The building of large data centres in Mississauga has been halted for at least one year, city council decided on Wednesday morning.

City of Mississauga councillors were unanimous in their support of an interim control bylaw that will impose a moratorium of one year — and up to two years — on data centre developments in Mississauga to allow the city more time to study the matter and any new rules that would regulate the rapidly growing industry.

The huge facilities, which use significant amounts of energy, have faced severe public backlash in Mississauga, throughout Ontario, across the country and in the U.S. as well.

Data centres support rapidly growing AI

Data centres are being proposed — and built — in many towns and cities across North America to support the rapid growth of artificial intelligence.

While Mississauga’s new interim control bylaw will delay construction of any such large data facilities in the city, Mayor Carolyn Parrish said last week it’s likely they’ll get built at some point in the near future.

“I have a feeling the pressure is going to be on very shortly with all the (U.S.-Canada) tariff problems to keep our databases here in Canada, which means there will be pressure on us to accept data centres whether we like it or not,” Parrish said at the city’s Sept. 9 general committee meeting.

Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish says it’s likely only a matter of time before new data centres are built in the city and beyond.

Her comments and other discussion among councillors and senior city staff followed the presentation of a staff report last week outlining the Ontario government’s latest “playbook” for the building of data centres across the province.

At Wednesday morning’s city council meeting, nearly two dozen residents who were lined up to make deputations on the data centre issue were sent home before they could address council.

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Councillors decided they’d already heard enough from residents and other community members over the past several months and moved directly to a vote on the interim control bylaw.

“My apologies to all of you who came out, but you got what you wanted,” Parrish told the group.

Mississauga joins Oakville as Ontario municipalities that have placed one-year pauses on data centres.

Wednesday’s decision came as U.S.-based Prologis looks to build a two-storey data centre in the Meadowvale area of Mississauga.

Idea for interim control bylaw came forward in July

In late July, city councillors unanimously agreed to direct staff to develop an interim control bylaw that would impose a moratorium on data centres.

Council’s decision at that time followed some two dozen deputations from residents and other stakeholders at the July 29 city council meeting, the vast majority of whom spoke against the large new facilities.

Discussion at the July 29 city council meeting was prompted by a motion from Ward 9 Coun. Martin Reid that sought to temporarily halt the development of major data centres in Mississauga.

The motion called for a temporary bylaw that would prohibit new large-scale digital infrastructure facilities — including artificial intelligence, cloud computing and hyperscale data centres — for up to one year while the city undertakes a comprehensive planning study. 

The temporary pause applies citywide and can be extended to a second year if additional time is needed to complete the review. 

Mississauga Ward 9 Coun. Martin Reid tabled motion to pause development of data centres in the city.


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