Hamilton’s move to pause data centre development could be the first of its kind in Canada, a professor studying such developments says.
“Hamilton is in a pretty cutting edge place,” said Anne Pasek, the Canada Research Chair in Media, Culture and the Environment.
Pasek, who teaches at Trent University, told CBC Hamilton that while there are examples of local moratoriums in countries including the United States, “I do believe Hamilton’s first in Canada.”
On June 24, city council supported a motion calling for a moratorium on the development of the facilities that securely store, process and distribute digital information.
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The growth of artificial intelligence (AI) has accelerated the development of data centres, which has in turn sparked protests across Canada, over issues such as the amount of water and energy needed to run these sites.
Currently, Hamilton governs data centres using rules that apply generally to industry. Coun. Nrinder Nann (Ward 3) moved the moratorium motion, arguing a pause would give city staff and elected officials time to review existing rules, identify any gaps and possibly make recommendations to make or improve local regulations.
Nann also said she believes her motion to be a Canadian first. She previously told CBC Hamilton she sent copies of her motion to members of 21 different councils across the country who requested one.
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Pasek said Nann’s motion could catch on and we might see other, similar moratoriums.
The researcher attended Hamilton’s planning committee the day it passed Nann’s motion to “witness history happening,” and hear from the dozens of residents who offered their perspectives on the moratorium.
Pasek told CBC Hamilton she’d like to see the federal government create environmental standards for data centres, such as ensuring they use all renewable energy, and for it to mandate public consultation so data centre developers are required to share their plans with communities and explain how they’ll mitigate negative impacts.
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada previously told CBC Hamilton that as demand for AI compute grows, “Canada’s approach is to align new data centre development with clean energy expansion, strong environmental standards, and benefits for local communities.”
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Shion Guha, a professor in the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto also studying data centres, says the “free for all” situation about data centres forces governments like Hamilton’s to be reactionary when developments come up.
“That’s not a very good way of doing governance, particularly around infrastructure projects,” he told CBC Hamilton. “We understand in Canada that the proper way to do things is some mutual tripartite agreement between federal governments, provincial governments and local governments, but right now we’re not really seeing that.”
In lieu of action at the federal level, Pasek said “it’s really helpful” for municipalities to implement local rules that take local conditions into consideration.
Ultimately, she said, it’s best to “to put everything in the open” so decision makers and communities can approve or deny projects with full knowledge.
Working with the Council of Canadians, Pasek has created a toolkit for people looking to oppose data centre developments. It includes basic information about what data centres are, their environmental impacts and the ways by which individuals can participate in the development process.
Right now, when it comes to assessing prospective data centre developments, “there’s just so much to go through and to understand,” Katie Steinfeld, a Vaughan, Ont., resident independently tracking data centres, said.
Steinfeld works as a realtor and in her spare time, created the Ontario Data Centre Tracker to keep tabs on publicly known developments.
She says she’s not anti-AI or anti-data centre but believes people need to know more. Currently, she said, it can be challenging to find information about proposed facilities in the province.
It’s possible, Steinfeld said, that transparency from developers could also lead to wider acceptance if people feel their concerns are being addressed.
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She’d also like the province to create new planning rules for data centres so they can be managed in a standardized way across Ontario that is “easy for people to understand.”
The province did not directly address Steinfeld’s suggestion when asked.
“No digital infrastructure project will proceed unless it contributes to the local economy and the company commits to paying the full cost of energy,” Evan Robinson, a spokesperson with Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development told CBC Hamilton in an email.
He added the government has passed legislation empowering it to “prevent projects from connecting to the grid if they fail to meet these expectations.”
Hamilton city council is expected to hear from staff on July 15 with suggested language for a bylaw enacting the data centre moratorium.
