Plans for 80-acre green energy project in Ramara drew both support and criticism this week as developers presented vision for 24.5-megawatt solar installation<\/p>\n
The proposed $40-million\u00a0Gwanaajiwi Giizis Solar LP\u00a0project\u00a0in Ramara Township drew a mix of interest, skepticism\u00a0and concern at a public meeting Tuesday evening at the Ramona Community Hall.<\/p>\n
The open house, held from 6 to 8 p.m., focused on a 24.5-megawatt solar project planned for two properties \u2014 1952 and 1992 Fairgrounds Rd. \u2014 jointly developed by Rama First Nation and the Orillia Power Generation Corporation (OPGC). The installation would cover roughly 80 acres of the combined 180- to 190-acre\u00a0site.<\/p>\n
Paul Young, vice-president of OPGC, said the initiative is still in the early stages.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to bid our price into the\u00a0Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), and it\u2019s a competitive process,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe may or may not win at this stage. We\u2019re just doing our due diligence and getting some municipal support, which we will do again in October, and we won\u2019t know until the first quarter (of) 2026 whether we\u2019re successful or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Young says several residents in attendance expressed skepticism. Some opponents claim\u00a0the project would primarily serve Orillia\u2019s power needs, not the Washago community\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Others questioned potential impacts on water, wildlife, tree cover, and soil, as well as the long-term replacement and recycling of the panels, which they argued would come long before their 25-year life span.<\/p>\n
Some also warned of heavy dust along McArthur Sideroad, which they said \u201cwill never be a paved road,\u201d and predicted property values would \u201cdecrease significantly\u201d as a result of the development.<\/p>\n
Young acknowledged there were residents present \u201cwho are against green energy in general\u201d and who objected to using rural land for solar projects. He responded that the parcels in question are not prime agricultural land, but \u201cClass 5 to 7\u00a0agricultural,\u201d which is\u00a0rocky and unsuitable for commercial farming.<\/p>\n
Concerns about glare were addressed by noting the use of non-glare panels and plans to plant a full tree line around the perimeter.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou probably won\u2019t see anything once the trees are grown,\u201d Young said.<\/p>\n
If successful in the bidding process, Young said the project would bring both provincial and local benefits.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a shortage of electricity and particularly a shortage of green electricity,\u201d he said. \u201cThis should help the shortage, and it should help the greenhouse gas emissions of our electrical systems.\u201d<\/p>\n
He projected significant local employment during the construction phase, along with some long-term operational and maintenance positions.<\/p>\n
Additionally, the developers hope to create a walking trail around the site, with educational signage about green energy and traditional medicinal plants, an initiative supported by Rama First Nation.<\/p>\n
Young emphasized a variety of other community benefits are under discussion\u00a0but will not be finalized unless the bid is awarded.<\/p>\n
Preliminary woodland studies have been conducted, identifying wetlands and stream areas on the site.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to set back X number of metres,\u201d Young said. \u201cWe were able to move completely away from all the wetlands and all the areas that were identified by our consultant.\u201d<\/p>\n
If approved, the project would move into detailed environmental assessments, glare and sightline studies, and traffic impact analyses. Young noted the planned construction route and site access would be via Coopers Falls Road to McArthur Sideroad, in part to avoid Fairgrounds Road, which has more residential properties.<\/p>\n
Melissa Gowanlock, the township\u2019s manager of communications and community engagement, confirmed the project first came before Ramara council on July 21.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this meeting, committee of the whole supported the request for a municipal support resolution (which is a requirement under the IESO\u2019s request for proposals process) and encouraged community consultation,\u201d she said. \u201cThe recommendation for support will be considered for ratification by council at the Aug.\u00a025, 2025, council meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n
If the project is accepted into the IESO program, Gowanlock said it would still require a zoning bylaw amendment, since renewable energy facilities are not currently permitted in any zone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis public process will include a public meeting of council, notice to property owners within 120 metres, posted signage, and review of site suitability, environmental studies, archeological assessments, stormwater and traffic impacts,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLarge-scale renewable projects would also be subject to site-plan approval, with requirements for siting, screening, and environmental protection outlined in the township\u2019s Official Plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Young confirmed the municipal support resolution is \u201cvery broad\u201d and does not authorize construction.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt basically says the municipality doesn\u2019t object to the concept, as long as all the approvals are done and all the Is are dotted and Ts are crossed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Even with council support and a successful IESO bid, the project\u2019s timeline would be extensive. The proponents anticipate spending 2026 through 2028 on approvals, studies, and detailed engineering, with construction expected to take about eight months. Operations would likely begin in 2029.<\/p>\n
Young acknowledged the uncertainty.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe township has another chance to cancel this whole thing if they\u00a0don\u2019t give us the zoning amendments that we need,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, there\u2019s quite a bit more to go.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Plans for 80-acre green energy project in Ramara drew both support and criticism this week as developers presented…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":72792,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[49,48,295,66],"class_list":["post-72791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72791"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72791\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}