Re: Farid Marounisi
ORB File No: 5115
Hearing held on: Tuesday, November 25, 2025
Place of hearing: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Pursuant to: Section 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code
Before:
Alternate Chairperson: Ms. C. Finley
Members: The Hon. B. Allen Dr. Y. Alatishe Dr. L. O. Lightfoot Mr. J. Cyr
Parties Appearing:
Accused: Farid Marounisi Counsel: Mr. A. Rai
The person in charge of hospital: Counsel: Mr. D. Blumenkrans
Attorney General of Ontario: Counsel: Ms. V. Culp
REASONS FOR DISPOSITION
(Dated January 21, 2026)
Introduction
On June 27, 2008, Mr. Farid Marounisi was found not criminally responsible by reason of mental disorder on three charges of aggravated assault, contrary to the Criminal Code.
Pursuant to s. 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code a panel of the Ontario Review Board (“the Board”) was convened on November 25, 2025, at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (“CAMH or the Hospital”) to review Mr. Marounisi’s existing disposition on his threat to public safety under s. 672.54 of the Criminal Code.
Mr. Marounisi’s existing disposition dated November 20, 2024, orders that he be detained at the General Forensic Unit at CAMH with privileges up to living in the community in accommodation approved by the person in charge of the Hospital.
The Board first has to determine whether Mr. Marounisi poses a significant threat to the safety of the public as defined in s. 672.5401 of the Criminal Code. If found to be a significant threat the Board must, taking into account the criteria set out in s. 672.54 of the Criminal Code, arrive at a disposition that is necessary and appropriate in the circumstances of the case.
At the start of the hearing the parties provided the Board with their respective positions regarding disposition and significant threat.
Counsel for the Hospital confirmed the clinical team’s recommendation that Mr. Marounisi continues to pose a significant threat to public safety and that the necessary and appropriate disposition is an order detaining him at the General Forensic Service at CAMH with privileges up to living in approved community accommodation. Crown counsel agreed with the Hospital’s position and Mr. Marounisi supported the Hospital’s position on significant threat, but he initially had some questions on the disposition.
At the close of evidence, the parties advanced a joint position on significant threat and disposition agreeing that Mr. Marounisi remains a significant threat to public safety and that the appropriate disposition in the circumstances is detention at the CAMH General Forensic Service with privileges up to residing in approved community housing.
Disposition
- For the reasons set out below the Board finds pursuant to s. 672.54 of the Criminal Code that Mr. Marounisi continues to pose a significant threat to public safety and that the necessary and appropriate disposition, that is the least onerous and the least restrictive to mitigate risk to public safety, is that he be detained at CAMH at the General Forensic Service on the same terms and conditions as the existing disposition.
The Evidence
The Board has before it the Hospital Report dated November 14, 2025, which contains an account of Mr. Marounisi’s personal and psychiatric backgrounds which needs not be repeated in detail here. The Board also has the oral evidence of Dr. Artemis Igoumenou, a psychiatrist and co- author of the Hospital Report.
The Board also has a Victim Impact Statement from Mr. André Vaillancourt, dated August 24, 2025, one of the victims of the index offence. The Board acknowledges the profound physical and emotional trauma Mr. Vaillancourt experienced as a result of the assault on him by Mr. Marounisi, a trauma he has described in detail as continuing to affect his life. The Board takes into account the nature of the offences against victims in arriving at our decisions and will do the same in Mr. Vaillancourt’s case.
The Index Offence
The index offences occurred on October 23, 2007. A brief summary of the details of the offences as set out in the Hospital Report is as follows:
Mr. Marounisi stabbed three different strangers in quick succession on the offence date. All three were stabbed in the face or the neck. Various explanations for these actions were given by Mr. Marounisi and are provided at various places in the Hospital Report. The three victims were strangers to Mr. Marounisi. The injuries were serious but not life-threatening.
Diagnoses
- Mr. Marounisi’s current diagnoses are schizophrenia and cannabis, cocaine, and alcohol use disorder and antisocial personality disorder.
Criminal History
- Mr. Marounisi is 42 years of age. He has a criminal record dating back to 2005. The Hospital Report cites eight convictions occurring before the index offences. There is one conviction for assault, two convictions for theft, four convictions for failure to comply with probation and a conviction for a failure to attend court. The assault convictions involve victims who were strangers to Mr. Marounisi. The Hospital Report indicates that Mr. Marounisi “had been paranoid, frustrated and angry, and had decided to punish someone” at the time.
