AI data centres have been making headlines recently due to their impact on communities and the environment.
On Thursday, Mike Schreiner, the Ontario Green Party Leader and Guelph MPP, requested a pause on new AI data centres in the province.
He urged the Doug Ford government to examine how these data centres affect the environment, energy consumption, health, and job opportunities.
In Waterloo Region, Councillor Colleen James is advocating for a similar local report.
A motion presented to a regional committee on Tuesday asks staff to investigate how developing data centres could influence local economic growth, employment prospects, infrastructure needs, and environmental factors.
James’ motion also aims for the staff report to explore ways to hold developers accountable for these large-scale projects.
This accountability focuses particularly on electricity demand, greenhouse gas emissions, responsible operations, and locally important issues like water usage and conservation.
Similar to Schreiner’s stance, James is calling for council members to potentially push the province for a regulatory framework that “sets clear environmental, resource stewardship, and transparency requirements” as well as “ensures municipalities and existing rate-payers do not face undue costs for servicing data centres.”
If approved, staff would return with an update for Region Council by early next year.
The motion will be discussed during a regional committee meeting on Tuesday morning.
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