatment he would act out and pose a risk to the safety of the public. The hospital manages the risk well. Scheduling his depot injection in hospital along with a doctor’s appointment is one approach that reduces friction.
Significant threat to the safety of the public continues to be present. The current disposition properly balances public safety and rehabilitation. We wish Mr. Laurin well in the coming year.
DATED this 1^st^ day of August, 2025, at the City of Toronto, in the Toronto Region.
Mr. M. Segal Alternate Chairperson
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Office of the Registrar
Ontario Review Board