Re Jeremy Anger, 2025 CanLII 84098

Re: Jeremy Anger

ORB File No: 8269

Hearing held on: Monday, June 23, 2025

Place of hearing: Providence Care Hospital

Pursuant to: Sections 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code

Before:

Alternate Chairperson: Mr. J. Hanbidge

Members: Ms. K. Weisbaum Dr. S. J. Hucker Dr. W. Loza Ms. K. Brisson

Parties Appearing:

Accused: Jeremy Anger Counsel: Mr. M. J. Davies

The person in charge of hospital: Counsel: Ms. T. Tom

Attorney General of Ontario: Counsel: Ms. J. Ferguson

REASONS FOR DISPOSITION

(Dated August 19, 2025)

Introduction:

1. On February 27, 2023, Jeremy Anger was found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (“NCR”) on charges of take motor vehicle without consent of the owner, break and enter dwelling house and commit mischief, theft of property of a value not exceeding $5000, and commit mischief endangering life, all contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada.

2. Mr. Anger is currently subject to a Disposition of the Ontario Review Board (the “Board” or “ORB”), dated May 30, 2024, which requires Mr. Anger to be detained at the Secure Forensic Unit of the Providence Care Hospital (the “hospital” or “PCH”), Kingston, Ontario, with the ability to live in the community in accommodation approved by the person in charge.

3. On June 23, 2025, a panel of the Board convened Mr. Anger’s annual “in person” review hearing at PCH pursuant to sections 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code. Mr. Anger was in attendance and was represented by legal counsel, Mr. Michael J. Davies. Also appearing were Ms. Tina Tom, legal counsel representing the interests of the Hospital, as well as Ms. Jennifer Ferguson, Crown counsel, appearing for the Attorney-General of Ontario. Mr. Anger's mother was also present to support her son.

4. The issues to be determined at the hearing were whether Mr. Anger continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public as defined in section 672.5401 of the Criminal Code and if so, what is the necessary and appropriate Disposition which is also the least onerous and least restrictive taking into account the factors set out in section 672.54 Criminal Code.

Position of the Parties

5. At the commencement of the hearing the parties were requested to provide their initial, without prejudice, positions with respect to the issue before the Board in order to narrow any issues. Ms. Tom, on behalf of the Hospital, submitted that Mr. Anger continued to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public. Ms. Tom further submitted that, on behalf of the Hospital, the necessary and appropriate Disposition ought to be the continuation of Mr. Anger’s current Detention Order, with certain amendments to existing conditions and privileges, as well as some deletions of conditions being recommended, including:

• delete the words “staff or” from the Disposition paragraph # 2 (f);
• replace the words “50 km” from Disposition paragraph # 2 (g) with the words “300 km”;
• delete the entire paragraph of the Disposition paragraph # 4 (c);
• delete the entire paragraph of the Disposition paragraph # 4 (e);
• delete the names of Thomas Anger and Monica Anger from the Disposition paragraph # 4 (d), leaving only the name of Stephanie Anger in the paragraph as currently drafted.

6. Ms. Ferguson, on behalf of the Attorney-General, supported the Hospital’s recommendations. Mr. Davies, on behalf of Mr. Anger, also agreed with the position taken by Hospital counsel, without exception. Essentially, the Board was being presented with the joint position of the parties.

Evidence at the Hearing

7. The evidence at the hearing consisted of the oral testimony of Dr. Michael Chan, Mr. Anger’s current treating psychiatrist, as well as the Hospital Report, dated May 29, 2025, entered as an exhibit at the hearing.

Findings:

8. For the reasons that follow, the panel of the Board concluded that Mr. Anger continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public, and, therefore, the necessary and appropriate Disposition which is also the least onerous and least restrictive to Mr. Anger is a Detention Order with the conditions and privileges as set out in the Board’s formal Disposition Order.

