{"id":625551,"date":"2026-04-24T12:46:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T12:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/625551\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T12:46:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T12:46:09","slug":"the-abusive-use-of-isolation-at-ontarios-waypoint-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/625551\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u2018abusive\u2019 use of isolation at Ontario\u2019s Waypoint hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is Part 2 of 20 Years in Isolation, a four-part investigation into the use of seclusion at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care. In Part 1, the Star told the story of Camelott Hamblett<\/a>, who may be the person who has spent the most time in psychiatric seclusion in any Ontario hospital.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the province\u2019s only high-secure forensic psychiatric hospital, whose patients have some of the most complex mental health needs in Ontario.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s behind the historic walls of this Penetanguishene, Ont., facility overlooking Georgian Bay that Camelott Hamblett has spent the past 20 years locked in isolation in a sparsely furnished room.<\/p>\n

As the Star reported in Part 1 of this series<\/a>, the 43-year-old Toronto man has remained in seclusion at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care due to aggressive behaviour caused by treatment-resistant schizophrenia. He was found not criminally responsible (NCR) for a sexual assault two decades ago, after he followed a woman he didn\u2019t know, exposed himself, and, before he fled, declared they were going to have sex.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After expressing shock at his living situation and the lack of progress in his treatment, the Ontario Court of Appeal ordered an independent assessment<\/a> of Hamblett\u2019s case in January, in the hopes that he would finally get out of seclusion.<\/p>\n

He may well represent the longest anyone has ever spent in isolation in an Ontario hospital. His story has spotlighted how Waypoint is an outlier in its continued reliance on seclusion for prolonged periods of time, despite a larger move away from it at other hospitals.<\/p>\n

\"Camelott<\/p>\n

Camelott Hamblett as a teenager.<\/p>\n

In fact, the hospital\u2019s practices have been described as \u201cgrossly in excess\u201d of other North American psychiatric facilities, and were the focus of a proposed class-action lawsuit on behalf of others held in seclusion at Waypoint.<\/p>\n

Writing an expert report for that lawsuit, U.S.-based mental health nurse Kevin Ann Huckshorn and psychologist Janice LeBel said Waypoint\u2019s use of seclusion is \u201ccompletely inconsistent with recovery-oriented, trauma-informed care.\u201d And they wrote \u201cwithout hesitation\u201d that no U.S. facility uses seclusion the way Waypoint does.<\/p>\n

Huckshorn and LeBel are the experts behind the best practices that Waypoint itself claims to be implementing.<\/p>\n

Waypoint president and CEO Dr. Nadiya Sunderji said in a statement to the Star that the hospital is committed to reducing and even discontinuing the use of seclusion and restraint where it is clinically appropriate. She said the hospital has achieved meaningful improvements over the past few years, including a decrease in violence and a \u201creduced reliance\u201d on seclusion.<\/p>\n

\u201cWaypoint is dedicated to protecting the dignity and rights of every patient in our care, and to fulfilling our responsibility to provide a safe, secure, and therapeutic environment. We work tirelessly to maximize quality of life for individuals living with severe and treatment-resistant mental illness,\u201d Sunderji said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever possible, patients are supported in exercising freedom of movement within the hospital and its grounds, and participating in a wide range of therapeutic, recreational, and social programs. For most patients, this is clinically appropriate and is the norm.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Atmospheric-Main\"<\/p>\n

Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care.<\/p>\n

Sophie Bouquillon for the Toronto Star<\/p>\n

The lawsuit against Waypoint<\/p>\n

Toronto-based firm Rochon Genova tried for almost six years to get the courts to certify a class-action against the hospital on behalf of several plaintiffs who have been kept in long-term seclusion and are alleging the hospital\u2019s use of the practice is excessive and arbitrary; Hamblett is not one of the plaintiffs. The lawsuit was originally filed in 2020 in the name of Ruben Stolove, a then-25-year-old man with schizophrenia who had spent time in seclusion over five years at Waypoint.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lower courts rejected the certification bid, concluding that the decision to restrain or seclude a patient is an individualized process and that there was no basis to find systematic wrongdoing by the hospital. In other words, to determine whether it was justified to seclude a patient, an assessment would have to be done on their individual circumstances at the time, including their behaviour, medications, and level of risk, the courts found.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court of Canada denied Rochon Genova\u2019s request to hear its appeal.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n \"The
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

\n 20 years in isolation:\u00a0Part 1<\/p>\n

Hamblett\u00a0may be the person who has spent the most time in psychiatric seclusion in any Ontario hospital. In a four-part series, the Star <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n \"The
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

\n 20 years in isolation:\u00a0Part 1<\/p>\n

Hamblett\u00a0may be the person who has spent the most time in psychiatric seclusion in any Ontario hospital. In a four-part series, the Star <\/p>\n

Ultimately, the treatment of patients confined indefinitely against their will in forensic psychiatric hospitals is a reflection of our society as a whole, \u201cwho we are and how we value people,\u201d said the plaintiffs\u2019 lawyer, Golnaz Nayerahmadi.<\/p>\n