Mr. Marounisi’s Personal History
Mr. Marounisi was born in Iran and at age seven he moved to Canada with his mother, father and two brothers. His father died when he was age 15. He began using illegal substances after his father’s death which continued when he moved back to Iran to live with his grandparents for a few years. He returned to Canada at age 18 and continued his involvement with his drug-using peer group.
Mr. Marounisi did not graduate from high school. His employment history has been irregular. Mr. Marounisi has not been married and has no children.
Mr. Marounisi’s relationship with his family has been adversely affected by his mental illness. Although he has had a good relationship with his mother, at times, he has also expressed anger at her and has damaged her property during psychotic episodes. He has lived in group homes and then has moved back with his mother. There is also a report that Mr. Marounisi assaulted his mother on an occasion when she visited him at a group home.
Mr. Marounisi’s Psychiatric History
Before the Current Reporting Year
Mr. Marounisi has a lengthy reported psychiatric background dating back to 2004. A summary account of this history follows.
Mr. Marounisi did not seek psychiatric treatment until 2004, so his early psychiatric history is uncertain. His first formal diagnosis of schizophrenia was in April 2004 at which time he was using substances. He presented with psychotic symptoms, appearing to be responding to internal stimuli, which symptoms were aggravated by substance use. He was experiencing dire life circumstances being transient at times, residing in shelters and remiss in attending to his self-care.
Mr. Marounisi has tended to display heightened reactions of frustration with stressors in his life. This has been observed with drug use creating increased irritability, impaired judgment, and a pronounced inability to follow through with treatment.
Mr. Marounisi was presented with various modes of treatment. For instance, in 2006, he attended residential treatment and substance abuse programs while under the jurisdiction of the Board. Substance abuse has been a persistent and debilitating factor in his mental health. This has been a significant factor in the community, in his losing community housing and has led to multiple re-admissions to the Hospital since he was initially discharged in 2010.
Mr. Marounisi’s history from 2009 to 2021 has also been marked with vacillations between stability and decompensation resulting in numerous instances of hospital admissions, discharges, and re-admissions.
By way of example Mr. Marounisi resided in a secure forensic unit at the Hospital until he was transferred to a general forensic unit on August 11, 2009. On December 22, 2010, he was discharged to live in community supervised transitional housing. He was re-admitted to the Hospital on September 20, 2013, following acute changes in his mental status marked by aggressive behaviour towards housing staff and repeated substance use. He remained in the Hospital until December 2017, when he was discharged back to supervised community housing.
Mr. Marounisi was readmitted to CAMH from May 6, 2020, to July 27, 2020, then again from October 14, 2020, to May 3, 2021. On May 3, 2021, he was discharged to supervised community housing with heightened 24-hour supervision. He was re-admitted to Hospital from June 22, 2021, to June 25, 2021, because of repeated cannabis use in the community. His substance use increased after discharge. From August 20, 2021, to August 24, 2021, he was missing from his residence after being informed of a planned re-admission.
The Hospital Report describes the 2022/2023 reporting year as especially challenging for Mr. Marounisi. He spent the entire year as an inpatient. While he had periods of stability in the Hospital there were often gaps in his stability as a result of treatment disengagement, substance use, medication non-compliance and incidents of abscondment.
For instance, on May 3, 2023, Mr. Marounisi absconded on a planned indirectly supervised pass. He consumed cocaine and alcohol during the pass. Of some concern were two periods when Mr. Marounisi did not take his medications. The first was May 16, 2023, to June 27, 2023, after he returned from absconding and the second was from September 4, 2023, to September 17, 2023. He presented with overt thought disorder and changes in his mental status such as increased irritability and the expression of negative perspectives. Compliance with medication following those episodes resulted in improvement in his mental state.
While in June 2023 Mr. Marounisi resumed his medication and displayed stability and insight into the importance of his medication, two months later he abruptly discontinued his medication. The clinical team’s assessment was that his non-compliance was more a function of his poor reactions to stress than lack of insight on his part. Mr. Marounisi exhibits very little internal control over his substance use.