Index Offence Charges:

9. The allegations giving rise to the index offences are set out in last year’s Reasons for Disposition, dated July 7, 2023, and are as follows:

COUNT 1 - Take Motor Vehicle without Consent S.335(1) CCC and COUNT 2 - Break and Enter a Place - commit indictable offence S.348(1)(b) CCC

Sometime between the hours of 3:00pm August 25th 2022 to 1:00pm August 26th 2022, Jeremy ANGER attended his parents home located at 1045 Ashman Lane in the Township of South Frontenac. J.ANGER allegedly entered the unlocked home, located the keys to Stephanie POTTER(Anger) 2017 Grey Hyundai Elantra bearing Licence #BSBZ323 and took the vehicle without her consent.

COUNT 3 - Mischief Endangering Life S.430(2) CCC

Further, J.ANGER has not been welcomed at his parents - Thomas and Monica Anger's home for over a year. ANGER knowingly entered their home at 1045 Ashman Lane in the Township of South Frontenac to commit mischief by tampering with the gas line attached to the furnace in the basement of the house. The gas cable was twisted with force, blocking the flow of the propane gas, causing the gas to be redirected into the common air space inside of the entire home, endangering life as gas released while all doors and windows were closed.

COUNT 4 - Theft Under $5000 S.334(b)

Further, while inside the Anger residence at 1045 Ashman Lane in the Township of South Frontenac, J.ANGER did steal a 48inch flat screen television belonging to Thomas Anger of a value not exceeding $5000.

ATTEMPTS TO LOCATE:

Contact was made with J.ANGER's girlfriend, Stephanie LANE, who has not heard from him and resides in Belleville, ON. Stephanie stated that she is also concerned for his mental state and well being.

Contact was made with J.ANGER's friend, Eric BOGSTAD, who confirmed that he saw J.ANGER on August 27th, 2022, in the morning. Eric stated that J.ANGER had a bad eye infection and that he took him to Hotel Dieu Hospital in Kingston, ON. J.ANGER was dropped off and Eric later found out that J.ANGER was not seen or treated, and that he left on his own will. Eric does not know J.ANGER's whereabouts.

J.ANGER has not updated his social media via Facebook.

Police have made multiple attempts to locate J.ANGER at his residence of 77 Portsmouth Avenue, Kingston, ON, by OPP and Kingston Police Force.

Police have made contact with J.ANGER on August 29th, 2022 at 9:34am, J.ANGER stated that he had talked to Stephanie Potter (sister) and that she would fill us in on what's been going on with him. Police spoke with his Stephanie Potter and she stated that they had not spoken in a long time and that they did not have a good relationship. Stephanie did divulge that J.ANGER left a voicemail on her cell phone August 28th, 2022 at 3:00am asking her how she could do this to him. Stephanie stated that it was hard to understand J.ANGER and that her and her family are very concerned for their safety.

At this time, J.ANGER has not turned himself in to police and is aware of his outstanding charges. There is major concern for J.ANGER's safety and for the safety of others, not limited to his family members. Frontenac OPP is requesting a Warrant for the Arrest of Jeremy ANGER.

Detectives continued their efforts tracking J.ANGER and utilizing all possible methods to locate him due to growing concerns for his wellbeing as well as the safety of his victims.

On the 08th September 2022, Belleville Police Service located and arrested J.ANGER in the city of Belleville on the strength of his warrant. OPP Frontenac later took custody of J.ANGER and transported him to Frontenac Detachment where he was processed and lodged. J.ANGER knew of his warrant and chose to evade Police from August 27th to September 08th, giving reasons for Police to hold J.ANGER for a bail hearing.

It is to be noted that J.ANGER was found to be in poor mental health upon being arrested, appearing unkept and unhealthy. J.ANGER believes his body pains are being caused by the electrical force fields.

Background Information Regarding the Accused:

10. Mr. Anger is 42 years of age and the eldest of two children, being three years older than his sister, a sibling he did not tolerate very well.

11. Mr. Anger was reported to have reached all his developmental milestones on time, and that his reading and language development were ahead of the norm as compared to other children his age.

