Ontario Review Board
Re: Cory Sabourin
ORB File No: 6571
Hearing held on: Monday, November 17, 2025
Place of Hearing: Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre
Pursuant to: Sections 672.48(1) and 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada
Before:
Alternate Chairperson: Mr. P. Hageraats
Members: Dr. W. Komer Dr. R. Cormier Ms. M. Labrosse Mr. A. Bouvier
Parties Appearing:
Accused: Cory Sabourin: (Not Present) Counsel: Ms. M. Munsterman
Person in charge of hospital: Representative Dr. M. Sani and Dr. M. Strike
Attorney-General of Ontario: Counsel: Mr. J. Wright
REASONS FOR DISPOSITION
(Dated January 8, 2026)
Introduction
On July 16, 2014, Mr. Cory Sabourin, was found unfit to stand trial on account of mental disorder on various charges including assault, two counts of assault by weapon, six counts of assaulting a peace officer, theft under five thousand dollars, mischief under $5000, failing to comply with the conditions of an undertaking, and nine counts of failure to comply with conditions of a judicial release, all contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada.
Mr. Sabourin is currently subject to a disposition of the Ontario Review Board (“ORB” or “the Board”) dated November 13, 2024, discharging him subject to conditions.
Since January 2024, Mr. Sabourin has been living at a highly supervised group home, the Valoris Group Home (“Valoris”), located east of Ottawa in Casselman, Ontario.
On Monday November 17, 2025, the Board convened at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre (“ROMHC” or “the hospital”) to review the disposition.
Mr. Sabourin was not present. His counsel, Ms. Munsterman, has represented him for the past five years. Counsel advised that Mr. Sabourin did not wish to attend and that she had full instructions to proceed. Mr. Sabourin finds the hearings very stressful: he does not understand the proceedings and gets nothing out of attending. He would experience increased stress were he to attend which can aggravate his difficult behaviours. The longstanding attending psychiatrist, Dr. Strike, confirmed the situation, noting that for the past several years, the Board has excused Mr. Sabourin from being present. Counsel appearing for the Attorney-General, Mr. Wright, took no issue with the request that Mr. Sabourin be excused.
Accepting the suggestion of all parties, the Board agreed to proceed in the absence of the accused, pursuant to S.672.5(10)(a) of the Criminal Code.
Mr. Sabourin’s hospital assigned behavioural therapist, Ms. Vanessa Setter, did attend. A hospital report, dated October 19, 2025, was filed in evidence.
Positions of the Parties
At the outset, all three parties advised they were in essential agreement: Mr. Sabourin is likely permanently unfit to stand trial; a conditional discharge, on much the same terms should remain in place. The hospital representative asked the Board to consider reducing the frequency of reporting from not less than once every two weeks to once per month. They also recommended that condition 1(f) in the disposition (the travel permission) be deleted.
For the reasons set out below, the Board adopted much of the parties’ joint submission. However, we decided to maintain the same frequency of reporting.
Current Psychiatric Diagnoses, Hospital Report
Autism Spectrum Disorder, with severe intellectual impairment, associated with fragile X genetic syndrome
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, combined presentation
Major Depressive Disorder, with seasonal pattern, multiple episodes
Mr. Sabourin is described as unable to understand the nature and object of the proceedings, nor the potential outcomes, even to a rudimentary extent. It is highly likely he would be able to communicate with defence counsel. From a medical perspective, he remains unfit to stand trial. This is due to his severe intellectual impairment, which is related to a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder. The condition is irreversible. It is very likely, even with intensive fitness coaching, that he will remain indefinitely unfit to stand trial.
Mr. Sabourin is treated with psychiatric medications. Among them:
Sertraline 200 mg daily
Quetiapine xr 900 mg daily
Quetiapine 25 mg twice daily, as needed for agitation/aggression
Alleged Offences
- As noted in previous Reasons for Disposition, materials provided for the Board do not contain full details of the numerous alleged offences. Briefly stated, Mr. Sabourin has repeatedly engaged in acts of aggressive and violent behaviour, including throwing bricks at Ontario Provincial Police officers.
Background History
- Mr. Sabourin is 57. He is the eldest of four siblings with two younger half-brothers and a half-sister. He lived with his mother until the age of four when the Children’s Aid Society became involved. He was removed from the family and placed in the care of Open Hands Children’s Home due to suspected abuse in the family home. He remained there until age 18 and then moved into an adult Open Hands Home for higher functioning individuals. Initially, he was under a shared parenting model whereby he would stay at the residence during the week and with his parents on weekends. The arrangement ended after his father died. His mother was left as a single parent working a full-time job and found it too difficult to take care of Mr. Sabourin.
Criminal History:
- According to the CPIC report, Mr. Sabourin has no criminal record.
