Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled the province’s fresh data center guidelines on Thursday, emphasizing the importance of keeping Canadians’ data within the country. The framework is built on three main principles: promoting economic development, safeguarding data, sovereignty, and investing in communities to boost public confidence.
During the announcement in Guelph, Ford highlighted that the new data center playbook aims to foster economic growth, generate substantial tax revenues, and create numerous job opportunities while ensuring compliance with regulations. The framework also mandates that data centers cover the full costs of their electricity consumption, encouraging them to develop their power generation sources. Additionally, a separate rate class will be established for large new data centers to ensure fair pricing without burdening Ontario families.
Ford emphasized that the province will not provide financial incentives to attract investments. The framework is expected to support Ontario’s artificial intelligence (AI) strategy, projecting significant economic growth of $122 billion by 2035 and the annual creation of 17,000 new jobs.
Amid discussions in various municipalities about imposing moratoriums on data centers, Oakville recently passed a one-year moratorium, and Mississauga is set to vote on a similar measure in September.
Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner recently called for a halt on new data centers, expressing concerns about corporations benefiting from local resources at the expense of communities. The importance of prioritizing data centers with closed-loop water systems to minimize water consumption was also underscored.
While acknowledging the role of data centers in the future, Schreiner emphasized the need for strong regulations to protect communities and ensure their control over such developments. The Ontario Greens are advocating for a moratorium until robust regulations are in place to safeguard the interests of people and communities.