ORB 2025

The Ontario Review Board held a mandatory annual review hearing for an accused found not criminally responsible for multiple violent and driving offences.

The accused, who has schizophrenia and a substance use disorder, recently experienced a relapse in substance use resulting in a temporary restriction of his liberty.

The Board found that the accused continues to pose a significant threat to public safety due to ongoing psychotic symptoms, lack of insight, and vulnerability to substance relapse.

The Board ordered the continuation of his detention order at the hospital, while granting limited 36-hour passes to visit his approved person in the community.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual review hearing for the accused, who was previously found not criminally responsible for arson and other offences.

The accused had been living in the community without readmission since 2021, demonstrating good insight into his schizoaffective disorder and substance use issues.

All parties, including the hospital and the Attorney General, jointly submitted that the accused no longer posed a significant threat to public safety.

The Board agreed and ordered an absolute discharge.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual review hearing for the accused, who was previously found not criminally responsible for assault with a weapon and aggravated assault.

The Board accepted the joint submission of the parties and the psychiatric evidence that the accused remains a significant threat to the safety of the public due to schizophrenia and a history of substance abuse.

The Board ordered a continued Detention Order with expanded accompanied passes to facilitate cautious community integration.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual review hearing for an accused found not criminally responsible for sexual assault and criminal harassment.

The accused, diagnosed with Bipolar Affective Disorder and Cannabis Use Disorder, has remained stable but continues to decline psychotropic medication and minimizes the risks of his past cannabis use.

The Board accepted the treatment team's evidence that the accused remains vulnerable to rapid decompensation without medication.

The Board found that the accused continues to pose a significant threat to the safety of the public and ordered the continuation of his Detention Order at a General Forensic Unit.

The Ontario Review Board conducted an annual review of the accused's disposition pursuant to s. 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code.

The accused had previously been found not criminally responsible for uttering threats and assaulting a peace officer.

Based on a joint submission and psychiatric evidence indicating ongoing symptoms of schizophrenia and intellectual disability, the Board found that the accused remained a significant threat to public safety.

The Board ordered the continuation of the detention order on the same terms.

The Ontario Review Board held a mandatory review hearing for an accused previously found not criminally responsible for criminal harassment and other offences.

The accused, diagnosed with schizophrenia, demonstrated ongoing medication non-compliance, lack of insight into his illness, and recently incurred new criminal convictions similar to his index offences.

The Board found that the accused continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public.

A detention disposition with increased reporting requirements was ordered to manage his risk, while a request by the hospital for a driving prohibition was declined.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual review hearing for an accused found not criminally responsible for various offences including assaulting a peace officer.

The accused, diagnosed with schizophrenia and substance use disorder, had recently transitioned to independent living.

Based on a joint submission and psychiatric evidence, the Board found the accused remains a significant threat to public safety.

The Board ordered a continued Detention Order with modifications, including a travel pass to visit family, as the least onerous and least restrictive measure to manage his risk.

The accused was found not criminally responsible for exposure for a sexual purpose and indecent acts.

At the initial disposition hearing, the Ontario Review Board considered psychiatric evidence indicating the accused suffers from schizoaffective disorder.

The Board accepted the joint submission of the parties that the accused remains a significant threat to public safety.

A Detention Order was issued with conditions including a weapons prohibition and a no-contact order regarding the victims.

The accused was found not criminally responsible (NCR) for multiple assault charges and referred to the Ontario Review Board for an initial disposition hearing.

The Board found that the accused, who suffers from schizoaffective disorder and a substance use disorder, remains floridly psychotic and lacks insight into her illness.

The Board concluded that she poses a significant threat to public safety and ordered her detained at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

The Board declined to grant a community living privilege, accepting expert evidence that it would be counter-therapeutic and that the accused is not a realistic candidate for discharge in the upcoming year.

The accused, previously found not criminally responsible for assault and criminal harassment, appeared before the Ontario Review Board for an annual hearing.

The hospital and Crown submitted that the accused continues to pose a significant threat to public safety, which the Board accepted.

The hospital requested a transfer to the Royal Ottawa Hospital to allow the accused to be closer to her oncologist for breast cancer treatment.

The Board approved the transfer, maintaining the current disposition conditions.

The Ontario Review Board conducted an annual review of the accused's disposition.

The accused had previously been found not criminally responsible for arson and criminal harassment following a substance-induced psychotic episode.