Psychiatric History:
In 1999, a psychological assessment determined that Mr. Sabourin’s IQ and adaptive functioning showed an intellectual deficit falling in the mid-range. In 2003-2004, Mr. Sabourin was assessed by the Dual Diagnosis Team at the Royal Ottawa Hospital. They determined that the earlier assessment had overestimated Mr. Sabourin’s functioning. He was given diagnoses of major depression with anxiety (partially treated) and developmental handicap (moderate to severe).
Between 2003 and 2012, Mr. Sabourin had several admissions to the Cornwall General Hospital.
In May 2013, he was admitted to the Brockville Mental Health Centre for two weeks for a court-ordered assessment of his fitness to stand trial on a charge of assaulting a peace officer. There were several occasions when the police needed to bring Mr. Sabourin to hospital because of his assaultive behaviour. Staff at the previous residence, ‘Open Hands,’ were reporting that aggressive behaviour had been escalating for two years.
Course for the Reporting Year leading to October 2024
At the last review hearing held on October 17, 2024, Dr. Strike advised that Mr. Sabourin was still living at the Valoris Group Home. She testified that Mr. Sabourin would not know how to relocate on his own. He does not have the means of moving elsewhere, given his limitations. Although he would occasionally talk about wanting to leave, Mr. Sabourin was content to stay at Valoris where his needs were being well met.
Dr. Strike also advised that Valoris had obtained funding and made renovations to Mr. Sabourin’s unit to better meet his needs. Fencing was installed on the property to prevent him from wandering. Providing him with an individual living unit helped to reduce his stress and manage his behaviours, rather than have him share space all the time with others.
Dr. Strike testified that communication between the hospital treatment team and Valoris was very good, and that Valoris was willing to keep Mr. Sabourin in their care indefinitely.
Mr. Sabourin will have episodes in the springtime when he can become dysregulated. This is compared to a Bipolar-type reaction, likely triggered by changes in circadian rhythm at different times of the year. The situation recurs annually and is one that Valoris has learned to deal with.
Mr. Sabourin continues to live at the Valoris facility in Casselman. During the current reporting period he has not had any hospital admissions or police involvement.
Mr. Sabourin’s diabetes condition is being fairly controlled with oral medication. He does follow-up with his family physician for this and other medical issues.
Between late August 2024 and January 2025, the hospital team was not advised of any difficulties. Scheduled case conferences with the Valoris team were scheduled for the Fall of 2024. However, Valoris staff failed to attend.
On January 14, 2025, the Valoris manager emailed to report that Mr. Sabourin had been acting out and had broken a window. The manager explained they were finding it more difficult to address Mr. Sabourin’s needs, despite trying various strategies. It was learned that Mr. Sabourin was damaging property, especially in his new apartment unit and that he had been doing so for the past three months.
During these episodes, Mr. Sabourin destroyed the ceiling and ripped off all kitchen cabinets. He also destroyed his television and DVD. It was further reported that he was not following his daily schedule or participating in his program of farm work on the property.
Mr. Sabourin benefits from 1:1 staff support. Concerns were expressed that the Passport Funding had not been updated for over a year. Other problems were noted regarding Service Coordination and the need to apply for more intensive 1:1 staff support to assist in preventing and managing Mr. Sabourin’s outbursts.
In February 2025, Dr. Strike obtained consent from the Office of the Public Guardian to effect medication changes to address irritability and depressive symptoms. She also consulted with Dr. T. Moran, psychiatrist with the ROMHC Community Dual Diagnosis consultation team. It was noted that Mr. Sabourin may qualify for longer-term support from the “FACT-DD” Team, given that he had been under terms of an ORB conditional discharge for the past years.
By May 2025, Valoris reported that the frequency and severity/intensity of Mr. Sabourin’s outbursts had improved but had not yet resolved. It was not clear whether improvements were due to medications or other factors.
Although he tried to escape on one occasion, when the secure gate malfunctioned, Mr. Sabourin’s energy and activity level did improve. He resumed some farm work, although not as much as he had been doing in the Fall of 2024. He started to enjoy outings with staff. He benefitted from being given choices about work tasks by the behavioural therapist and showed improved emotional regulation when doing more physically demanding jobs.
Current Violence Risk Assessment
Dr. Strike’s written report includes a detailed assessment under the Hamilton Anatomy of Risk Management (“HARM”). This was completed by the psychiatry team in October 2025. Protective factors are noted: leisure activities, financial stability, positive attitude, stable housing, external control and positive social support. The treatment plan provides for medication and developing and implementation of a behavioral plan. Under the risk heading, the need for long-term monitoring of the patient’s stress is noted.
