Mayor John Tory says that the disappearance of another patient from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health raises “further questions” about how healthcare providers and the justice system work to ensure our community is kept safe.
Police issued a public safety alert after 45-year-old Anthony Murdock went missing from the facility, located near Queen Street West and Ossington Avenue, at around 2:20 p.m. on Tuesday.
Ontario Review Board Documents obtained by CP24 show Murdock has a lengthy history of sexual offences.
In a statement issued on Wednesday afternoon, Tory said that while he is confident that police are doing “everything possible” to locate Murdock, his disappearance does raise further questions in the wake of other high profile disappearance from the facility in recent weeks.
“To that end I have been in touch with CAMH President and CEO Dr. Catherine Zahn to discuss this shared concern and offer to be of assistance in addressing these issues completely and sensitively,” Tory wrote. “In the end, the public expect us all to work together to get answers to all of these questions so that they in turn can have confidence in the system and know these very troubling incidents will not be repeated."
Murdock, who was found not criminally responsible (NCR) for an indecent act in 1998, was out on an "accompanied pass" when he disappeared.
CAMH said in a statement issued late Wednesday afternoon that a decision was then made to immediately notify the Toronto Police Service as per protocol.
“The forensic mental health system in Canada is separate and apart from the corrections system, and CAMH is not a prison,” the statement reads. “Patients found Not Criminally Responsible are sent to CAMH for treatment and rehabilitation by the courts. As part of their care program, over time, patients are granted authorized privileges, such as community passes, by the Ontario Review Board (ORB). Community passes are an important part of the care a patient receives at CAMH and have been proven to support rehabilitation and recovery for those who live with mental disorders.”
This is not the first time in the past month that someone has gone missing from CAMH.
On July 23, 27-year-old CAMH patient Ahmed Sualim briefly escaped from the facility but was taken back into custody on the same day.
Zhebin Cong, a 47-year-old CAMH patient with a violent past, fled the country on July 3 while out on a day pass from the centre,
The Ontario Review Board recently wrote that Cong, who was found NCR in the fatal stabbing of his roommate in 2014, poses a “significant threat to the safety of the public.”
Cong’s escape has prompted CAMH to launch an external review of its practices surrounding the issuance of day passes and other privileges.
Toronto police are also conducting two reviews in connection with the case.
In his statement, Tory said that he is optimistic that those reviews will lead to “immediate changes about how the police notify the public about these incidents.
Tory, however, said that he continues to believe that an independent review is necessary.
“This could simply take the form of having one individual review all of the reports and recommendations expected to be forthcoming to make sure every aspect has been covered given the number of organizations involved,” he said.
