Armour council held a controversial public meeting on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at the Katrine Community Centre to get public input on applications required for an energy storage system.
Council is considering an application by PowerBank Corporation and landowner David Creasor to amend the municipality’s Official Plan and Zoning bylaw to facilitate a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at 219 Peggs Mountain Road, in Armour Township.
The proposed construction of the BESS system in a rural area has met with solid opposition from several concerned citizen groups since its initial announcement in 2022. Petitions, comprising 901 signatures from ‘No Lithium Way Citizens United’ and 527from ‘Change.Org’, as well as letters from 80 residents concerned with the site, have been presented to council.
About 150 residents attended the meeting, many wearing their white ‘No Lithium Way’ T-shirts. Several fire chiefs from the Southeast Almaguin Fire Department, representing the five local municipalities, were in the audience, since, as noted, many of the possible risks directly affect their departments.
PowerBank Corporation, (formerly SolarBank Corporation, formerly Abundant Solar Energy Inc.) had a team representing their interests.
Mayor Rod Ward, in his opening remarks, noted that this meeting was a part of the process to receive public and agency comments. Once comments have been considered, a decision will be made on the applications at a future council meeting.
Sam Soya, of Tullock Consulting, the Township’s Planning Consultant, provided a detailed overview of the site plan and location, noting specifically that the project was fully supported by the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024, for land use, and that the Growth Plan for Northern Ontario supports the Zoning bylaw amendments. He pointed out that the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) provided correspondence recognizing the provincial need for additional energy storage capacity and confirming that the Armour BESS was selected through the IESO’s Expedited Long-Term Request for Proposal (ELT1 RFP). The IESO noted that the project would contribute to Ontario’s electricity system reliability and that it is committed to continued engagement with the Township.
Soya also referred to the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) confirmation that the subject lands are not within MTO’s permit control area. The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) has also confirmed that the proposed BESS has a Noise EASR (Environmental Activity and Sector Registry) registration.
A PowerBank representative gave a brief summary of the site plan and description of the proposed construction, which are detailed on the Township of Armour website.
The BESS proposal would occupy 0.29 acres of the current land area, which currently supports a solar farm. It would have a 300 metre setback from the road.
The BESS would consist of nine containerized lithium iron phosphate battery units, and include inverters, monitoring systems, and associated infrastructure enclosed within a fenced compound accessible only to authorized personnel, under a lease with the landowner, David Creasor. The BESS would provide approximately four hours of stored electricity taken from the provincial grid during low-demand cycles and discharged back during periods of high demand, under a long-term contract with the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) through its E-LT1 program. The BESS is strictly used as a storage facility. It does not generate power nor offset power failures.
David Creasor, the landowner of the site, made a brief submission to council in support of the amendments, noting that he lived directly beside the site and that the development had been “quite a ride.”
Council heard from several individuals, mayors, and group representatives opposed to the amendments and specifically to the project’s continuation. Opposition to the development focused on the fire risk posed by BESS systems and the potential harm to firefighting staff should such an event occur. Lithium iron phosphate battery fires are impossible to extinguish and have occurred worldwide. Any major event at the proposed BESS would adversely impact the local community in multiple ways, none of which can be adequately prepared under current training availability, those in attendance heard.
Kearney Fire Chief Paul Schaeffer submitted an email dated April 15, 2025, to the council opposing the project. He stated that several issues had not been adequately addressed, including training, equipment, manpower, and water resources, evacuation planning, financial impacts, water runoff, potential forest fires, and the possibility that municipalities might be left vulnerable if an event consumed all local firefighting resources.
Local resident Jim Shaw summarised many of the concerns that other individuals voiced both through written submissions and at the meeting. They stated there was no clear, transparent rationale for the project; they said to date, costs have not been revealed, such as the cost of consultation, firefighting training, and equipment, all of which they believed would be borne by ratepayers in the future. Alice Hewit raised concerns that the natural beauty of the area, a prime reason to live in Armour Township, would be compromised, and ultimately, property values might decrease while property insurance might increase. Most residents argued that beyond the risk of fire, there was potential for soil, watershed, and waterway contamination.
Mayor of Perry Township, Norm Hofstetter, pointed out that while Perry council remained neutral in its position on the BESS, he was not satisfied that safety for the community and firefighters had been met, nor had the increased costs to firefighting equipment and training been addressed.
Chris Hope, Mayor of the Village of Burk’s Falls, reiterated his council’s opposition to the project, stating matter-of-factly that “too much can go wrong,” “there is no benefit to the township, only risk and additional costs.” He suggested using an industrial-zoned area, since it is already suited for and zoned for such installations. The Township of Armour has also received letters of opposition from other municipalities, including Ryerson Township, which shares Tri-Council membership with Armour and is responsible for shared services within the area.
In his conclusion, Hope brought a rousing response from the attendees when he declared, “Find out what the people want, and stand with them.”
The Township of Armour council will render its decision in early 2026.
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