12. In childhood Mr. Anger was successful in school but was frequently in trouble due to hyperactivity and disruptive behaviour. Mr. Anger had difficulty interacting with peers and preferred to interact with adults. He was bullied during his school years. From junior high school and onward Mr. Anger had a few close friends. He finished high school on time.

13. Mr. Anger had a history of sexual abuse from childhood. He suffered sexual victimization from a babysitter around age 5 which resulted in acting out behaviours in elementary school. Around age 7 Mr. Anger was coerced into engaging in sexual behaviours with the older children who attended the same babysitters.

14. Mr. Anger suffered the loss of his grandfather during his adolescence which he did not handle well.

15. During his late teenage years, Mr. Anger developed scoliosis and underwent approximately three back surgeries. Due to his medical issues Mr. Anger developed chronic pain. Hardware originally inserted was removed because of pain. He also had a car accident in his early 20’s with injuries. His trauma hospital records are more extensive than psychiatric ones.

16. Mr. Anger began using cannabis at approximately age 17 to cope with his chronic pain. There were no reported issues with problematic cannabis usage. Approximately 1-2 years ago Mr. Anger began engaging in stimulant usage, specifically consumption of crystal methamphetamine. He continued with daily use of crystal methamphetamine up until the commission of the index offences. He has remained abstinent from substances since entering the forensic mental health system and has engaged in substance use support while in hospital. Also, of note, there was a prior history of heavier alcohol use before the pandemic.

17. Mr. Anger attended a two-year Information Technology program at college level. He is known to family as being very "tech savvy". He subsequently worked in the field of Information Technology for multiple employers, such as Bell, Bombardier, and Novelis. He left his employment with Novelis in 2022.

18. Mr. Anger had some serious romantic partners in adulthood. One being the mother of his 12-year-old daughter, Ainsley, and the other his current partner. Mr. Anger’s relationships were described in a report written by Dr. Hillen, one of Mr. Anger’s previous treating psychiatrists at the hospital, as “being intense with lots of ups and downs”. In 2018, Mr. Anger’s partner of 10 years died, leading to Mr. Anger suffering both emotional and physical (pain) consequences.

19. Mr. Anger has a family history of mental illness with depression, schizophrenia, and two suicides occurring on the maternal side of Mr. Anger’s family, and a history of alcohol abuse on his paternal side.

20. Mr. Anger also had some mental health difficulties in the past which were expressed as low mood and suicidal ideation with attempts at age 18 years old. This led to an admission at Kingston General Hospital where his mental status improved with the use of medication.

21. In 2019 Mr. Anger was diagnosed with sleep apnea.

22. Prior to his most recent hospitalization, Mr. Anger was residing independently in a home in Kingston, Ontario, that he had been renting from his parents.

23. Mr. Anger’s daughter was removed from his home and placed in care of Mr. Anger's parents by CAS in March 2022.

Psychiatric and Medical Diagnoses:

24. Mr. Anger is currently diagnosed with:

• Substance Induced Psychotic Disorder-Primary Psychotic Disorder
• Substance Use Disorder (in remission)
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (some evidence)
• Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
• Acquired Brain Injuries (by history)
• Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
• Chronic Pain Syndromes
• Obstructive Sleep Apnea
• Borderline Personality Characteristics

Course in Hospital from April 2024 to May 2025

25. The Hospital Report notes that Mr. Anger had been a forensic NCR accused for over two years and resided on the inpatient forensic unit at PCH until early February 2025.

26. In the past three months, Mr. Anger has made a good transition to community living to his own apartment space, which is subsidized because of Mr. Anger’s forensic status. Mr. Anger’s previous residence before his recent hospitalization, a home owned by his parents, was presently on the real estate market.

27. The Hospital Report also states that, at present, Mr. Anger does not present with a primary psychotic illness and, therefore, is not receiving any maintenance antipsychotic medication. Rather, the Report further notes that Mr. Anger’s previous treating psychiatrist, Dr. Hillen, had formulated and provided the original NCR opinion to the effect that Mr. Anger suffered from a substance-induced psychotic disorder, a secondary psychosis, at the time of the commission of the index offences. This was in turn related to Mr. Anger’s heavy chronic stimulant usage in the community at the time.

