Re Jonathan G. Madden-Patrick, 2026 CanLII 48355

Ontario Review Board

Re: Jonathan G. Madden-Patrick

ORB File No: 8851

Hearing held on: Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Place of Hearing: Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre

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

Before:

Alternate Chairperson: Ms. M. Labrosse

Members: Dr. R. Kunjukrishnan

Dr. G. Nexhipi

Ms. R. Louis

Ms. B. Naegele

Parties Appearing:

Accused: Jonathan G. Madden-Patrick

Counsel: Ms. M. Munsterman

Person in charge of hospital: Representative: Dr. F. Wood

Attorney General of Ontario: Counsel: Ms. M. Dufort

REASONS FOR DISPOSITION

(Dated May 4, 2026)

Introduction

1. On August 21, 2019, Mr. Jonathan G. Madden-Patrick was found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (“NCR”) on charges of repeatedly following another person from place to place and utter a threat to cause death or bodily harm, both contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada.

2. On August 22, 2025, Mr. Madden-Patrick was again found NCR on charges of harassment by repeated communication and harassment by watching or besetting, both contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada.

3. Mr. Madden-Patrick is currently subject to a disposition of the Ontario Review Board dated December 19, 2025, which detains him within the Secure Forensic Unit of the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre on terms and conditions up to and including permission to reside in the community in accommodation approved by the person in charge.

4. On March 31, 2026, the Ontario Review Board (“ORB”) convened a hearing at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, hereinafter referred to as “the Royal” or “the hospital”, to review Mr. Madden-Patrick’s disposition pursuant to s. 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code. Mr. Madden-Patrick was not present for the hearing but was represented by his counsel, Ms. Marni Munsterman. A hospital report dated February 26, 2026, was admitted as Exhibit 1 for the hearing and the Transcript of the second NCR hearing as Exhibit 2 for the hearing.

5. At the outset of the hearing, Ms. Munsterman advised the panel that she had full instructions from Mr. Madden-Patrick for the hearing but that he requested to be excused from attending because he finds the ORB hearings very stressful. This has been the case in previous years where Mr. Madden-Patrick’s hearings proceeded in his absence. Counsel for the Attorney General, Ms. Dufort, and Dr. Wood, his attending psychiatrist, both supported the request for Mr. Madden-Patrick to be absent during this hearing. Accordingly, the Board ordered the hearing to proceed in his absence pursuant to s. 672.5(10)(a) of the Criminal Code.

6. At the commencement of the hearing, the parties provided their preliminary without prejudice positions at which time the Board was presented with a joint submission of all parties that Mr. Madden-Patrick continues to pose a significant threat to the safety of the public and that a detention order, on the same terms and conditions, remains necessary and appropriate for the coming year.

7. At the conclusion of the hearing in closing submissions, the parties maintained the joint position.

8. For the reasons set out below, the Board finds that Mr. Madden-Patrick continues to pose a significant threat to the safety of the public and that the maintenance of the current detention order, on the same terms and conditions, remains necessary and appropriate and is the least onerous and least restrictive disposition in all of the circumstances.

Index Offences

August 21, 2019, NCR Finding

9. The circumstances giving rise to the August 21, 2019, NCR findings are extracted from last year’s Reasons for Disposition, as follows:

“Mr. Johnathan Madden-Patrick, 23 years old, and the victim Rowan Baron, a female of 21 years of age, had known each other for the past eight years. They have never been involved in an intimate relationship. Mr. Madden-Patrick at that time resided in Ottawa and Ms. Baron resided in London.

Mr. Madden-Patrick and Ms. Baron met approximately eight years ago through Mr. Madden-Patrick’s mother and Ms. Baron’s stepfather who were friends. Over the years, Mr. Madden-Patrick had become obsessed with Ms. Baron and had continued to send unwanted emails and messages through Facebook Mr. Madden-Patrick had indicated that he feels that they are soul mates and should be together.

On April 4, 2017, Ms. Baron contacted the police in relation to unwanted contact from Mr. Madden-Patrick. A member of the London Police Services attended and spoke with Ms. Baron. At that time, Mr. Madden-Patrick’s whereabouts were unknown and he could not be spoken with. The unwanted emails and messages continued.

On July 16, 2018, Mr. Madden-Patrick sent a threatening message to Ms. Baron and stated that he was taking the bus to London. Ms. Barron contacted the London Police Services and Constable Patrick Larochelle instigated the incident. Ms. Baron did not want charges laid. Constable located Mr. Madden-Patrick at the Salvation Army. Mr. Madden-Patrick was warned in regards to criminal harassment and advised to stop all communications with Ms. Baron.

