Mother sentenced to 12 months jail after burning down son’s restaurant 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 Ontario resident becomes first Canadian woman to lift Dinnie Stones A woman from Campbellville, Ont. has earned a place in the record books after an international display of strength. “I was the 22nd woman all time to lift the historic Dinnie Stones in Scotland. They weigh 733 lbs combined,” Laurie MacDougall Sookraj told CTV News. The 43-year-old now lives in Campbellville, but she is originally from Toronto. She travelled to Scotland to perform the impressive feat on Aug. 1 and became the first Canadian woman to successfully tackle the challenge. The Dinnie Stones were once used as counterweights during bridge work, but they have come to represent a test of strength. The larger stone weights 414.5 lbs, while the other comes in at 318.5 lbs. “So, it’s about four and a half times my own body weight,” MacDougall Sookraj said. “So, it’s pretty heavy.” Training for the lift MacDougall Sookraj began training for the attempt about a year ago. Twice a week she used specific equipment to mimic the lift, gaining confidence with every rep. “I saw that there weren’t any women from Canada who had done it so far. All year I’ve been like, ‘OK, if nobody beats me to it, I’m going to be the first,’” she said. “Then, in July, I was talking to Stevie Shanks, who organizes the lifts. He was like, ‘OK, that’s it. Nobody else is getting in before you get in. So, you’re going to be the first.’” In February, MacDougall Sookraj managed to lift the necessary weight during her at-home training sessions. “When I went [to Scotland], I already believed I could do it,” she said. She had a coach, Dain Wallis, helping her along the way. “That’s a whole new beast. It’s just two giant rocks that you have to pick up,” Wallis explained. “It’s very skill specific and if you’re not training that specific skill, it’s going to be hard to just walk up to them and do them, regardless of how strong you are.” MacDougall Sookraj and Wallis worked together to find a way to mirror what the lift would feel like. “This was well planned. She knew almost a year in advance,” Wallis said. “We put the plan in place and she executed it. It was amazing to see.” The weight of history When MacDougall Sookraj lined up for her attempt, she used lifting straps. “If you do it bare hands, then that is an unassisted lift. If you do it with straps, it’s called assisted,” she explained. “For women, they let us use the straps because it’s really, really heavy. For men, they ask you to do it without straps.” Her first attempt did not go the way she had hoped, but she didn’t give up. “I went a little bit too wide with my stance and because I’m short, I didn’t clear the ground with them” She reset her stance and tried again. “I had to re-setup, go a little bit narrower so I would have more height. My second pull was good. I got a thumbs up from the judges,” she recalled. Doing the heavy lifting MacDougall Sookraj is a software developer working in healthcare IT. She lifts in her garage on evenings and weekends about three days a week and has been competing in strongman competitions since 2016. When she first started her weightlifting journey in 2014, she found solace in the sound of a flipping tractor tire. “You pick it up off the ground and you flip it over and it goes, ‘thunk.’ And that thunk sounds like – it feels so good when you put something down and it goes ‘thunk.’ That’s what I like, that’s why I like to do it,” she said. “I’ve pulled a truck, like a big Mack truck. I have walked inside a car, the shell of a car. You pick it up and you walk with it. I’ve deadlifted all kinds of things. I have pulled trucks arm-over-arm and with a harness. I’ve done Atlas stones up to 220 lbs,” she said. “There’s always more in the tank” “Laurie loves strong, she just loves strength endeavors. It’s a huge part of her life,” Wallis said. “The Dinnies are just kind of the next step. Why wouldn’t you do them at this point?” While she has already hefted her most recent goal, she is planning to head back to the U.K. to continue lifting historic stones when she can. “I will try to lift other things. I haven’t decided yet what my next big goal is going to be. So right now, I’m just kind of chilling. But we’ll see. We’ll see where life goes,” MacDougall Sookraj said. “To watch her progression from where she started, just kind of doing local competitions, just something she really enjoyed, to going to the Arnold World Championships and then becoming a pro lightweight