Council hears strong opposition to lithium battery storage site from citizens, municipalities

‘No Lithium Way’ T-shirts filled the Katrine Community Centre Nov. 18 for Armour Township’s public meeting on the controversial Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) proposal by PowerBank (previously known as SolarBank).

Members of Armour council and the public in attendance, both in-person and on Zoom, heard a presentation from Armour’s planner Sam Soja, from Tulloch in Huntsville, and PowerBank’s planner Connor Wright from Zelinka Priamo. Armour’s deputy clerk Charlene Watt also provided a summary of written submissions.

According to Watt, there were 1,508 submissions opposing the BESS application and two in favour — this number includes the petition started by No Lithium Way, Citizens United, which had 901 signatures, and a second petition from Change.org, which had 527 signatures.

Public safety risks

The main concerns centre on possible significant public safety risks, particularly the potential for lithium fires in a high-risk wildland zone, which could strain untrained volunteer fire departments and lead to long-term health and financial burdens for municipalities.

Those in opposition, which included neighbouring municipalities Burk’s Falls and Ryerson, further cited critical environmental concerns regarding contamination of water and soil, land use incompatibility for the rural area, and procedural issues, noting the applicant is currently unregistered with the Ontario Energy Board and lacks an electricity storage licence.

Those opposed formally requested the province suspend all new BESS approvals and urged the applicant, Power Bank, to withdraw its proposal.

David Creasor, who owns 219 Pegg’s Mountain Rd., the proposed site of BESS, addressed the crowd during the public hearing portion of the meeting, saying he has had many concerns since he acquired the property.

“I am the most affected,” he said. “I am the landowner; I have the closest house to the BESS project.”

Creasor, who is the roads supervisor for Armour Township, said through the process he has come to understand PowerBank has gone through the requirements, adding he has had his “concerns certainly responded to.”

“It’s been quite the ride,” he said, thanking the crowd for putting up with him.

Voicing concerns

Members of No Lithium Way, Citizens United took the mic to share their concerns with Armour council and PowerBank representatives.

Barry Burton, director of No Lithium Way and a Ryerson resident, listed 11 locations across three continents where BESS fires occurred between 2021 and 2025, including an explosion in Beijing, China, where two firefighters died and an incident in Nordenberg, Germany, which led to the release of highly toxic hydrofluoric acid and the hospitalization of 12 firefighters.

Burk’s Falls Mayor Chris Hope and Perry Township Mayor Norm Hofstetter were in attendance.

While Burk’s Falls has long opposed the BESS project, Hofstetter told spectators that Perry has remained neutral and asked Armour to consider the safety of the community and local fire departments.

Perry Township is a part of the mutual aid agreement, which also includes Kearney, Magnetawan and McMurrich/Monteith departments as well as the Burk’s Falls’ fire department.

“One of my main concerns is the safety for the people and our firefighters, because we don’t know where we’re going with this and how the training will go,” Hofstetter said, noting he read Burk’s Falls’ fire Chief Joe Readman’s report, which indicated training for putting out lithium fires would be mostly online.

“We have five fire stations, seven municipalities working together today,” he said. “When a call comes in, they all respond.”

“I think for (PowerBank) to move forward with a project like this, I think they need to address how we’re going to deal with the cost to all municipalities around us,” he added.

Resident voices opposition

Marie Odorizzi told council she felt disappointed they weren’t listening to her and many of the concerned residents.

She emphasized that residents were not opposed to progress or environmental growth, but to “reckless decisions that put our community safety, environment, and future risks.”

Odorizzi reminded council they were elected to serve the people of Armour Township, not outside corporations, stating the promise to protect the land and way of life “feels broken.”

She demanded council reject the proposed rezoning to protect the land, people, and future of the township.

She introduced 10-year-old Violet from Burk’s Falls, presenting her as a voice for the next generation whose future depends on the council’s decision.

“I have heard about the system and I don’t think we should do it,” the 10-year-old said. “If it catches on fire, it could burn our town down, and when we have power outages, we spend time with family, and the lithium battery will take that away.”

Armour’s Mayor Rod Ward emphasized Armour council has not made a decision on the application and has not supported it, clarifying that a 2022 resolution only supported the applicant, Solar Bank, putting forward an application for an RFP (request for proposals), which was merely “step one of 1,000 steps.”

Decision coming in January

He said the official decision will be made at the January council meeting.

Ward defended the procedural steps taken, noting the process requires the application to be heard, reviewed, confirmed as complete and subjected to peer reviews by multiple planners and organizations — all paid for by the applicant.

“Please don’t take away that we are not listening because that’s what this is. This is listening and this is democracy,” he told the crowd. “An applicant is allowed to bring an application forward, the public’s allowed to make an opinion.”

Ward confirmed council is currently weighing all elements, including the risks, long-term impacts, benefits, job creation and decommissioning costs before making its final decision.