The Ontario government released its so-called “data centre playbook” on Thursday in an effort to provide a clear set of requirements to data companies looking to make the province their home.
This comes as multiple municipalities across the province move to pause data centre development, over environmental, zoning and noise concerns.
Ford: Ontarians are “misinformed” about data centres
In a news conference in Guelph, Ont., on Thursday, Premier Doug Ford said Ontarians are “misinformed” about the negative impacts of data centres.
“I think people need to learn a lot more about data centres,” he said. “You can’t say, ‘I don’t want it in my backyard,’ but we’re going to use all that power and all the information to run the community.”
NDP MPP Chris Glover is the opposition’s technology and innovation critic. He called Ontarians’ concerns about data centres legitimate.
“We all want jobs, we all want to protect our digital sovereignty, but we don’t want higher water and utility bills, we don’t want environmental destruction and we don’t want the loss of jobs,” Glover said.
“The government needs to develop a regulatory framework and provide transparency so we know what we’re getting.”
Ford justified the need for more data centres with concerns about digital sovereignty, saying, “We have two choices, we either do our own data centres and keep our own data sovereignty, or we let President Trump run us over like he has in other areas.”
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One expert who spoke with Global News says American companies have access to our data, no matter where the centre is located. Evan Light is an associate professor in the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto.
“The reality is that a lot of internet infrastructure is not in Canada, and so we still have traffic transmitting through the United States,” Light said.
“Just because you have data centres in Canada doesn’t mean that your data only stays here.”
Glover agrees. “There are certainly ways of building data centres that protect our data, but anything that’s American-owned falls under the Patriot Act, which says they can access it without even letting us know.”
Ford said the new provincial playbook is designed to attract the best of the best projects, and that the businesses will not be receiving any kind of sweetheart deals to move operations to Ontario. “They’re going to go through a rigorous applications process, and the question is ,’What are the benefits that you’re bringing to the community?’ We’re not putting a penny into these, I want to see the benefits.”
Traditional big infrastructure projects tend to come with employment upside. After their construction, data centres are nearly self-operational. “Data centres create very few long-term jobs,” Light said. “They’re essentially gigantic construction sites for a long time, and then you have a handful of people operating the centre. They are places where the computers do the work and the humans are there to tweak things occasionally.”
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In the absence of jobs, the Ford government spoke about prospective companies building parks or community centres as part of the deal to bring their data centre in the province.
The premier said the province will also be prioritizing proposals that work on a closed-loop system, meaning that the water within is recycled.
“I definitely think that’s a positive,” Light said. “Cooling systems in data centres have come a long way, and there’s been a lot of pressure on them to do this.”
Municipal anxieties
Over the last few months, AI data centres have become a flashpoint in municipal politics, with multiple different jurisdictions across the province taking different approaches to development.
Earlier this week, Oakville became the first Ontario city to vote for a pause on AI data centre development.
In July, Mississauga voted to draft an interim control bylaw to enact a one-year moratorium on data centre builds. That bylaw will come back around for another vote in September.
Other areas have already approved data centre development, with one of the country’s first hyperscale facilities in Vaughan nearing completion. Hamilton also voted down a motion for a pause.
Premier Ford was asked if he’d step in to strong-arm a hesitant municipality out of the way if a data centre deal was at stake.
“I’d sit down with the mayor and council and we’d consult with the community, but I’d rather go to a willing host,” Ford said.
Anonymous, only a Liberal fool believes the solution is to put tax money through the government beaurocracy so that we cents back on the dollar.
It’s sad that Poilievre voted against the increase in the Canada grocery benefit. Living in taxpayer provided luxury, I guess he is ambivalent to the suffering of Canadians due to the Trump tariffs.
Under the liberals 2.3 million Canadians visit a foodbank each MONTH…a record high for Canada.
Quick blame PP and Ford and Trump!
Elbows Down bozos 🤡
Here’s some facts:
1.4 TRILLION dollar national debt…doubled in 10 years under the liberals.
Record number of “assylum seekers” in the world
Highest grocery inflation in the world.
Weakest military in the G7
Only g20 nation in a recession
Quick! Another Doug Ford article 😂
Liberalism destroyed canada
Just keep those elbows up and keys by the front door.
Enviro… paid lib shill who knows Doug Ford is wayyyy more friendly with liberal progressive ideas and “values”, then he is with Conservatives. This is a Doug Ford article… nothing to do with Federal Conservatives.
But… here you are.
Pierre Poilievre’s conservatives want more energy sucking data centres, which would drive up the cost of energy for ordinary Canadians. Many are asking why Poilievre is boosting data centres.
I always wondered how the water wars would start. Data centre’s weren’t on my radar, they weren’t a real thing 5 years ago.
So just like LOTR we march.
Fat liberal.
I don’t trust Ford.
Benoit is light in the loafers, just like Careny and Trudeau.
Carney promotes AI Data Centers but as per Benoit if PP supports it also it is a problem for Liberals.
Ford says 1-2=3.