strongwoman and then doing the Dinnie Stones. There’s always more in the tank. She loves it so much. It’s such a tight knit community and a big part of her life that even if there’s something that she doesn’t really know about yet, if she hears about it. She’s immediately going to be like, ‘I’m going to do that next.’” Wallis said. MacDougall Sookraj said she’s sure others will complete the feat soon, but she’ll always be the first Canadian woman that’s lifted the Dinnie Stones. “It feels pretty cool. I know that I’m not going to be the last. I’m the first,” MacDougall Sookraj said. Three-vehicle crash closes Highway 401 through Cambridge A three-vehicle crash closed the eastbound lanes of Highway 401 in Cambridge on Wednesday afternoon. Ontario Provincial Police said one of the vehicles was a dump truck. “Two people [were] taken to hospital,” said OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt in a video posted to social video. “One with minor injuries, one with more serious injuries.” He also noted there would be “significant cleanup” required on the highway. OPP said drivers should expect delays in the Highway 8, King Street East and Shantz Hill area. All lanes reopened at 7:25 p.m. Police investigating sudden death near Highway 8 The Waterloo Regional Police Service say they are investigating a sudden death in Kitchener. Officers were spotted at Highway 8 near Fairview Park Mall on Wednesday afternoon. Waterloo Regional Police Service Const. Chris Iden confirmed the ongoing investigation in an email to CTV News. “Members of our General Investigations Unit are attending with the assistance of the Coroner’s Office,” he wrote. Police tape was spotted surrounding a wooded area near a ramp to the highway. This is a developing story. Property owner’s decision to open up a private dam sparks outrage among neighbours A neighbourhood dispute on the border of Cambridge and Puslinch is spilling over after a private dam was intentionally opened. The Irish Creek pond spans nearly nine acres. It is located along Townline Road. The road falls under Cambridge jurisdiction but the land is in Puslinch. Longtime residents in the area know the property as “the little dam.” For generations, the site served as a focal point for the community. “We used to swim here in the summer and fish, play hockey out here in the wintertime,” said nearby resident John Seaton. However, neighbours were outraged after equipment was used to clear out part of the private dam structure, sending water pouring downstream. “This is 100 per cent wrong. It needs to be dealt with,” said resident Marj Meiers. “What I wanted to do is go home, which is just up the road, and get a piece of plywood and dam it up. But I can’t do that. It needs to be dealt with before it’s empty.” Seaton called the drainage an attack on the area’s identity. “It’s totally against the community. It’s totally against our heritage,” Seaton said. “I’m sure the pond has looked after itself for probably 100 years, and it’ll continue looking after itself.” Property owner Les Holdway tells a very different story. He said clearing the spillway was a necessary safety measure following heavy rain this summer. “It’s pretty funny because I’m the guy who’s maintained it,” Holdway said. “An earthen dam cannot be overtopped. It’s the death knell of the dam.” Holdway said the secondary spillway should only carry water during rain events, but high water levels this season forced it to run non-stop, threatening the structural integrity of the earth wall. He added that a previous owner removed the original floodgate controls and blocked drainage points, making the water levels difficult to manage. “All I did was clean out the dirt behind it and then take the moss, which is about a foot and a half thick, out of the top by hand, and the water came through,” Holdway said. “Now it is down to a level that’s manageable.” The Grand River Conservation Authority confirmed the dam structure is privately owned. Because private dams fall under provincial jurisdiction, regulatory oversight rests with the Ministry of Natural Resources. In a statement, the Ministry of Natural Resources confirmed it has received reports of potential construction activity at the site and is currently reviewing the matter. “The Ministry of Natural Resources regulates dams in Ontario, however repairs or construction are the responsibility of the dam owner,” said a statement, in part. Holdway said he has recently received threats over his actions, but maintains he will continue to manage the property for as long as he owns it.