The hospital, the accused, and the Crown all agreed that the accused no longer posed a significant threat to public safety.

The Board accepted the evidence that the accused was employed in the mental health field, abstinent from substances, and stable without medication.

The Board granted the accused an absolute discharge.

The accused, who was found not criminally responsible for assault, underwent an annual Review Board hearing.

The hospital had transferred the accused to a secure forensic unit due to a deterioration in mental state and lack of engagement with treatment.

The Board found the transfer was a restriction of liberty but was warranted and the least restrictive option.

The Board concluded the accused remains a significant threat to public safety and ordered continued detention at the hospital in a secure forensic unit, with discretion for the hospital to transfer the accused to a general unit if appropriate.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual review hearing for an accused found not criminally responsible for assault.

The accused suffers from treatment-resistant schizophrenia, intellectual disability, and substance use disorder.

The Board accepted the joint submission of the parties, supported by the attending psychiatrist, that the accused remains a significant threat to public safety.

The Board ordered a continued Detention Order with existing conditions, but reduced the frequency of reporting requirements to encourage greater independence, while removing a no-contact clause regarding the victims.

The Ontario Review Board conducted an annual review of the accused's disposition following a finding of not criminally responsible for mischief and arson.

The accused, diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, had recently pled guilty to sexual assault and received a conditional sentence requiring him to remain in hospital.

The parties jointly submitted that the accused remained a significant threat to public safety.

The Board accepted the joint submission, finding that the accused's severe intractable mental disorder, residual symptoms, and risk of impulsive violence necessitated a continuation of the detention order on the same terms.

The accused, previously found not criminally responsible for two counts of second-degree murder, underwent an annual review of his Disposition by the Ontario Review Board.

The Board found that he continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public due to his history of violence, maladaptive personality traits, and challenging behaviours in the hospital.

Given his complex medical needs and a request to be closer to family, the Board ordered his transfer from CAMH to St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton under a Detention Order with specific conditions.

The Ontario Review Board conducted an annual review of the accused's disposition following a finding of not criminally responsible for assault and uttering threats.

The accused had been living in the community successfully and remained stable on medication for bipolar disorder.

All parties agreed that while the accused remained a significant threat to public safety, a detention order was no longer necessary.

The Board ordered a conditional discharge, adopting the hospital's recommended conditions but declining to impose a substance use prohibition as there was no history of substance use disorder.

The Ontario Review Board held a hearing to determine whether the accused, who had previously been found unfit to stand trial on assault charges, remained unfit.

Based on the uncontradicted evidence of his treating psychiatrist, the Board found that the accused's mental health had significantly improved and he was now fit to stand trial.

The Board directed his return to court and declined to make an order under section 672.49 of the Criminal Code to detain him in the hospital pending his return, finding no reasonable grounds to believe he would become unfit in a correctional facility.

The Ontario Review Board held an annual review hearing for an accused found not criminally responsible for arson-related offences.

The accused, diagnosed with schizophrenia and a neurocognitive disorder, remained stable in a hospital setting but continued to experience symptoms and lacked insight.

The treatment team opined that she required a 24/7 supervised setting, such as a long-term care facility, but none was currently available.

The Board found that the accused continued to represent a significant threat to public safety and ordered the continuation of her detention disposition without change, while noting concerns about bureaucratic delays in securing a long-term care placement.

The accused, previously found not criminally responsible for robbery and using an imitation firearm, was subject to an annual review of his detention disposition.

Following a period of medication non-compliance, the accused decompensated and made death threats against a member of the Review Board, leading to his readmission to the hospital.

The Review Board found that the accused continues to pose a significant threat to public safety due to his lack of insight, risk of substance use, and attitudes supporting violence.

The Board ordered the continuation of his detention order with a new condition prohibiting contact with any member of the Review Board.

The Ontario Review Board held a mandatory annual hearing to review the conditional discharge of the accused, who was previously found not criminally responsible for mischief and arson.

The accused has schizophrenia and a substance use disorder, both currently in remission.

The treatment team and all parties recommended continuing the conditional discharge but removing the condition requiring abstention from intoxicants, as the accused had been abstinent for five years and compliant with treatment.

The Board found the accused still posed a significant threat to public safety but agreed that the proposed disposition was the least onerous and least restrictive option.

The conditional discharge was continued with the abstention condition removed.