On August 8, 2018, at 3:59 p.m., Ms. Baron contacted the London Police Services in relation to further unwanted messages and threats received from Mr. Madden-Patrick. Since the day Mr. Madden-Patrick was warned by Constable LaRochelle, Mr. Madden-Patrick had continued to send Ms. Baron 30 to 50 messages a day. These messages continued the same day in which he was warned by Constable LaRochelle. Many of these messages did not make sense and others were threatening in nature.

On August 7, 2018, Ms. Baron received the following two messages from Mr. Madden-Patrick: “I am going to massacre your family for not forcing me onto you” and “I am going to murder you with your penis because tea and gentle”.

In one of the messages, Mr. Madden-Patrick stated that he was a taking a Greyhound bus to London and would be arriving just after 3:00 a.m. Ms. Baron stated that she was fearful of Mr. Madden-Patrick and was concerned he would come to London from Ottawa. At 3:03 a.m. a constable arrested Mr. Madden-Patrick at the Greyhound bus station in London.”

August 22, 2025 NCR Finding

10. The details of the index offences for the second NCR finding on August 22, 2025, have been extracted from last year’s Reasons for Disposition as follows:

Mr. Madden-Patrick and the victim, Rowan Baron, who have known each other for approximately 13 years but were never in an intimate relationship. The offences occurred in January 2025 and can be summarized follows:

1. Harassment by Repeated Communication (CCC 264(2)(b)): ​

o Between January 7 and January 21, 2025, Madden-Patrick sent multiple emails and Facebook messages to Baron, violating a non-communication order issued by the Ontario Review Board (ORB).

o Messages included apologetic notes, claims of psychic connection, and concerning statements such as "Ok. ​ So you've got something to worry about from me," and "Hey I need you to not call the cops on me or have sex with anyone until I see you again." ​

o Baron did not respond to any of the messages and reported feeling fearful of Madden-Patrick.

2. Harassment by Watching and Besetting (CCC 264(2)(c)): ​

o On January 25, 2025, Madden-Patrick traveled to London, Ontario, violating his ORB condition not to enter the city. ​

o He was seen pacing on the victim's driveway and walking up her front porch, leaving an umbrella behind. ​ The victim’s mother, Kathryn Baron, confronted him and called the police.

o Madden-Patrick was arrested near the victim’s residence after being tracked by a police canine unit. He was found hiding behind a dumpster and was bitten by the police dog during the arrest. ​

Madden-Patrick later explained his actions as being influenced by psychotic symptoms, including auditory hallucinations, delusions of a psychic connection with the victim, and paranoia. ​ He believed the victim was in danger from human traffickers and felt compelled to rescue her. ​

Background History

11. The details of Mr. Madden-Patrick’s personal, legal and psychiatric history are set out in the Hospital Report. Briefly summarized, Mr. Madden-Patrick is 31 years of age and was born in Buckingham, Quebec. His parents separated when he was 3 years old.

12. At the age of ten, Mr. Madden-Patrick lived for about a year with his maternal grandmother in Madoc, Ontario. Between the age of eleven to nineteen, he lived with his mother and younger brother at four different locations in Hull, Quebec. The family experienced financial stress.

13. Mr. Madden-Patrick was able to resume contact with his father in more recent years. The father lives off the grid, in a rural bush location outside Ottawa. At times, the father would supply Mr. Madden-Patrick with home-grown marijuana.

14. In 2017, Mr. Madden-Patrick lived in Toronto, staying with a friend of his brother. He wanted to be closer to Ms. Baron, the victim of the index offence. He later returned to Ottawa to live with his mother for a time - before the index offence occurred in 2018.

15. Mr. Madden-Patrick has no prior criminal record.

16. Mr. Madden-Patrick had his first contact with mental health services in July 2018. Just prior to the index offence, London Police had brought him to Emergency Services in London. When seen in psychiatry, he exhibited considerable psychotic symptoms, including delusions regarding the victim. He refused to take medication and was discharged with a diagnosis of Psychosis-not otherwise specified. Mr. Madden-Patrick then returned to Ottawa by bus. The hospital report sets out details of subsequent psychiatric contacts, both in Ottawa and London.

