Municipalities are seeking clearer provincial rules as concerns grow over the facilities’ energy use, water demands and other impacts.

Ontario Municipalities Seek Clearer Provincial Rules for AI Data Centres

Growing concerns over the construction of AI data centres in Ontario have prompted municipalities to call for clearer provincial rules. The Green Party has joined the municipalities in seeking a regulatory framework to address concerns about energy use, water demands, and other impacts of these facilities.

Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner has called for a moratorium on new data centre construction until a new regulatory framework is established. “We’re not saying ‘halt AI’ or ‘we don’t want any data centres in Ontario.’ Just to have a moratorium in place until we have a proper regulatory framework that protects people, our communities, our economy and our environment,” Schreiner said.

Toronto city council has passed a motion calling on the provincial government to establish a province-wide framework to address community concerns, including environmental impacts, noise, and electricity infrastructure related to large-scale AI data centres. Mississauga city council has also imposed a one-year moratorium on new data centres and will conduct a comprehensive review to evaluate their impacts on municipal infrastructure, economy, environment, noise levels, energy, and water consumption.

One of the issues facing municipalities is the lack of specific zoning or planning rules for data centres. In Mississauga, data centres are currently classified as warehouses, despite their high energy and water consumption. Cities are also concerned that the province may use ministerial zoning orders to overrule their zoning rules and allow data centre projects to proceed.

The Ford government has passed legislation requiring data centres to get government approval before connecting to Ontario’s energy grid. According to Energy Minister Stephen Lecce’s office, “No project will proceed unless it contributes to the local economy and the company commits to paying the full cost of energy.”

However, Schreiner has expressed concerns about data centres setting up natural gas generators to produce electricity, citing the potential for increased gas use. Ontario Tech University professor Daniel Hoornweg notes that any regulatory framework needs to be carefully considered to balance public concerns with the need to attract investment in the emerging industry. Hoornweg suggests that the backlash against data centres may be an outlet for the public’s desire for regulation of AI use and development in general, rather than a specific concern about the facilities themselves.

Article and image source: thesudburystar.com