Norfolk arsonist under house arrest in Ridgeway pleads guilty

J.P. Antonacci, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
August 18, 2026 at 3:41 PM

Convicted arsonist Chad Reimer managed to avoid jail time for his role in a months-long series of fires that targeted barns and vacant houses in Norfolk County.

It remains to be seen if Reimer’s co-accused, Matthew Smith, will have the same fate.

The two men were arrested shortly after a barn went up in flames east of Port Dover on January 26, 2025.

They were each charged with setting 11 fires between October 2024 and January 2025.

Smith, 31, pleaded guilty to three counts of arson. He briefly appeared in court in Simcoe on Monday, but his case was put over until September 9, when his lawyer and the Crown attorney will establish a timeline for sentencing.

In the meantime, he continues to live under house arrest with relatives in Ridgeway.

Reimer, 45, pleaded guilty to two arson charges. He received a conditional sentence last week of two years less a day to be served in the community.

In allowing Reimer to continue living under house arrest with his mother in Port Rowan rather than behind bars, Justice Gethin Edward cited Reimer’s “significant cognitive impairments” as determined by a psychiatric assessment.

The judge also took into consideration that no one was hurt or killed in the fires, and that police determined Reimer allegedly drove himself and Smith to each fire scene but did not start the fires himself.

An arson conviction can carry a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison, and Reimer’s relatively light sentence raised eyebrows in the community.

“Our first reaction was a heavy sense of disappointment,” said apple farmer Jennifer Schooley, president of the Norfolk Federation of Agriculture.

Farmers use outbuildings like the ones targeted by Reimer and Smith to store valuable equipment and supplies, she explained.

“These were not simply abandoned barns,” Schooley said. “The buildings themselves may not generate income, but they are an essential part of the farm business.”

Several farmers told The Spectator the spate of fires prompted them to beef up surveillance and double-check the inventory of goods stored in their outbuildings.

“For those of us in agriculture, these incidents are not abstract,” Schooley said. “They affect our neighbours, our businesses, our livelihoods and our sense of security.”

Noting the Ontario Federation of Agriculture wants tougher penalties for on-farm vandalism, Schooley said the arson spree should serve as a wake-up call.

“That old barn you pass on the road may be far more important than it appears,” she said.

About The Author

J.P. Antonacci, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

J.P. Antonacci is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter based at The Hamilton Spectator, where he says his primary focus is covering Haldimand-Norfolk and reporting on Six Nations of the Grand River and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. His reporting is funded by the Canadian government.