Mr. Marounisi had a period of re-engagement with treatment just before the October 24, 2023, annual hearing date. In spite of periods of stability toward the end of the previous reporting year, Mr. Marounisi appeared to have had limited control over his drug use. One goal going forward was for him to maintain abstinence from substance use.
The reporting year of 2023/2024 year was positive for Mr. Marounisi.
The following factors marked his progress during that period: Mr. Marounisi utilized his time in Hospital constructively; he was employed almost continuously from January 2024; there were no violations of his disposition rules; his response to stress was overall less maladaptive; there were no elopements and no incidents of substance use; he exercised liberal, indirectly supervised passes to the community without incident; he was compliant with his anti- psychotic oral medication; his mental state was stable with no evidence of mood or psychotic symptoms; and he was designated Alternative Level of Care (“ALC”) which means he was ready for transition once appropriate housing became available.
On the further positive side Mr. Marounisi was socially engaged in various programs recommended by the Hospital which was more frequent before his part-time employment with Pizza Pizza in January 2024. On May 22, 2024, he left his job at Pizzaville due to anger at the amount of his pay. He was however able to obtain a position at a grocery store and resumed working part-time in late June 2024.
On October 29, 2024, Mr. Marounisi told the team that he had secured his former position at Pizzaville. He told the clinical team of his ambitious plan to continue both jobs working six days a week. The team cautioned him about the burden of working both jobs. At the time, the team undertook to continue to support him in this regard and to assist with issues requiring problem-solving.
Another positive factor during the previous reporting year was that Mr. Marounisi developed regular contact with his mother, visiting her at her apartment several times during that year. This was in contrast to his relationship with her when he was not well. Mr. Marounisi’s visits were initially on approved person passes and then were indirectly supervised. He expressed frustration over the delay in obtaining housing. The clinical team was making dedicated efforts to obtain suitable housing for him.
The clinical team’s plan for discharge to the community involved supporting Mr. Marounisi to make liberal use of his community passes to assist in alleviating his frustration with the delay in achieving community living. In view of Mr. Marounisi’s readiness and stability, various options were being explored for housing to accommodate his preference. In view of his frustrated responses to highly structured environments, the team concluded that Mr. Marounisi would require appropriate resources within his housing community or obtain housing near the outpatient services team with a focus on support rather than supervision.
Also, in Mr. Marounisi’s favour, the team noted that when he engages in outbursts he does re-engage after self-reflection about the stressors. As well Mr. Marounisi was reported to be continuously in pursuit of employment due to the importance of the structure and independence work brings to his life.
The Current Reporting Year – November 2024 to November 2025
The current reporting year was quite positive for Mr. Marounisi. He was considered ready for discharge from the Hospital to the community once appropriate housing became available. Further positive indicators are that: he committed no rule violations or breaches of his disposition; there were no abscondments or incidents of substance use; he used his indirectly supervised passes well; he remained compliant with his prescribed oral medication; his mental state remained stable with no evidence of mood or psychotic symptoms; he has maintained overall stability and engagement with treatment; he was substance abstinent as shown in negative urine tests; he maintained contact with approved family members; and he maintained a positive outlook and preparedness for gradual reintegration into the community.
There were some concerns, however.
The treatment team recommended continued psychoeducation on relapse prevention and illness management to address residual risk awareness gaps. The staff also noted motivation and persistence in his pursuit of employment but also impulsivity and limited tolerance for workplace stressors which points to the need for ongoing support in vocational planning and emotional regulation. In July 2025 he was observed by staff selling cigarettes to co-patients who did not have that privilege on Hospital grounds. Also, in July 2025 he declined an offer of supervised community housing because he did not want to live in supervised housing. At the time of the Hospital Report Mr. Marounisi had not engaged in structured therapy programs since the end of November 2024 and had not participated in any programs concerning mental illness/mental health awareness.
On potential risk of re-offence, the Hospital Report states at pages 52 and 53:
Mr. Marounisi’s risk of returning to substance use is relatively high if left unsupervised. Substance use has historically been a strong risk factor related to his past violence, and thus his re-offence scenario would likely involve return to substance abuse, leading to exacerbation of psychotic symptoms and affective lability, possible medication non-compliance, with subsequent unpredictable violence towards anyone in his immediate vicinity.
