Residents of Toronto are rallying for a one-year moratorium on two proposed data centre projects following a similar decision made by the city of Mississauga, Ontario. On Wednesday, Mississauga councillors unanimously voted to enact a moratorium to assess the potential impacts and regulatory needs surrounding data centres, as well as to conduct consultations with local residents, Indigenous groups, and industry stakeholders.
On the same day, demonstrators gathered outside Toronto City Hall before a forthcoming multi-day council meeting. The meeting is expected to consider motions aimed at investigating the implications of data centre projects located in the city's Etobicoke and Scarborough neighborhoods. Protesters voiced their concerns, particularly regarding the climate ramifications as Toronto has recently faced severe heat waves and significant smoke from nearby wildfires.
Lubaba Gemma, a resident involved in the protests, recounted attending a community meeting for the east Toronto data centre, noting that the developer failed to appear to address residents' inquiries. She emphasized the lack of clarity regarding any economic benefits and criticized private developers for entering contracts with the city without community input.
Another protestor, Diane Holmlund, expressed her newfound concerns regarding data centres, which she had little knowledge about until the developments began in her neighborhood. Holmlund, now a retired therapist, highlighted her frustration over the absence of community consultations and the uncertainty surrounding the projects' impacts on local residents.
Councillor Parthi Kandavel, representing Scarborough Southwest, has urged the city to thoroughly investigate the environmental and noise implications of the proposed STACK Infrastructure data centre expansion on Danforth Avenue. He reported that over 100 residents attended a community meeting regarding this expansion, during which questions arose about local job creation, tax benefits, ownership of computing equipment, and the accessibility of data for Canadian institutions. Kandavel reminded the council of the need for Canadian sovereignty over critical AI infrastructure and the management of sensitive data within Canadian jurisdiction.
Similarly, Councillor Vincent Crisanti, representing Etobicoke North, is advocating for a careful evaluation of environmental, noise, and water consumption concerns related to Microsoft’s proposed data centre at 48 Lowe’s Place. Crisanti called for increased oversight regarding the construction of data centres in the city, urging municipal staff to explore additional strategies to alleviate residents' worries.
Earlier this month, Hamilton's city councillors rejected a proposal for a temporary pause on new data centres, noting that such a moratorium could hinder potential investments in the local industrial sector and threaten smaller data centre proposals with research components. Hamilton's decision was notably significant as it would have made the city the first in Canada to impose a data centre moratorium, amidst escalating dialogues across the country regarding noise, energy, and water issues related to data facilities driving AI services.
During the Hamilton council discussions, residents voiced similar environmental concerns, with the debate touching on broader societal apprehensions concerning the rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence, including workforce changes and misinformation challenges. Erin Mackey, a resident of downtown Toronto, expressed worry that large data centres could lead to increased utility costs for locals already struggling financially. Mackey expressed encouragement at the active civic engagement, as many Torontonians have reached out to the city council to demand a moratorium, factoring in the recent move by New York City to implement a similar restriction on large data centre developments.
