Toronto Eaton Centre food-court mass shooter transferred to minimum security prison in Fraser Valley
Christopher Husbands was denied requests for parole in October after 13 years behind bars
July 22, 2026
The man who opened fire in a busy food court in Toronto Eaton Centre in 2012 killing two and injuring six others was transferred from a medium security institution in Ontario to minimum security at Mission Institution on Tuesday (July 22, 2026) night, Something Worth Reading has learned.
On June 2, 2012, Christopher Husbands was in the Toronto Eaton Centre and spotted two brothers who had been part of a group who stabbed and left him for dead a few months prior.
Husbands opened fire with 14 bullets killing Ahmed Hassan and Nixon Nirmalendra, injuring several others including 13-year-old Connor Stevenson who was shot in the head, but did survive. Husbands fled the mall but later turned himself in.
He was initially found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder. He appealed that conviction and won a re-trial after which he was convicted in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 2019 of two counts of manslaughter, five counts of aggravated assault, one of criminal negligence causing bodily harm, and one of intentionally discharging a firearm while being reckless as to the life or safety of another person.
While his conviction at retrial was changed from murder to manslaughter, he was still sentenced to life in prison. He appealed that sentence to the Ontario Court of Appeal, which upheld the life sentence in February 2024.
Husbands was already eligible for parole when he was sentenced in 2019.
Stevenson’s mother spoke to the media after Husbands’ conviction stating that the killer showed in court he was not remorseful and he still wants to seek revenge. She was also critical of Canada’s criminal justice system that focuses “98 per cent on the criminals” and ignores the victims. Stevenson’s father similarly said he was disappointed the court took into consideration the 300-plus days Husbands spent in solitary confinement while ignoring the 2,700 days all the victims of the mass shooting suffered.
At 36 in October 2025, Husbands applied for unescorted temporary absences, day parole, and full parole. At the hearing he claimed to be remorseful for his actions.
“I understand that any attempts at release could be hurtful and reopen old wounds,” he said. “I hope that seeing my dedication to turning my life around and my want to help other individuals going down a similar path to do a U-turn is any consolation. My intention is to help prevent similar crimes from recurring.”
During the 13 years he served behind bars most recently at Collins Bay Institution in Kingston, Ontario, Husbands completed high school, earned a college diploma in business management, and trained as a welder. He told the board that, if released, he hoped to work as a welder and mentor troubled teens, according to a City News report.
The Parole Board of Canada rejected all Husbands’ parole applications in a decision in October.
Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) inmate transfers are not generally made public, but a reliable source informed Something Worth Reading about the move this week.
Mission Institution is both a medium- and a minimum-security CSC institution. The biggest difference between the security classifications is that minimum-security prisons are designed to prepare offenders for release, while medium-security prisons are designed primarily to contain and manage offenders who still present some security risk.
Security classifications are not based solely on offence type. Inmates are regularly reassessed based on a number of factors, including risk and institutional behaviour. Good behaviour and programming completion can lead to an inmate progressing to lower security and vice versa, misconduct such as assaults and weapon possession can result in transfer from minimum to medium or medium to maximum. There is one super-maximum institution in Canada located in Quebec known as the SHU, which stands for special handling unit.
CSC has a statutory obligation to house inmates using the least restrictive measures that are consistent with public safety. This is based on current risk rather than the seriousness of the inmates offences.
-30-
Want to support independent journalism?
Consider becoming a paid subscriber or make a one-time donation so I can continue this work.
Paul J. Henderson
pauljhenderson@gmail.com
facebook.com/PaulJHendersonJournalist
instagram.com/wordsarehard_pjh
x.com/PeeJayAitch
wordsarehard-pjh.bsky.social