28. The Hospital Report indicates that Mr. Anger participated in a psychodiagnostics assessment in the summer of 2024. Results of the assessment indicated that Mr. Anger met DSM-5-TR criteria for ADHD, combined type, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Level 1, without accompanying intellectual impairment, and Other Specified Anxiety Disorder (generalized and social anxiety symptoms).

29. While recently hospitalized, Mr. Anger had engaged well with all of the inpatient therapeutic programs offered to him, including addiction recovery. Mr. Anger also worked individually in psychotherapy with Dr. Rose which is nearing completion given Mr. Anger’s current outpatient status. Mr. Anger has therefore been working hard to understand better his emotional functioning and how it may relate to his addiction struggles. The Hospital Report notes there have been no concerns about Mr. Anger suffering any addiction relapses.

30. The Hospital Report notes there were other diagnostic concerns for Mr. Anger pertaining to autistic features, and Mr. Anger may indeed have some of this, with mild expression.

31. Mr. Anger also has a confirmed ADHD diagnosis for which he was being treated with Strattera as an inpatient. Unfortunately, last fall Mr. Anger developed a tachycardia which was linked to that treatment, and it was discontinued. He was also put on beta-blockers and has had no reoccurrence of the tachycardia even in the community. A recent echocardiogram showed Mr. Anger has a bicuspid aortic valve which was not thought to be related to the tachycardia.

32. Mr. Anger has a chronic pain back condition related to his adolescent scoliosis and received pain management medications.

33. Mr. Anger was previously employed as a computer technician as he had diploma training at St. Lawrence College. He had not been interested in re-entering the workforce until very recently since his discharge to the community. He is exploring part-time opportunities within the information technology section in which he has experience.

34. Mr. Anger has been well supported by his family locally, primarily his parents who live just outside the Kingston city limits, in Sydenham. Mr. Anger has enjoyed passes to their home with overnights over the past year. He has also connected with his sister, the victim of property damage to her vehicle during the commission of the index offences, who seems receptive to having contact with Mr. Anger.

35. Mr. Anger has had his teenage daughter stay overnight with reported enjoyable family time.

36. Mr. Anger has also been in close contact with his fiancée who lives in Belleville, with visits to her including overnights stays.

37. Mr. Anger has now settled into his apartment space and organized it. The Hospital Report indicates that Mr. Anger appears totally relaxed and seems like a different person. He is much happier living in the community and this is evident from his affect and upbeat mood when he interacts with the treatment team. He has connected well with the PCH’s outpatient team. The team are supporting and monitoring Mr. Anger’s community functioning which is progressing well.

38. The treatment team would like to see a solid year of community living before making any recommendations to the Board concerning loosening any of the provisions of Mr. Anger’s current ORB Disposition.

Risk Formulation

39. As for Mr. Anger’s current risk formulation, the Hospital Report notes that Mr. Anger remains a significant risk to the safety of the public. To elaborate, the Hospital Report indicates that prior to the index offences, Mr. Anger did not have a formal criminal record. However, he did have contact with police on a number of occasions resulting in dropped charges, informal cautions, and court diversions.

40. The Hospital Report states that the current diagnostic formulation for Mr. Anger is of a stimulant use disorder (methamphetamines, in remission in a controlled environment), substance induced psychosis (in remission), major depressive disorder (in remission), and borderline personality features. Neurodiversity remains an area for further exploration.

41. To expand upon Mr. Anger’s current risk formulation, the Hospital Report further notes at page 32:

“Mr. Anger’s history includes two different sets of predisposing and precipitating factors for behaviour that might be injurious to others. For his index offence (and a number of incidents preceding it), substance use and psychosis are the clearly predisposing factors. Increasing stress associated with mental health destabilization as well as the content of his delusional beliefs were proximal precipitants. Continued substance use also served as a perpetuating factor.

