HALDIMAND—As Ontario looks for new power sources to meet rising electricity demand, Haldimand County has moved to sharpen the local rules that future energy developers will have to follow.
Council received and discussed Report EDT-02-2026 at an April 7, 2026 meeting, unanimously endorsing a revised framework tied to the Independent Electricity System Operators’ (IESO) Long-Term Two Request for Proposals, known as the LT2 RFP.
The changes allow the County to continue using a blanket municipal support approach, with authority delegated to the chief administrative officer to issue support letters to proponents that meet the municipality’s criteria.
The report said Ontario’s electricity demand is expected to keep rising sharply in the years ahead, prompting the IESO to seek major new generation and capacity resources through the LT2 process.
Haldimand staff said municipalities must formally confirm support for local proposals before they can be submitted.
Councillor John Metcalfe asked whether the report marked “the first steps” toward possible nuclear or other new generation projects in the county.
In response, CAO Michael Di Lullo said the report was not aimed at one specific project type, but at setting the rules for any future proposal that may come forward.
“What this report does, it speaks to creating certain parameters with respect to future requests that come through,” said Di Lullo. “It’s ensuring that we have all of the boundaries covered so that the proponent can put forward a resolution for them to put their application forward through the process.”
Councillor Debera McKeen asked to confirm whether the framework would also apply to projects such as battery storage and solar, noting that discussion had focused heavily on nuclear.
Di Lullo said it would.
“This is in relation to when the IESO issues certain power requirements,” Di Lullo said. “This may contain a certain portion that’s in relation to battery; the other portion may be in relation to nuclear.”
He added, “Should a proponent come forward, whether it’s battery, nuclear, what have you, that there’s proper parameters in place in order for us to put a municipal support resolution for them to put in their package.”
The updated criteria apply only to projects seeking support through the IESO LT2 RFP process.
According to the report, permitted project types under the delegated framework include ground-mounted solar, battery energy storage systems, hydro, biomass, nuclear, natural gas, biogas, and co-generation in industrial areas, as well as certain agriculturally integrated clean technologies in agricultural areas. Wind turbines remain excluded.
The report said staff refined the process after working through LT2 Window 1 with several proponents, including Lagasco Inc., Rosa Flora, and Proplant Propagation.
One major change shortens the required public engagement timeline by one month, with proponents now expected to create a public website and identify a project contact at least three months before submitting to the IESO, and complete public consultation at least two months in advance.
Proponents must also hold at least two public meetings and notify property owners within 500 metres of the proposed site at least 10 business days before those meetings.
Other requirements include agricultural impact assessments for eligible projects in prime agricultural areas, a site plan process, landscaping buffers, decommissioning plans, fire safety plans, and road use protections where needed.
The County’s community benefit agreement would also remain mandatory. Under the 2026 rate outlined in the report, successful projects would pay an annual community benefit contribution of $1,133 per megawatt, up to a maximum of $300,000 per year per project, with annual increases tied to inflation and contract escalation factors.
McKeen asked whether those community benefit funds would be ward-specific or benefit the county as a whole. Staff replied that finance staff were already working on a broader policy for all such contributions and that the plan was to eliminate ward-specific funding in favour of a county-wide approach.
Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley said the updated report built on the County’s earlier LT1 work and was intended to reduce repeat trips to Council by future proponents.
“This is just tightening everything up for the LT2 process,” Bentley said. “So then staff can just say, yeah, we are in agreement, and here’s your municipal support letter, and then they can submit their whole application.”
Staff agreed, saying the revised report was meant to “streamline it, so it wasn’t every proponent coming to Council,” while tightening public engagement requirements and reiterating expectations around decommissioning, fire safety, and landscaping.
Council voted to approve the changes with no further debate.