17. Mr. Patrick-Madden’s current diagnoses are:

18. Delusional Disorder – erotomaniac type

19. Cannabis Use Disorder – moderate, active

20. Hallucinogen Use Disorder – moderate, in remission

21. Schizoid Personality Traits

Evidence at the Hearing

18. The hospital’s evidence was presented through its report dated February 26, 2026, and through the oral testimony of Dr. F. Wood, who is Mr. Madden-Patrick’s attending psychiatrist. This evidence is summarized below.

19. Dr. Wood testified that Mr. Madden-Patrick is currently residing with his mother and brother in Pembroke and that he has been reporting to the hospital through virtual meetings with Dr. Wood and face-to-face meetings with the hospital social worker, Mr. Richard Robins.

20. Mr. Madden-Patrick was involved in psychotherapy, seeing the hospital psychologist, Ms. Emily Proulx, at a frequency of two times per month until she left the hospital. Since then, he has been seeing the hospital social worker, Levia Chan, for continued psychotherapy. Ms. Chan will be going on leave for approximately six months.

21. Mr. Madden-Patrick typically has difficulty with interpersonal relationships. Despite this, he has engaged well with Ms. Chan and had been dealing with some of his core issues in his appointments with her. Mr. Madden-Patrick is still trying to reconcile what happened at the time of the second set of index offences. He is developing some insight into the fact that there was likely a delusional underpinning to his thoughts at the time.

22. By way of update, Dr. Wood advised that Mr. Madden-Patrick recently disclosed that he has not been receiving his long-acting injectable antipsychotic since November of 2025, when he stopped attending at a local pharmacy to receive it. Dr. Wood advised that he was not informed by the pharmacy of Mr. Madden-Patrick’s non-attendance for his injection, nor had Mr. Madden-Patrick disclosed this until recently.

23. Mr. Madden-Patrick is capable of consenting to treatment. In addition to not attending for his injection since November 2025, he has been generally non-compliant with most of his medications except for occasionally taking Seroquel for sleep. There has been no noted deterioration in his mental condition and no evidence of any increase in symptoms.

24. Dr. Wood testified that Mr. Madden-Patrick was not taking medication in the period leading up to the second set of index offences.

25. Dr. Wood advised that Mr. Madden-Patrick has continued to use cannabis on a very regular basis with no apparent re-emergence of any psychotic symptoms. He has been providing urine drug screens (“UDS”) upon request. Dr. Wood advised that the last UDS result was negative for cannabis or any other drugs.

26. The treatment team has continued to engage with Mr. Madden-Patrick and have also encouraged him to engage with his local ACT team to which he has been quite resistant. Mr. Madden-Patrick seems to be coming to the realization that he is not likely to progress under the ORB unless he starts engaging in local mental health supports.

27. Dr. Wood advised that Mr. Madden-Patrick missed their last scheduled appointment, a virtual appointment, because he apparently forgot or slept in. The hospital is still working on setting up a new appointment date.

28. Mr. Madden-Patrick lives in his mother’s home where he has his own space and is reportedly quite well there. He does not engage in many activities outside the home and spends most of his time gaming. Following the second NCR finding, at which time Mr. Madden-Patrick was released on a judicial order, he is no longer required to wear a GPS bracelet. Despite this, he does not do much outside of the family home.

29. In response to questions posed to him by counsel for the Attorney General, Ms. Dufort, Dr. Wood responded as follows:

(a) Mr. Madden-Patrick appears happy living in his mother’s home. His mother appears to be happy having him live in the family home, even though he is currently not taking medication and is consuming cannabis. Dr. Wood believes that Mr. Madden-Patrick’s mother would reach out if she had any concerns regarding his mental condition. Mr. Madden-Patrick’s mother is quite aware of his mental illness and is able to identify his symptoms.

(b) It is not clear whether he would be consuming more cannabis if he did not live with his mother. Mr. Madden-Patrick’s mother also consumes cannabis. Dr. Wood does not know if she is able to exert any influence over the quantity that he consumes.

(c) Mr. Madden-Patrick does not participate in any activities at the hospital as it is too far from where he resides. He has been encouraged to participate in substance-use counselling but has so far been resistant to doing so.

(d) The ACT Team would have more regional services to offer, and Mr. Madden-Patrick is awaiting acceptance of his referral to the ACT Team. He has begrudgingly accepted the idea that he may need to do this if he wants to progress under the Board. He is also aware that the ACT Team is not likely to accept him if he does not engage.