With regard to the incidents of aggression that occurred outside of the context of psychosis, interpersonal and emotional regulation difficulties appear to be the primary predisposing factors. Thes challenges are directly associated with Mr. Anger’s borderline personality features. Adverse developmental experiences (chronic pain and exposure to sexual abuse) are likely indirectly contributing factors. Precipitating factors likely involve feelings of frustration, loss of control, or fear of abandonment (the latter in the context of romantic relationships). Substance use would also be a perpetuating factor in this context.

[Dr. Chan] conducted an examination of likelihood of future violence using a structured professional judgment approach. Both risk for general violence as well as risk for intimate partner violence (IVP) were evaluated. Historically, Mr. Anger has a moderate degree of risk factors for both forms of violence, with many of the risk factors overlapping. There has been considerable improvement in dynamic risk factors. Two key risk factors, namely major mental disorder and substance use, are currently well managed. Taking his current dynamic risk and protective factors in conjunction, Mr. Anger’s risk is currently low, with continued services and support. His risk level could likely remain well managed with increased access to the community (e.g., community living), as recommended last year. In the absence of any ongoing professional services, risk would likely increase into the moderate level.”

42. The Hospital Report concludes with the treatment team being of the unanimous opinion in recommending a Detention Order Disposition, with some suggested changes or deletions as noted previously in these Reasons.

Oral Testimony of Dr. Chan

43. In his oral testimony before the Board, Dr. Chan, Mr. Anger’s current treating psychiatrist, advised that he assumed carriage of Mr. Anger’s psychiatric care in September 2023. Dr. Chan adopted the contents of the Hospital Report and its recommended changes to Mr. Anger’s ORB Disposition. Dr. Chan confirmed that Mr. Anger continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public.

44. As for any changes to Mr. Anger’s diagnoses, Dr. Chan testified that, following investigation, Mr. Anger’s Autism Spectrum Disorder condition is considered mild and does not interfere with Mr. Anger’s current community living arrangement.

45. Dr. Chan also wished to amend the Hospital Report‘s page 1 description of Mr. Anger’s current medication regimen, noting that Mr. Anger’s medication list has now been reduced to include only Duloxetine and Pregabalin and another medication, as well as Metoprolol (for cardiac issues).

46. According to Dr. Chan, Mr. Anger had an excellent year, especially beginning in February when Mr. Anger was allowed community living. Mr. Anger occupies his own independent unit in subsidized housing, with restrictions concerning who is permitted to reside in the facility. According to Dr. Cahn, Mr. Anger is very happy with his new accommodation and fits in well with his surroundings. Dr. Chan added that within weeks of his move, Mr. Anger’s demeanour greatly improved. He is highly motivated to maintain his stable community living arrangement with relationships with his parents, daughter and fiancée (and hopefully his sister), as well as being engaged with the treatment team.

47. Dr. Chan added that Mr. Anger reports to PCH weekly for additional programming opportunities. Mr. Anger is regularly tested for substance use with no concerns being reported.

48. Dr. Chan further noted that Mr. Anger had successfully completed individual psychotherapy sessions with Dr. Rose, working very hard to address concerns with respect to addictions and emotions regulation. Dr. Chan added that Dr. Douglas’ risk assessment findings seemed no longer to be a concern.

49. Dr. Chan testified that Mr. Anger has the full support of the treatment team at PCH. The anticipated future plan is for Mr. Anger to move forward and successfully exit from the ORB system.

50. Mr. Anger has also been provided with support concerning his positive relationships with both his daughter (who has had various successful sleepovers with Mr. Anger) and Mr. Anger’s fiancée. Mr. Anger plans to live with his fiancée at some point, but this is currently prevented while Mr. Anger remains in his current subsidized residence.

51. Dr. Chan noted that it was important for Mr. Anger remain subject to a Detention Order Disposition as it continued to be necessary for the hospital to approve Mr. Anger’s accommodation and assist him with addressing any stressful concerns that he could be facing, including any variables arising with new relationships or with the future plan to live with his fiancée.