In 2023, Dr. John Bradford, one of the world\u2019s leading experts in forensic psychiatry<\/a>, who briefly worked at Waypoint, filed an affidavit for the proposed class action. In it, he said he was shocked at \u201cthe prolonged confinement of patients in horrific conditions, the likes of which I have never seen in any other psychiatric hospital in Ontario.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bradford, who said he\u2019s \u201csympathetic\u201d to the challenges Waypoint faces with its patient population, told the Star that seclusion \u201cprobably does need to be in the tool box,\u201d but it should be more like \u201cpsychiatric intensive care,\u201d where psychiatrists, pharmacists and other health-care professionals come together to treat difficult cases to ensure the person spends the least amount of time possible separated from everyone else.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would be in the true spirit of patient-informed care,\u201d Bradford said.<\/p>\n

In an expert opinion filed by Waypoint, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Chaimowitz, then-head of forensic service at St. Joseph\u2019s Healthcare in Hamilton, acknowledged that seclusion can be \u201cdehumanizing,\u201d but said the \u201cunique challenges\u201d posed by Waypoint\u2019s patient population must be taken into account.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing sent to Waypoint is for some the last resort,\u201d Chaimowitz wrote. \u201cManaging these patients can be complicated and, not surprisingly, they may have higher rates of seclusion and restraint.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chaimowitz is also the lead author of the Canadian Psychiatric Association\u2019s position statement on seclusion<\/a>, which says it should only be used in emergency situations when no alternatives exist.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor every situation, there are extremes,\u201d he said in an interview. \u201cThere may be circumstances where somebody is that unwell and the treatment non-responsive that they may require some form of being secluded from the rest of the patient population, or restrained for periods that go beyond a short term.\u201d<\/p>\n

In such cases, it\u2019s crucial to do regular assessments and get several outside opinions, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will unfortunately be a small group of people \u2014 a very, very small group of people \u2014 who don\u2019t respond to regular treatments,\u201d Chaimowitz said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we should never stop looking for treatments and options.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seclusion vs. segregation<\/p>\n

The similarities between segregation in the prison system and seclusion in hospitals are striking, though until now the former has received far more public and political attention; the federal government brought in legislation in 2019 to eliminate what was known as \u201cadministrative segregation\u201d in the correctional system, though experts have cautioned that segregation for prolonged periods of time continues<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Howard<\/p>\n

Former correctional investigator Howard Sapers\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sean Kilpatrick\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

Former federal correctional investigator Howard Sapers stated in a report filed in the proposed class-action lawsuit against Waypoint that \u201cthe conditions of confinement at the facility are similar, and in certain respects harsher than those of administrative segregation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sapers told the Star that people who have had either experience will describe it in \u201cremarkably similar language\u201d: they don\u2019t fully understand why they\u2019re in there, they don\u2019t feel their best interests are being looked after, and their mental health deteriorates.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can tell you that in both systems, health care and correctional, there are active debates about the degree to which segregation or seclusion are even necessary,\u201d Sapers said.<\/p>\n

Camelott Hamblett has spent the last 20 years of his life living in isolation at Waypoint hospital in Penetanguishene, Ontario.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The general counsel for the Ontario Review Board, the independent body that decides the fate of people found not criminally responsible or unfit to stand trial, told the Star that the Mandela Rules \u201cwere developed in the context of inmates in prisons and jails and are not related to the use of seclusion in psychiatric hospitals operating under mental health legislation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gavin MacKenzie said that the use of seclusion in Ontario is regulated by the Mental Health Act<\/a>, as well as professional standards and hospital policies. \u201cTogether, these require that any use of seclusion be clinically justified, proportionate to risk, and no more restrictive than necessary,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the very least, it reflects so poorly on us as a society,\u201d said Sen. Kim Pate. \u201cAnd at the very worst, it\u2019s an expensive, ineffective, inhumane, punishing approach.\u201d<\/p>\n

The best practices Waypoint says it\u2019s adopting<\/p>\n

A method known as the \u201csix core strategies<\/a>\u201d is increasingly being adopted in many facilities around the world. In one example, the model was successfully implemented to reduce, over an eight-month period, the use of seclusion and restraint by 93 per cent and 96 per cent, respectively, in a 275-bed Massachusetts facility for people with serious mental illnesses who have committed violent offences, including murder.<\/p>\n

Finland also applied the model to its only high-security hospital and reported \u201csignificant decreases\u201d in seclusion and restraint, along with incidents of violence.<\/p>\n

Details are included in a 2023 expert report by Huckshorn and LeBel, the mental health nurse and psychologist who jointly developed the six core strategies in 2002.<\/p>\n