China has been active creating this anti datacentre activism. Another green grift. You’d think we’d have learned
Doug is good at hiding his phone record data, so he’s an expert
Ain’t freedom of Liberal speech grand…lies, crimes, and who cares?
Benoît said:
August 13, 2026 at 7:01 pm
“Most Canadians are opposed to the massive water and energy sucking AI data centres that the Poilievre conservatives support. And Poilievre has the unmitigated gall to complain about inflation in energy prices which will be caused by those same data centres. I guess if you are a mini MAGA conservative, this all makes sense. 🤷♂️”
I might have heard this somewhere before. I just can’t put an emoji on it, because it represents either the worst of humanity, or the laziest of AI.
It is a liberal, lying like a bad atodialer spreading stupid.
@Benoit. PP can’t make decisions on AI Data Centers. For Ontario, that would be the Premier and the Federal Govt. A few months ago Carney supported data centers in certain regions. So okay for Carney to support but not PP. please enlighten us Sir.
Most Canadians are opposed to the massive water and energy sucking AI data centres that the Poilievre conservatives support. And Poilievre has the unmitigated gall to complain about inflation in energy prices which will be caused by those same data centres. I guess if you are a mini MAGA conservative, this all makes sense. 🤷♂️
Liberals seem to be of the mind that physics is a matter of opinion and while there is inherent truth to such a sentiment, it does not equate to the laws of physics being upended.
…yes, geeks, they also wanted to appropriate a narrative.
That’s kinda the whole point…
@Benoit. PP currently doesn’t get to make decisions on if an AI Data Center gets built or not. You don’t seem to know what you are even talking about.
Maybe sooner than later if you keep it up? I am formally non-committed.
I am not without compassion Benoit. It is possible, for any number of reasons, that you are unaware of who is running our government.
I am quite certain you are a very weak and unauthoratative bot but perhaps you can respond to something I have actually posted and not simply mirror generic, out of context contempt?
No? Thought not.
I am what someone called a blade runner, because they acknowledged the original term of bounty hunter was too vague for the given specialty of hunting replicants.
See ya later.
The reality is…under our weak constitution, we are not entitled to object, legally, to a law we have not been charged with violating.
Don’t worry, I will ensure the destruction of our constitution is completely recycled back into the environment.
You will never leave my sight until either you or I cease to exist culprit.
C’mon now, it has clearly been too long since someone called me out for the non-liberal expression.
What gives? You can’t deal with your own idiocy?
Please, arrest me. Arrest me for my choice of words and opinions.
Poilieve and his conservative party want dozens of AI centre’s and don’t care that electricity and water prices will skyrocket! Just outrageous!
I know it may shock some liberals but some people like both singing and dancing in the rain. I know, it’s not for the costume folk, but…that doesn’t make it hate.
But please, defame me.
Half of lesbians screamed out in horror because I said man made and not something dumberer.
@ Mark. We could try to generate more power also. Just a suggestion.
A data center buried in the permafrost needing limited on-site technicians, limited energy put towards cooling with better cooling outcomes for data processed.
Nah…Calgary, right? Calgary. New Bruinswick, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario…let me skip to the chase you see and cut it: all below or extremely below the permafrost. Edmonton is the most northern aspiration.
But, who wants to live up north for a tech firm other than literally everyone for the tax credit and pay.
Right? “Like, if we were investing in data centres nationally”, why would we not take advantage of the clear opportunities to –
A) Give back to our indigenous communities with ownership and obvious profit sharing in the far north.
B) Use it to fund northern expansion to help balance the northern economies with productive business models and infrastructure.
C) promote residential expansion in the north to create more sustainable communities.
D) test arctic energy production/capacity through periods of excess sunshine through solar, and excess wind from cold desolate planes in the dark through wind turbines.
We could pioneer energy generation from the movement of glaciers.
Or whatever a tax for cricket protein and stuff.
Now, for the record, I always wondered why refrigerant heavy data centres would set up in deserts in the US, which are hot Hot HOT, bah-nah…
When Canada has deserts that are permanently frozen.
Southern Ontario is not that.
*yer dumb yeah?
Now go back to believing weather forecast models in to the years and decades is accurate because computers with such awesome software have access to such fantastic processors.
Let the cricket procession begin…
It’s the Idiot Tour Bus, right, we get the your dumb, yeah?
They are certainly hypocritical
No, we are not the idiots running things, he is.
We are not confused by the zero information our governments provide on the benefits of having data centres.
It is on them. If I am unconvinced, and sufficient people share the same opinion, that is entirely on him as much as it could be the end of him as a political force, which frankly, IMO, fizzled out long ago.
Doug Ford’s only brand is that he is not, technically, a Liberal.
I see the purple-hairs below are angry again…no surprise there.
It’s makes many Canadians very angry that Poilievre’s conservatives support a MASSIVE expansion of data centre’s which will cause our electricity rates to skyrocket. Conservatives don’t listen to Canadians.
1984 surveillance centers are not welcome! We don’t want or need them. Keep your digital prisons.