The Testimony of Dr. Artemis Igoumenou
Dr. Igoumenou testified at the hearing. She provided the Board with the update in Mr. Marounisi’s case that a potential housing vacancy has become available which Mr. Marounisi appears to be quite pleased with. She indicated that she hopes to hear about Mr. Marounisi’s housing before Christmas. Mr. Marounisi has been ready to transition to housing for some time. The delay has been finding housing suitable to his preference for housing not to be highly structured. The prospective housing does not have 24/7 supervision but rather Mr. Marounisi would be monitored on an ongoing basis three times a day.
Dr. Igoumenou indicated that if Mr. Marounisi is accepted to the housing he will be followed by FOPS (“Forensic Outpatient Service”). The hope is with that support Mr. Marounisi will abstain from drug use and get support for managing his impulsive and aggressive behaviour. In answer to a question about plans for the next reporting year, whether Mr. Marounisi will be considered for a conditional discharge if he does well in his housing, Dr. Igoumenou testified that the treatment team wants to wait for discharge from the Hospital to care by FOPS to see how Mr. Marounisi does in his new housing environment.
Dr. Igoumenou was asked about Mr. Marounisi’s refusal of housing offers on two previous occasions because he wanted to avoid the risk he believed was associated with those accommodations. The question was whether these decisions indicate he has good insight into risk. The doctor confirmed that Mr. Marounisi made the good judgment to decline the housing because the housing was situated in risky neighbourhoods.
Dr. Igoumenou pointed to other positive steps Mr. Marounisi achieved during the current reporting year. He has been compliant with his olanzapine anti-psychotic medication, has successfully used his 72-hour passes to visit his mother, all urine tests were negative and there were no notable incidents.
The Parties’ Positions
The parties adopted a joint position on significant threat and disposition. In doing so doing they acknowledge the substantial progress Mr. Marounisi has achieved during this reporting year. The parties recognize that he has worked hard to address the challenges with his mental stability and abstaining from substance use.
It is the parties’ joint view that a detention order, with provision for community living in approved accommodation, is the least onerous and least restrictive recommendation that is necessary and appropriate in the circumstances.
The Board’s Determination
While mindful of the parties’ joint position the Board is required to come to an independent determination.
The Board has carefully considered the evidence and the submissions of the parties. The Board has arrived at a unanimous conclusion that Mr. Marounisi remains a significant threat to public safety within the criteria outlined in Winko v, 1999 CanLII 694 (SCC), [1999] 2 SCR 625, and as defined in s. 672.5401 of the Criminal Code. And pursuant to s. 672.54 of the Criminal Code the Board finds that the least onerous and least restrictive disposition, that is necessary and appropriate in the circumstances, is an order detaining Mr. Marounisi at the General Forensic Service at CAMH with privileges up to residing in an approved accommodation in the community.
The Board considered the following evidence in arriving at its determination.
The Board wants to extend our praise to Mr. Marounisi for the significant strides he has made during the current reporting year. We offer our best wishes that he soon transitions to his new housing and finds the accommodation suitable such that it will enhance his life and advance his positive accomplishments. The Board is impressed that Mr. Marounisi was discerning about the accommodations he thought were too risky to move to. This is an exercise of good judgment that will serve him well as he continues to progress.
Also, in his favour Mr. Marounisi has consistently pursued and obtained employment, has had no behavioural incidents, has been medication-compliant, drug-abstinent, has used his passes successfully and has developed constructive approaches to avoiding negative responses to frustration. This bodes well for a constructive reporting year going forward when he moves to his new housing with the support of the FOPS team.
The Board encourages Mr. Marounisi to continue on his positive trajectory and focus on furthering his progress with the goal of hopefully achieving a conditional discharge in the next reporting year.
For all the reasons provided the Board accepts the opinion of Dr. Igoumenou and the clinical team. We find that Mr. Marounisi remains a significant threat to public safety and that the necessary and appropriate disposition is to detain him at the General Forensic Unit at CAMH with privileges up to living in the community in approved accommodation.
DATED this 21^st^ day of January, 2026, at the City of Toronto, in the Toronto Region.
The Hon. B. Allen
Legal Member
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Office of the Registrar
Ontario Review Board