The Fate of BESS
Article submitted by a concerned citizen

1. We've outlined a lot of the dangers of the BESS on our website, as well as recent news (https://savesdg.com/). We cannot overstate the urgency of the situation; we require your immediate attention and action.
2. The BESS site is under development by North Glengarry BESS Inc., an affiliate of Wahgoshig Solar FIT5 LP, in a joint initiative with Compass Renewable Energy Consulting Inc. (https://northglengarryenergystorage.com/).
3. The site is located north of Dunvegan, Ontario, at Parcel Number 67101-0176 North Glengarry, ON, K0C 2B0.
4. There were town hall meetings relating to the BESS in 2025 on:
5. February 24: BESS By-Law Amendment was passed. North Glengarry Council held a public planning meeting, which, unfortunately, was attended by no one from the public - our only opportunity to raise our concerns.
6. Note that we still do not know about the fate of BESS at this time.
7. Council then passed the BESS rezoning By-Law Amendment - changing land use designation for the land leased for the BESS site from 'normal prime agricultural land,' to 'agricultural exception 257, on farm diversified,' resulting in By-Law Amendment Z-01-2025 later that same night, permitting the construction of the BESS (https://www.northglengarry.ca/media/jajhjqcx/feb-24-min.pdf).
8. Note that they did not rezone the land to 'industrial' or 'electrical utilities,' which would have automatically triggered a Class 1 environmental impact study, which is a conservation assessment.
9. February 25: The Council issued a public notice stating that it had approved the BESS By-Law Amendment.
10. March 7: A group of citizens concerned about the North Glengarry BESS and related developments founded SAVE SDG. We built our website and did a rapid public outreach. The response has been overwhelming, with an increasing number of community members joining our cause every day - a growing force.
11. March 10: This was the first opportunity for the public to voice their concerns at the next regular Council meeting. Approximately 150 people attended. Ladouceur Subdivision in Alexandria: During the meeting, Jamie mentioned that hundreds of residential units would be coming to Alexandria as if the Township had already finalized the deal.
12. March 24: A regular Council meeting was held, primarily focusing on the County, with a presentation on Delegated Authority (https://www.northglengarry.ca/media/dren3lpe/03-24-2025-package.pdf).
13. The current trend is that politicians are increasingly limiting citizens' input while still paying superficial lip service to democracy.
14. The main topic was 'delegated authority,' which enables the Mayor to appoint a committee, an officer or an employee (a person) to unilaterally pass 'minor' non-farming residential zoning by-laws, including everything from garden suites to condos. The committee or individual does not have to seek council approval or hold a public meeting: "A local municipality is not required to hold a public meeting for a zoning amendment." However, note that a by-law is defined as 'minor' if the public hasn't objected against it: "that received no objections from the public and agencies during the required circulation period." But how can the public object if there is no initial public meeting in the first place, and we don't find out about the by-law until after it has been passed and published in "annual or quarterly reports"?

1. April 14: Another Council meeting. The provincial government passed Strong Mayor Powers on April 9 to 159 smaller municipalities in Ontario, effective May 1 (https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1005752/ontario-proposing-to-expand-strong-mayor-powers-to-169-additional-municipalities). This measure created an unprecedented increase in mayoral powers to act beyond Council and residents, including the unilateral ability to push more residential building projects.
2. Mayor Jamie MacDonald disavowed these new powers. But can he still use these powers? Can the next Council use them? Interestingly, councils across the province have imposed a heavy burden of permits and red tape on contractors over the past few decades. Now, their solution to cut through the red tape is to impose even more top-down power rather than simply removing the red tape.
3. April 30: A significant meeting took place at the Glengarry Sports Palace with the BESS developer, Compass, which North Glengarry Councillors attended but said little. SaveSDG recorded the general meeting, which lasted just under three hours. Visit our website, saveSDG.com, to view an initial video of the public meeting. You'll also find a complete audio recording of the event. The consensus at the meeting was clear that residents who attended were overwhelmingly against the BESS. Despite the developer's inability to fully address our concerns, they continued to push the project forward. It's important to note that the community's opposition to the BESS remains steadfast.
4. May 2: Alexandra Lavoie from Rebel News interviewed citizens opposed to the BESS project in Dunvegan, Ontario. After some intensive research, the segment went live on May 18, 2025.
5. May 12: Another Council meeting. There were questions from the public about the BESS, but the Mayor insisted that the project was a done deal. Jamie MacDonald further claimed that the number of people who attended the April 30 public meeting was limited compared to the population of North Glengarry. He claimed he had received phone calls from many community members in support of the BESS. Moreover, he declared angrily that he would sign the building permit for the BESS site first thing in the morning, a clear indication that we need to act now and that we require your support more than ever.
6. May 13: Despite a pending appeal to the Normal Farm Practices Protection Board on May 30, 2025, building began at the Dunvegan BESS site - The Township of North Glengarry didn't issue a building permit.
7. May 30: Documentation and supporting research submitted to the Normal Farm Practices Protection Board appeal.

Here’s how you can help:

• Contact Your Councillors:
  Voice your opposition to BESS projects and demand the repeal of this bylaw amendment. Find contact information on the Township’s website.
• Attend Council Meetings:
  Attend upcoming meetings to demonstrate community strength and awareness of council business. Check the schedule at northglengarry.ca.
• Spread Awareness:
  Share this newsletter and reliable information about BESS risks with neighbours and local businesses. Learn more about BESS dangers here.
• Support the Appeal:
  Stay informed about the Ontario Farm Board appeal by contacting them and voicing your concerns.