30. In response to questions posed to him by counsel for Mr. Madden-Patrick, Ms. Munsterman, Dr. Wood testified as follows:

(a) Mr. Madden-Patrick has seen both Mr. Robins and Ms. Chan (virtually) since he missed his appointment with Dr. Wood last time.

(b) The plan is to have Mr. Robins fill the void created by Ms. Chan’s departure with an additional contact per month.

(c) Mr. Madden-Patrick’s mother is a positive influence, and she offers an additional level of supervision. She knows about the index offences and the hospital is confident that she would reach out if she had any concerns.

(d) Mr. Madden-Patrick was residing alone in the City of Ottawa at the time of the second set of index offences as he had been discharged to independent living from the hospital.

(e) With respect to the Pembroke ACT Team referral in Pembroke, the expectation is that Mr. Madden-Patrick will participate in some form of addictions counselling, counselling for issues with interpersonal relationships, and support in his effort to find employment.

(f) Following the second set of index offences Mr. Madden-Patrick was incarcerated in London for some time before returning to Eastern Ontario. Dr. Wood believes that this experience greatly impacted him. It reinforced the notion of the importance of staying away from the victim of the index offences; however, Dr. Wood believes that if Mr. Madden-Patrick was to become delusional again, he would likely lose that insight.

31. In response to questions posed to him by members of the hearing panel, Dr. Wood testified as follows:

(a) It is difficult to say how quickly Mr. Madden-Patrick might decompensate and how quickly he might start to focus on the victim of the index offences. His use of Psilocybin (magic mushrooms) seems to have contributed to his delusional state at the time of his second set of index offences.

(b) Mr. Madden-Patrick provides urine drug screens every month. With respect to magic mushrooms and other hallucinogens or stimulants, Dr. Wood testified that it is very difficult to detect these because of the short half-life. Dr. Wood believes that Mr. Madden-Patrick’s mother would be aware if he was using these drugs.

(c) Mr. Madden-Patrick’s resistance to engaging with the ACT Team is consistent with his schizoid presentation.

(d) Mr. Madden-Patrick’s diagnosis is delusional disorder, with initial onset at age 24. Dr. Wood still believes that the diagnosis is valid. There are concerns about Mr. Madden-Patrick possibly experiencing further symptoms given that he has been off medication for six months and is using cannabis, however there is no evidence that he has made any attempt to reach out to the victim.

(e) Dr. Wood agreed that the potential for relapse is high but that the hospital has not considered admitting Mr. Madden-Patrick without evidence that he is decompensating or ideating about the victim.

(f) Dr. Wood was asked at what point Mr. Madden-Patrick’s consent to treatment might become an issue given that he is regularly using cannabis. He missed his last appointment, is not on medication, and essentially not participating in treatment. Dr. Wood responded that Mr. Madden-Patrick was involved in treatment. He was seeing the hospital psychologist after which he saw Ms. Chan, the social worker. He now meets regularly with Mr. Robins, and monthly with Dr. Wood.

(g) Mr. Robins keeps in contact with Mr. Madden-Patrick’s mother and if the hospital becomes aware that there is any suggestion that Mr. Madden-Patrick is decompensating or using mushrooms, the hospital will take action to admit him.

(h) Dr. Wood acknowledged that in 2020 Mr. Madden-Patrick’s diagnosis was that of schizoaffective disorder. In his opinion, the presentation is more in keeping with the delusional disorder given that there are no other typical symptoms of schizoaffective disorder. Dr. Wood acknowledged that the delusional disorder is difficult to treat. Talk therapy is currently the mainstay of treatment for Mr. Madden-Patrick. Given the absence of a hospital psychotherapist on staff, Dr. Wood could meet more often with Mr. Madden-Patrick. At the very least Mr. Robins will be meeting and reaching out to him more frequently.

32. In response to questions arising from Ms. Munsterman, Dr. Wood acknowledged that Mr. Madden-Patrick’s mother had reached out to the treatment team in the past when she was concerned about her son. The treatment team feels that it is better that he be in the family home under the eyes of his mother, who would detect any change in behaviour. Prior to the second index offences, Mr. Madden-Patrick and his mother had a more limited relationship, but she has been more involved since. Dr. Wood has no reason to believe that Ms. Madden-Patrick would delay reporting any concerns to the treatment team.