Dr. Strike also made use of the HCR-20 version 3, structured clinical judgment instrument. Having regard to the various risk factors for violence, Dr. Strike is of the opinion that Mr. Sabourin presents a high risk of future violence.
The following passage appears in the report:
His specific violence scenario is environmental aggression, most commonly not targeting staff members. He is likely to continue throwing objects at residential staff members, hitting/kicking staff members or other authorities in response to physical contact to manage his unsafe behaviour, walking on the highway close to his residence, or throwing rocks at anyone who approaches him when he is outside of the property. These aggressive behaviours happened monthly at minimum, and sometimes weekly over the past year.
Overall, as indicated in my violence risk assessment above, Mr. Sabourin presents a high risk of future violence, since he is likely to continue escaping to the property of his residence, walking on the highway, and being physically assaultive to staff when they attempt to return him home.
Mr. Sabourin’s intellectual disability, which is pervasive and lifelong, is his primary risk factor for aggression. He is at chronic risk of becoming physically aggressive (hitting, kicking, biting, and throwing objects) to care givers and authority figures. Although Valoris staff are by far the most likely targets, anyone in his immediate proximity is at risk, including members of the public, particularly those who may be driving on the road when he is having an outburst near his home. Police officers are also at risk, per the index offences and subsequent incidents requiring police intervention. His violence is affective and reactive, with a stable pattern of episodic agitation in response to identifiable and predictable triggers.
While pharmacological and behavioural interventions can improve Mr. Sabourin’s mood, anxiety, and certain behaviours, his cognitive ability will not improve. His strength, large size, and his unsafe behaviour (throwing objects and running onto roadways when dysregulated) add to the risk of harm.
Evidence at the Hearing
The Board received direct testimony from Dr. Maurice Sani, the psychiatry resident working at the ROMHC with forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Melanie Strike. At certain points during the hearing, Dr. Strike also testified. The Board learned that Ms. Setter and others continue to work with Mr. Sabourin. Since May 2025, there have been no major changes to the intensity of his behaviours.
Discussions continue between the hospital team and Dr. Moran regarding further titration of the patient’s medications. There may be some additional benefit to further titrations. Before this happens, Dr. Strike has ordered investigations into ECG and blood lab work to ensure that any medication changes can be done safely. The team has yet to complete their investigation and to receive results.
Dr. Sani testified that the Valoris facility remains extremely supportive of Mr. Sabourin. Concerns will arise when there are adjustments to staff. Working with patients like Mr. Sabourin is difficult. Staff members frequently turn over. Such changes can upset Mr. Sabourin and result in further disturbances in his behaviours and functioning.
The hospital team is available to support Valoris. They are attempting to connect with the FACT-DD program, including moving toward a possible handover. However, the FACT-DD team advises that they cannot assume complete care of Mr. Sabourin until such time as he would no longer be under the jurisdiction of the ORB, in other words, not until Mr. Sabourin could be granted an absolute discharge.
Counsel for the Attorney-General, Mr. Wright had a few questions. Dr. Sani explained that Mr. Sabourin benefits from regular care provided by the same care team. His present stability is best assured by having him remain at Valoris.
Mr. Sabourin has been granted a few chances to travel under escort by Valoris staff. These trips have gone well. Mr. Sabourin has enjoyed being able to leave the facility while accompanied. This offers him some quality of life at the same time as it allows him the chance to enjoy greater rapport with his professional caregivers.
Dr. Strike advised there is no real need to maintain condition 1(f) (the travel condition). So far, it has proved more of a formality than anything else, while the group home continues to assist Mr. Sabourin taking small trips out into the community.
Counsel for Mr. Sabourin, Ms. Munsterman, inquired about the FACT-DD agency. Dr. Strike explained that Mr. Sabourin is a very robust and strong individual. The FACT-DD agency has specific expertise in dealing with patients who are autistic and/or have a developmental disability.
Mr. Sabourin has been living at Valoris for a long time. They are well suited to manage his outbursts and behaviours and are more understanding of his overall condition. Dr. Strike expressed her opinion that Valoris is the best home at this time for Mr. Sabourin.
Dr. Strike was asked what changes in Mr. Sabourin’s condition would need to be seen for the hospital to recommend returning to court to seek an absolute discharge. She advised that they need to see a major period without any of the incidents that continue to arise, including destruction to property.
Dr. Strike also spoke of Mr. Sabourin’s tendency to want to leave the property. When he does, he presents a serious risk to cars on the roadway and to those staff members who end up making efforts to get him off the road.
Dr. Strike and Dr. Sani responded to Board members’ questions. They confirmed that Mr. Sabourin can stay at Valoris indefinitely. As they understand the situation, they do not anticipate that Valoris will decline providing further care.