52. Dr. Chan testified as to the justification for the various recommended changes to Mr. Anger’s Disposition. Mr. Anger no longer needs the PCH staff to accompany him while he was now living in the community. The increase from 50 km to 300 km radius from PCH would assist in Mr. Anger having more flexibility to travel, including visiting a provincial park with his family or visiting his fiancée. Permitting him to drive was no longer a concern as Mr. Anger has his substance use concerns under control. Mr. Anger wished to resume communication with his parents and daughter. At the time of the hearing, Mr. Anger’s sister, Stephanie (the victim of property damage to her motor vehicle during the commission of the index offences), had not provided her consent to resume contact with Mr. Anger, thereby necessitating the continuation of the “no contact” condition in relation to herself.

53. In response to questions posed by Ms. Ferguson, presenting the Attorney General at the hearing, Dr. Chan confirmed that Mr. Anger is presently in possession of a valid driver’s licence.

54. Ms. Ferguson reviewed with Dr. Chan an excerpt from the Hospital Report, noted at page 27, which addressed concerns about Mr. Anger’s previous acts of violence. The relevant excerpt is as follows:

“As reviewed in my section on criminal conduct, above, Mr. Anger’s history of violence appears to include three at-least-partially distinct types of conduct that might result in harm to others. Specifically, this includes: 1. Behaviour that is not violent per se but is dangerous, such as the destruction of the gas line in his index offence, and various instances of dangerous driving; 2. Physical aggression directed toward family members while experiencing psychosis (parents, daughter); and 3. Intimate partner violence. The latter appears to include two documented physical assaults on the now-deceased mother of his daughter, as well as an allegation by a subsequent partner of harassing behaviour. These incidents do not appear to have occurred in the context of psychosis. Finally, two other allegations of physical aggression are less clear in terms of context, with one involving threats with a knife during what appears to have been a road-rage incident, and the other involving disruptive behaviour in the emergency room of the general hospital.”

55. The gist of Ms. Ferguson’s questioning of Dr. Chan concerned whether Mr. Anger had been questioned by Dr. Chan about this concerning behaviour. In response, Dr. Chan responded by noting that when Mr. Anger caused damage to his parents’ home (during their absence) and to his sister’s motor vehicle, Mr. Anger was experiencing psychosis, including disorganized thinking and feelings of anger. With Dr. Rose’s psychotherapy treatment support, Dr. Chan opined that Mr. Anger now has better emotional regulation control.

56. In response to questioning by Mr. Davies, Mr. Anger’s counsel, Dr. Chan testified that contact with Mr. Anger’s sister Stephanie could occur provided there was written revocable consent provided by his sister. The consent would be orchestrated through the social worker at the hospital, with the documentation being provided to the PCH administration. At present, without knowing the sister’s wishes, Dr. Chan was uncertain whether there remained ongoing tension between Mr. Anger and his sister or if it was just a paperwork issue determining if the sister was agreeable to future contact with Mr. Anger without the need for the condition in Mr. Anger’s ORB Disposition.

57. Dr. Chan agreed that instead of primary psychosis, it was substance-induced psychosis that was the underlying mental health condition that Mr. Anger was experiencing at the time of the commission of the index offences. Dr. Chan added that the primary modes of risk management at present included Mr. Anger’s substance abstinence as well as use of emotional regulation controls.

58. Dr. Chan reported that he sees Mr. Anger once monthly, with members of the treatment team attending to Mr. Anger on a weekly basis. Dr. Chan added that Mr. Anger has demonstrated a remarkable change in behaviour since being able to live in the community.

59. Dr. Chan agreed that Mr. Anger had a lengthy history with both physical and psychological pain management, as early as his teenage years, after Mr. Anger was diagnosed with scoliosis which resulted in numerous back surgeries. Dr. Chan reported that Mr. Anger is currently able to manage and control his pain with the assistance of his physician and without the use of opioids.

60. As for the next steps on the path to be considered by the ORB for a Conditional Discharge Disposition, Dr. Chan and the hospital want to see evidence of Mr. Anger’s continued mental health stability and continued positive relationship with the treatment team. Dr. Chan indicated that Mr. Anger is also hoping to pursue employment prospects, as well as continuing to maintain his relationships as noted earlier in these Reasons, including, as suggested by Dr, Chan, any advice and direction that Dr. Chan can provided to assist Mr. Anger in avoiding any stressors that may arise with his relationship with his fiancée.

