Sonya Larson has been sentenced to 12 months in jail, plus two years of probation and 60 hours of community service, for setting fire to a restaurant in Bayfield, Ont. that was owned by her son.
Flames tore through The Hub on the Docks on Oct. 17, 2023.
Damage to the building was extensive. The loss was initially estimated at $1.2 million, but increased to $1.7 million.
Larson, 64, was arrested in September 2024 and charged with break and enter, arson and possession of incendiary material.
Court heard Larson also set other fires in the days leading up to the final incident.
Surveillance footage from Oct. 13, 2023 showed her entering the closed restaurant and using paper from the garbage to start fires in two areas. The flames went out on their own.
Three days later, Larson was seen on surveillance video entering the closed restaurant and disabling the alarm system. She allegedly lit a fire in the men’s bathroom, but it too went out on its own.
On Oct. 17, 2023, Larson was caught on camera again. It showed the 64-year-old entering the closed restaurant and, once again, disabling the alarm system. Larson was seen carrying a cardboard box and a flashlight. She walked through the dining area to the kitchen, and when she left a short time later, heavy smoke was then seen wafting into the room.
When delivering Larson’s sentence, the judge cited her repeated efforts to set the restaurant on fire.
“In all attempts she disabled the alarm,” said Justice T.G. Macdonald. “[It] shows planning and carrying out that planning.”
He also noted the extent of the damage.
“The fire had an incredibly high level of loss and damage... [and] created a danger to the community.”
Larson pleaded guilty to one count of arson on May 4, 2026.
Her motive remains unclear.
In sentencing submissions, Larson explained that she was in a “dark place” in October 2023 and didn’t remember setting the fire.
“I had a breaking point,” she said in a police interview.
The Hub on the Docks never reopened after the fire.
Kevin Larson’s statement
Larson’s sentencing was originally scheduled for Aug. 12. The proceedings were delayed until Aug. 20 so her son could submit a victim impact statement.
In it, Kevin Larson touched on the financial impact of the fire.
“I lost over a million dollars, after insurance,” he wrote. “The property went under power of sale. I received nothing from the final sale.”
“It’s not just me,” he told CTV News after the sentencing. “We had investors that lost and we had staff that lost... we’re still dealing with some staff issues.”
Then there were the personal repercussions.
“I have been dragged through public stories, that are often wrong, including the suggestion that I somehow am responsible for this,” he said. “I am the one who lost everything.”
Kevin Larson has not been implicated or accused of any involvement in the fire, as stated in the court’s agreed statement of facts.
He said he’s focused on forgiveness and hopes to rebuild his relationship with his mother.
“I have no fear of her. I am not afraid for my children around her. I am afraid of what this process is going to do to all of us,” Kevin Larson explained. “She’s an amazing grandmother. She is constantly involved, especially in my sister’s life with her children.”
All of the “Hub” restaurants closed by 2024, including its flagship location in Stratford.
That same year, Kevin Larson faced 15 fraud-related charges in an unrelated matter. Those charges were later withdrawn. In 2025, another 31 fraud-related charges were laid against Kevin Larson. According to the Crown attorney’s office, they were eventually combined into two counts. Kevin Larson is expected back in court for a hearing on Sept. 18.
With reporting from Jeff Pickel