Questions were asked about missed appointments between the hospital treatment team and Valoris staff. Dr. Strike and Dr. Sani explained that they remain available to Valoris for consultation and that they do want to continue to offer support, as much as possible.
The hospital learned, only after the fact, of several reactive episodes of aggression. When such incidents arise, they do so unpredictably.
A question was asked whether Valoris would keep Mr. Sabourin in their care and, if not, what would the hospital do if the placement were to break down. Dr. Strike explained that despite the email communication from Valoris indicating that they were struggling, Mr. Sabourin’s housing is not at risk. Respite options can be considered by the hospital, including the possibility of a formal admission.
Dr. Strike expects that Mr. Sabourin would go along with being moved. She did say, however, that the police could possibly need to be involved. Finding any other housing for Mr. Sabourin would be very challenging. Dr. Strike added that most of the hospital team’s meetings with Valoris staff take place remotely by Zoom. She feels such meetings are more productive when held in person. Dr. Strike added that Valoris has recently got a new manager and that regular case conferences should not be missed.
The parties presented no further evidence.
Submissions of the Parties
- All parties maintained their earlier stated joint submission recommending that the patient remains unfit and that he continue to be discharged, subject to conditions. Counsel for Mr. Sabourin did not see the need to maintain the wording regarding travel permissions. When Mr. Sabourin leaves the property, he is always in the company of staff, usually with two persons, not just one. Counsel for the Attorney-General, Mr. Wright did not strictly object to removal of the travel condition.
Conclusions and Disposition
Mr. Cory Sabourin remains unfit to stand trial. This was not in dispute and is well supported by the evidence and testimony provided. Mr. Sabourin is also most likely permanently unfit to stand trial.
The Board finds that Mr. Sabourin continues to present a significant threat to the safety of the public. This was not disputed at the hearing. His developmental limitations lead him to engage in aggressive and violent behaviours. These involve not just destruction to property but also see him put others in harm’s way. The diagnosed condition is life-long. While this is not Mr. Sabourin’s fault, it must be dealt with. The requirement to have him remain subject to the Ontario Review Board’s oversight is the least onerous and least restrictive method that is currently available.
Regarding the frequency of reporting: there was much discussion during the hearing about the need for closer collaboration between the hospital treatment team and the Valoris group home. Mr. Sabourin’s condition presents real challenges to the Valoris organization. We were told the hospital would like to hear from them more frequently.
Looking ahead, the Board encourages both parties to examine this carefully. It is in the interest of all concerned, and would be to Mr. Sabourin’s benefit, for the hospital to provide ongoing assistance to the patient. This is not just about assessing and ministering to his need for medication. It has also to do with having him continue with the present behavioural program and others, possibly recreational or vocational, to the extent that these might be judged appropriate and helpful.
It was not completely clear to the Board just what was being described in terms of the FACT-DD agency. We would like this to be better explained at next year’s hearing.
Regarding the record of proceedings from last year’s ORB hearing, we note that efforts were going to be made, we assume by the Attorney General’s office, to obtain better and more complete documentation about more recent Court findings that relate to the alleged offences.
We respectfully request that this be investigated. As was mentioned last year: Ms. Munsterman had requested a transcript of the court proceeding. It was not part of last year’s hearing documents, nor was any transcript provided to the present panel.
We would also like to be provided with a copy of the transcript of Mr. Sabourin’s most recent prima facie hearing, as was noted in last year’s Reasons for Disposition dated December 16, 2024, at para. 6 of those Reasons.
The Board considered the hospital’s request to reduce the frequency of reporting, down from once every two weeks to once monthly. Given ongoing difficulties noted about the need for better and more complete reporting between the hospital and the involved residential facility, we feel it is necessary and appropriate that the same frequency of reporting be maintained. Again, we cannot stress enough the need for both agencies, the Royal and Valoris, to engage in closer and more frequent discussion, notwithstanding their separate locations in Ottawa and Casselman.
We agree with the parties regarding the travel condition. The Board was left with the understanding that whenever Mr. Sabourin ventures off the Valoris property, he will only do so under their direct supervision and in their vehicle transport. With such a high level of supervision kept in place, a formal travel term is not necessary.
Accordingly, having regard to the primary need to keep the public safe, and balancing Mr. Sabourin’s mental condition, his reintegration and other needs, the Board discharges him on conditions which are set out in the amended disposition.
That said, the Board would observe that should Mr. Sabourin’s placement at Valoris break down, it may be that a detention order will be necessary and more appropriate, in order to maintain adequate control of his community placement.
We thank counsel for their assistance.
DATED this 8th day of January 2026, at the City of Toronto, in the Toronto Region.
Mr. P. Hageraats Alternate Chairperson
__________________ Office of the Registrar Ontario Review Board