Sentencing has been delayed for a woman from Stratford, Ont. who pleaded guilty to arson at The Hub on the Docks restaurant in Bayfield, Ont. Sonya Larson, 62, pleaded guilty to one count of arson for the 2023 fire at the restaurant that was owned by her son, Kevin Larson. Kevin was not implicated or accused of any involvement in the fire according to the agreed statement of facts. Timeline When Sonya Larson pleaded guilty on May 4, 2026, the court heard she had set fires at the restaurant on three separate occasions prior to the final incident that severely damaged the building on Oct. 17, 2023. Surveillance footage from Oct. 13, 2023, showed Larson entering the closed restaurant and using paper from the garbage to start fires in two areas. While the flames went out on their own, a staff member noticed damage in a garbage bin the next day. Surveillance video from three days later, on Oct. 16, 2023, showed Larson entering through the front door of the closed restaurant and disabling the alarm system. She then lit a fire in the men’s bathroom, but it too went out on its own. A food delivery driver said they had noticed the flames. The next day, Larson was once again caught on security cameras entering through the front door of the closed restaurant and disabling the alarm system. The footage showed Larson entered the restaurant with a cardboard box and a flashlight. Larson then walked through the dining area to the kitchen and left a short time later. That was when heavy smoke was seen wafting into the dining room. The local fire department, the Ontario Fire Marshal (OFM) and Ontario Provincial Police responded to the fire. The restaurant had extensive damage both from the fire and from the water used to stop the flames from spreading. The OFM ruled the fire was set intentionally and identified two points of origin. Damage to the property was estimated at $1.2 million dollars and the agreed statement of facts said the property owner made an insurance claim for that amount. In February 2025, the OPP accessed the restaurant’s security surveillance system, which led to the identification of Sonya Larson as a suspect. She was arrested in September 2025 and charged with break and enter, arson and possession of incendiary material. On May 4, 2026, Sonya Larson pleaded guilty to one count of arson. Sentencing was set to begin on Aug. 12, 2026, but it was delayed so the court could obtain a victim impact statement from her son, Kevin Larson. The process will continue on Aug. 20. Motive The agreed statement of facts provided few details about why Sonya Larson set fire to her son’s restaurant. In a police interview she stated, “I had a breaking point.” She also said she hadn’t told anyone what she had done until she spoke with police in September 2025. Sentencing submissions said Larson was in a “dark place” and she claimed she didn’t remember setting the fire. The Crown called that assertion into question by pointing out Larson had given details about how she carried out the three arson attempts, including details that were not captured on the security video. Reaction from Larson family Sonya’s son, Kevin, who was the owner of the restaurant at the time of the fire, provided the following statement to CTV News. “This fire in Bayfield has caused significant hardship, both financial and emotional. Our entire family stands with her, offering our full love and support during this trying situation,” he wrote. After sentencing submissions were made, Sonya’s lawyer said Kevin Larson wanted to make a victim impact statement, despite not submitting one prior to the hearing. Justice T.G. Macdonald noted the importance of victim input in the legal system and said it cannot be ignored. The end of the Hub franchise The Hub on the Docks never reopened after the fire. By 2024, the remaining “Hub”-branded restaurants in Seaforth, Mitchell, Lucan and the flagship location in Stratford had all closed That same year, Kevin Larson was charged with 15 fraud-related charges. He was hit with another 31 charges in 2025. The 15 charges from 2024 have since been withdrawn. According to the Crown attorney’s office, the 31 charges filed in 2025 have been combined into just two remaining counts, however, the allegations remain the same. Kevin Larson is due back in court on Sept. 18 for a hearing on those charges.