61. In response to questions posed by a panel member, Dr. Chan noted that Mr. Anger is technically trained and wished to look for employment opportunities in the tech area. Dr. Chan added that both he and hospital staff, as well as the network of work colleagues situated in the Kingston area, would be available to assist Mr. Anger in these work-related pursuits.

62. No further evidence was presented by the parties at the hearing.

Final Submissions

63. All counsel agreed that Mr. Anger continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public, and that the necessary and appropriate Disposition ought to be a continuation of Mr. Anger’s Detention Order with certain conditions and privileges, including certain amendments to existing conditions and privileges, as well as some deletions of conditions as noted earlier in these Reasons.

Analysis and Finding

64. Mindful that the parties offer a joint position on the appropriate finding of Mr. Anger’s significant risk to public safety, the Board nevertheless makes an independent finding that the circumstances surrounding the commission of the index offences, as well as the evidence noted in the Hospital Report, supported by the oral testimony of Dr. Chan, amply supports a finding that Mr. Anger continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public as defined in section 672.5401 of the Criminal Code.

65. The evidence demonstrates that, as a lead up to the commission of the index offences, Mr. Anger experienced the confluence of cognitive and affective disturbances markedly exacerbated throughout a lengthy period of crystal methamphetamine use. The Board accepts the findings noted in the Hospital Report that, during that time period, Mr. Anger sustained serious physical injuries (direct and indirect brain trauma, toxic and metabolic). As well, Mr. Anger’s constellation of mental conditions currently, and for the foreseeable future, complicate his progress, as does his severe substance use addiction. Mr. Anger’s interpersonal and social cognitive skills, as well as emotion regulation and distress tolerance difficulties, especially when considered in the context of potential relationship violence circumstances, are added risk factors that Mr. Anger presents with at the time of the hearing. Clearly, without his current level of supervision and support, Mr. Anger continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public given these various risk factors.

Necessary and Appropriate Disposition

66. The Board is mindful of Dr. Chan’s oral testimony at the hearing as well as the contents of the Hospital Report suggesting that Mr. Anger has had a very productive year therapeutically. He has engaged with a variety of psychotherapies to understand his vulnerabilities to substance use and emotional regulation control, his most serious factors for risk to violence. He is committed to a lifestyle of substance abstinence such that the treatment team believes this is favourable for a successful outcome.

67. According to Dr. Chan, the treatment team members were currently of the unanimous view that Mr. Anger had remarkable improvement in regard to his illness. This was particularly true in respect of his previous substance-induced psychotic and thought disordered conditions, as well as Mr. Anger’s treatment advancements concerning his previous drug use and future prognosis. It is appropriate at this juncture to continue to support the hospital’s decision to permit Mr. Anger’s ongoing community living privileges, with the amended conditions and privileges as part of a Detention Order Disposition as noted in the Board’s formal Disposition Order.

68. The Board also concludes that a Conditional Discharge Disposition would be inappropriate given the requirement to return Mr. Anger to hospital quickly if he became unwell and the inadequacy of the MHA alone to manage his risk.

69. The Board once again wishes Mr. Anger every success concerning his recovery in the upcoming year.

70. In making this Disposition, the Board carefully considered the joint position of the parties, the evidence of Dr. Chan and the contents of the Hospital Report entered as an exhibit at the hearing and is satisfied that this determination is both necessary and appropriate. The Board reviewed the provisions of sections 672.54 and 672.5401 of the Criminal Code and carefully considered the need to protect the public from dangerous persons (with the public’s safety being the Board’s paramount consideration), Mr. Anger’s mental condition and his reintegration into society and other needs.

DATED this 19th day of August 2025, at the City of Toronto, in the Toronto Region.

Mr. J. Hanbidge

Alternate Chairperson

___________________

Office of the Registrar

Ontario Review Board