The strategies focus on: consistent involvement by senior leadership in the management and oversight of people in seclusion \u2014 including the \u201cdaily involvement\u201d of the CEO or chief operating officer \u201cin all seclusion\/restraint events\u201d; collection of detailed data on the use of seclusion; workforce development, including training staff on how to avoid triggering conflicts; using seclusion-prevention tools that may differ depending on the facility; including patients, families and advocates in seclusion oversight; and a practice of rigorous debriefing.<\/p>\n

\"Grounds\"<\/p>\n

The grounds of Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care in\u00a0Penetanguishene, Ont.<\/p>\n

Sophie Bouquillon for the Toronto Star<\/p>\n

Huckshorn and LeBel, whose report was filed in the proposed class-action against Waypoint, rejected the suggestion that the hospital\u2019s population of extremely ill patients justifies the prolonged use of seclusion not seen elsewhere.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuggesting that a given facility is unique or special is simply a way to avoid making changes,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n

The pair concluded that the lack of involvement by Waypoint\u2019s senior leaders in the use of seclusion and restraint is an \u201cabdication of their leadership roles and responsibilities,\u201d noting that the \u201ccritical task\u201d of trying to reduce seclusion had been left to various middle managers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They wrote in 2023 that while Waypoint had suggested it was adopting the six core strategies, it was clear the facility\u2019s practices \u201cdepart significantly\u201d from the model, and if any training had been done, \u201cit appears to have been ignored.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her statement to the Star, Sunderji said Waypoint had not fully implemented the six core strategies at the time of the Huckshorn and LeBel report.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Nadiya<\/p>\n

Waypoint president and CEO Dr. Nadiya Sunderji, second from left, is joined by Ontario health minister Sylvia Jones, then-Waypoint board chair Ernie Vaillancourt, and Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop at an event in December 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n

File photo<\/p>\n

\u201cFormal work to begin to implement the six core strategies began in 2023,\u201d she said. \u201cSubstantial progress has been made since that time. Waypoint remains committed to further integrating the six core strategies as part of its ongoing quality-improvement and patient-safety priorities.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Asked whether she plays any role in the daily decisions placing people in seclusion, Sunderji \u2014 a psychiatrist who became president and CEO of Waypoint in 2022 after previously serving as vice-president of medical affairs and chief of staff \u2014 said it would be \u201cinappropriate for an administrator to participate in, or make decisions about, a patient\u2019s evidence-informed treatment plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Huckshorn and LeBel wrote that at least eight Canadian psychiatric hospitals had requested training on the model and adopted the six core strategies, including several in Ontario, such as CAMH and Ontario Shores.<\/p>\n

Unique or special<\/p>\n

Suggesting that a given facility is unique or special is simply a way to avoid making changes.<\/p>\n

They wrote that the use of seclusion and restraint at Waypoint \u201cis grossly in excess of anything we have encountered\u201d in any other North American facility, stating that the \u201cappropriate duration\u201d of seclusion and restraint is measured in minutes or hours, not weeks, months, or years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can state, without hesitation, that no civil or forensic mental health facility in the U.S. uses seclusion\/restraint like Waypoint. Federal U.S. standards flatly prohibit seclusion\/restraint being used as it is at Waypoint. It is egregious. It is abusive. It is completely inconsistent with recovery-oriented, trauma-informed care.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Watson-Pinnock-main\"<\/p>\n

Camelott Hamblett\u2019s mother, Audrey Watson-Pinnock, is urging Waypoint to allow her son out of isolation.<\/p>\n

Giovanni Capriotti for the Toronto Star<\/p>\n

\u2018Have faith, have hope\u2019<\/p>\n

The independent assessment of Hamblett\u2019s case is expected to happen in the coming months; his family is hoping that it will recommend changes that finally get him out of seclusion and well enough to be transferred one day to a facility closer to home in the Greater Toronto Area.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not begging for his immediate release,\u201d said his younger sister, Cheyenne Phillip. \u201cI am asking for him to be given the proper care and the proper doctor to help him work back to that road to release.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

His mother, Audrey Watson-Pinnock, a registered practical nurse, said that her son just needs to be given a chance to show that he can live a fulfilling and law-abiding life, with the support of his many relatives and the right medication.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI always tell him: \u2018Have faith, have hope, and just trust God,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cI know that God is going to give me back my son.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for other individuals living in long-term seclusion at Waypoint, all is not lost despite the courts\u2019 refusal to certify the proposed class-action. Rochon Genova intends to explore other ways of pursuing its lawsuit against Waypoint.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think it\u2019s critical to find a path forward for individuals who have been horribly treated through the use of seclusion in this maximum-security psychiatric institution,\u201d said lawyer Joel Rochon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re committed to moving forward and standing by these vulnerable individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Part 3 on Saturday: The role of the Ontario Review Board, the independent body responsible for those kept in long-term seclusion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This is Part 2 of 20 Years in Isolation, a four-part investigation into the use of seclusion at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":625552,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,84,392],"class_list":["post-625551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=625551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625551\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/625552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=625551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=625551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=625551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}