Man not criminally responsible for wife’s death and Kitchener, Ont. house explosion, now living independently

A man found not criminally responsible for his wife’s death and a house explosion in Kitchener, Ont. is now living on his own. CTV’s Ashley Bacon reports.

The Kitchener, Ont. man who was found not criminally responsible for the 2018 death of his wife, and blowing up the home they shared, was back in front of the Ontario Review board on Thursday.

A court determined Udo Haan was suffering from delusions when he killed his wife Edra and caused the explosion on Sprucedale Cresent that destroyed their home and damaged surrounding properties.

He was sent to the Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health in St. Thomas, where his care was supervised by the Ontario Review Board. At a hearing in April 2024, Haan was granted permission to leave the facility on a travel pass. The board agreed that he would soon be granted other privileges.

The board learned Thursday that, as part of his rehabilitation, Haan moved into an apartment close to the Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health in October 2024. He is still required to attend frequent meetings with his medical team and undergo testing to ensure he’s taking medication for his unspecified bipolar disorder.

Haan is not permitted contact with a number of people, including his two adult children.

The family of his wife have previously asked to be notified of Haan’s movements.

At Thursday’s meeting, the facility’s acting medical director in the forensic psychiatry program spoke about Haan’s progress since his release. The reviews are done periodically to determine what privileges will be permitted.

The review board heard Haan has been volunteering with the local Lions Club.

“We’re now in a different setting, the risks are higher, we have to proceed with caution,” said Dr. Ajay Prakash.

Both the hospital and the Crown felt restrictions should remain in place for Haan, including the requirement that he abstain from alcohol and drugs.

The defence argued the order wasn’t warranted because Haan had been sober since 2018.

It was agreed that Haan’s release privileges, outside of St. Thomas, could benefit efforts at rehabilitation. They could possibly be extended from five to seven days, as long as the hospital approves his itinerary.

The review board said it would consider submissions over the next week before sharing their final report.