A tech company proposes to build a data centre at this old copper tubing plant at 865 Gartshore St. in Fergus, Ont., about a two-hour drive from Toronto.<\/p>\n
Before them was a motion for a one-year moratorium on data centre projects in the area, which would allow staff to study possible issues with such facilities and develop guardrails. One councillor said a freeze was particularly important because of province-wide municipal elections later this month. <\/p>\n
\u201cI really hope that this gives the new council the opportunity to understand what this is all about and make sure we\u2019re doing the right thing for our community,\u201d said Councillor Bronwynne Wilton, who proposed the motion. <\/p>\n
Policy-makers in towns and cities across the country are wrestling with complex and rapidly evolving technological challenges as an influx of AI data-centre proposals collide with residents\u2019 concerns about energy demands, water use and noise. In the Greater Toronto Area, councillors in Mississauga and Oakville recently imposed one-year moratoriums on new data centre developments. <\/p>\n
Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Signs across from the proposed data centre promote candidates for Centre Wellington township.<\/p>\n In Centre Wellington, a largely agricultural area of 35,000 people that includes the twin communities of Fergus and Elora about 100 kilometres northwest of Toronto, some residents are concerned about plans for an AI data centre. Spur Innovation, a Waterloo-based tech venture studio and AI infrastructure operator, is proposing to retrofit an old copper tubing plant into a data centre. <\/p>\n The former Wolverine Tube site in Fergus currently stands vacant; Spur calls it a \u201ccontaminated brownfield.\u201d Video surveillance and no trespassing signs hang on a chain-link fence around the 25-acre property as a flock of Canada geese wander in a grassy field. Across the street is a neighbourhood with tidy homes and a nearby elementary school. <\/p>\n After reading local media coverage of Spur\u2019s data centre plan in the summer, Carolyn Sharp, an artist who lives in Elora, started a petition calling for a moratorium. It received more than 2,300 signatures. \u201cThe community definitely does not want it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt just feels like it\u2019s being forced upon us, and I think there should be a lot more strict regulations in place.\u201d <\/p>\n In a presentation during the Sept. 28 council meeting, Ms. Sharp urged the township to \u201ctake a measured approach to a development that could fundamentally change the footprint of this community\u201d by taking time to develop stronger standards for noise, energy, water, air quality and environmental protection. <\/p>\n Mayor Shawn Watters heard opposing arguments about data centres from Carolyn Sharp, who wants a local moratorium, and Sharif Virani from Spur Innovation, the company behind the Fergus proposal.<\/p>\n Sharif Virani, chief executive officer of Spur Innovation, also addressed councillors and argued that the project would support the area\u2019s agricultural focus. <\/p>\n Mr. Virani said the first phase of the plan is for an air-cooled data centre under 10 megawatts. The rest of the property would be \u201ca test space for agricultural robotics, food innovation in a county where farming actually happens,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cThese computers are not the building; they are the utility in the corner,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Spur hasn\u2019t yet submitted an application to the municipality, however. Asked about timing, Mr. Virani said \u201cit\u2019s a longer-tailed question\u201d involving financing and supply issues. He later said in an e-mail to The Globe that \u201cwe are still in consultation and planning.\u201d The company has other AI data centres, including in the former BlackBerry RIM headquarters in Waterloo. <\/p>\n Before council debated the motion, Brett Salmon, the township\u2019s managing director of planning and development, told councillors they could prohibit data centre developments for a year and could later extend the freeze by an additional year under Ontario\u2019s Planning Act.<\/p>\n Councillor Jennifer Adams called on the Ontario government to provide \u201creal legislation with real regulations\u201d to help guide municipalities, noting that AI is advancing rapidly. \u201cThey definitely have more resources than we do,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n The data-centre proposal on Gartshore Street is one of many to crop up across Ontario as governments commit to expanding the technology.<\/p>\n Other towns and cities have also urged Queen\u2019s Park to act. In a submission last month, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario asked for \u201cclear and consistent provincial guidance\u201d for communities and a \u201ccollaborative process\u201d for reviewing proposed facilities that involves the government, municipalities and Indigenous communities. <\/p>\n The provincial government did not provide specific responses to questions from The Globe about Centre Wellington councillors\u2019 call for stronger standards governing AI data centres. Premier Doug Ford has been critical of moratoriums. <\/p>\n Evan Robinson, a spokesperson for Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, said the province \u201cwill continue to work\u201d with municipalities and companies on digital infrastructure projects. <\/p>\n Mr. Robinson noted that the government launched its data centre \u201cplaybook\u201d in the summer \u201cto ensure Ontario is well positioned to benefit from the tremendous economic opportunities AI adoption will bring, while protecting critical data, safeguarding people\u2019s information and ensuring Canadians\u2019 data stays in Canada.\u201d The framework requires data centres to pay their full electricity costs and invest in communities. <\/p>\n In Centre Wellington\u2019s council chambers, as the view through tall windows turned from daylight to sunset to inky black night, the mayor and councillors voted unanimously to pass a one-year moratorium on data centres. Light applause rippled from the crowd. <\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a>Local Matters: More from The Globe and MailThe Decibel podcast<\/p>\n The Canada-U.S. trade war looms large in the local elections of Sault Ste. Marie,<\/a> a steel town across the river from Michigan. Reporter Patrick White spoke with The Decibel<\/a> about the people he met there and their hardships. Subscribe for more episodes.<\/a><\/p>\n North Bay, Ont.: plans to demolish birthplace of ringette take spotlight in municipal elections<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/resizer\/v2\/QPHIIONHBNBSRA2UWXFJ7NHKNI.JPG?auth=0333104c956611f129ee1d152954167fcaefc208b41088d05abeed7bf3a53cd0&width=600&height=400&quality=80&smart=true\")
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