Other Evidence

33. Mr. Richard Robins testified at the hearing and confirmed that he is seeing Mr. Madden-Patrick in person in Pembroke once per month plus seeing him on Zoom once per month. Mr. Madden-Patrick has attended their appointments. With respect to contact between Mr. Robins and Mr. Madden-Patrick’s mother, she has not yet reached out to him for any reason, but he has been in contact with her from time to time. Mr. Robins believes that she understands what happened at the time of the index offences and that she is aware of what to look for. Mr. Madden-Patrick’s mother follows a hybrid work model and works in Ottawa and from home. Though she is a cannabis user, she is aware of the issues with her son’s cannabis use. She also appears content to have him living with her.

34. Given the void created by Ms. Chan’s departure and Mr. Madden-Patrick’s reluctance to have new people involved in his care, Mr. Robins will have an extra appointment with him and the treatment team feels that this would be better than introducing new members to the treatment team.

35. Mr. Robins stated that he believes that Mr. Madden-Patrick is open with him and is not aware that he is hiding any delusional symptoms.

36. Mr. Robins acknowledged that Mr. Madden-Patrick’s mother could bring him into hospital, given that she works some days in Ottawa. Dr. Wood then interjected to say that this had been previously considered but is not practical as it would require Mr. Madden-Patrick to remain at the hospital for approximately eight to nine hours on those days, while his mother goes to work.

37. No other evidence was presented.

Analysis and Conclusions

38. Having considered all of the evidence tendered at the hearing, and the joint submission of the parties, the Board finds that Mr. Madden-Patrick continues to pose a significant threat to the safety of the public as defined in s. 672.5401 of the Criminal Code of Canada and as further defined in the Supreme Court of Canada decision Winko v. British Columbia (Forensic Psychiatric Institute), 1999 CanLII 694 (SCC), [1999] 2 S.C.R. 625.

39. According to R. v. Winko, a significant threat to the safety of the public means a real risk of physical or psychological harm to members of the public that is serious in the sense of going beyond the merely trivial or annoying. The conduct giving rise to the harm must be criminal in nature.

40. Our finding that Mr. Madden-Patrick continues to present a significant threat to the safety of the public is based on his diagnosis of delusional disorder, erotomaniac type, which led him to repeatedly engage in criminal harassment towards the same victim of the index offences in respect to both NCR findings.

41. Mr. Madden-Patrick has now stopped taking his antipsychotic medication in November 2025 and consumes cannabis regularly such that he is at high risk of relapse. Cannabis use has historically exacerbated his psychotic symptoms and delusional preoccupations. To date, there has been no reported reemergence of symptoms.

42. Mr. Madden-Patrick’s insight and engagement in treatment remains limited. Though he did engage in psychotherapy, that is no longer available to him. Until recently, he refused to engage with the Pembroke ACT Team but has come to the realization that he must engage with local mental supports to progress under the ORB. The hospital must continue to proactively engage him as he does not yet have the internal motivation to do so himself.

43. Mr. Madden-Patrick lives with his mother who is aware of his struggles. This appears to be a protective factor as the hospital is confident that she will report any concerns, to ensure that her son receives the proper care.

44. With respect to the disposition, the existing detention order ensures that the hospital will continue to monitor Mr. Madden-Patrick closely, particularly since he is now off medication, and provides the necessary mechanisms to bring him into hospital in the event of decompensation.

45. The hospital plans on increasing contacts between the hospital social worker, Mr. Robins, and Mr. Madden-Patrick, to compensate for the unavailability of a psychotherapist.

46. Though cannabis use does not appear to be impacting Mr. Madden-Patrick’s mental condition at this time, there would be grave concerns if Mr. Madden-Patrick starts using magic mushrooms or any other stimulants again, as was the case at the time of the second set of index offences.

47. We have taken into consideration the factors at s. 672.54 of the Criminal Code of Canada, namely the protection of the public, which is the paramount consideration, the mental condition of the accused, his reintegration into society and his other needs in coming to the unanimous finding that a detention order on the same terms and conditions remains necessary and appropriate and least onerous and least restrictive disposition in all of the circumstances.

48. Finally, though we appreciate that these hearings are stressful for patients, it is concerning that Mr. Madden-Patrick has not attended his ORB hearings in several years. These hearings are an important part of an NCR accused’s journey under the ORB. With the necessary support, preparation, and/or reasonable accommodations, Mr. Madden-Patrick is encouraged to attend his ORB next hearing, if possible.

DATED this 4th day of May 2026, at the City of Toronto, in the Region of Toronto.

Ms. M. Labrosse

Alternate Chairperson

__________________

Office of the Registrar

Ontario Review Board