QUEEN’S PARK – MPP for Guelph Mike Schreiner and MPP for Kitchener Centre Aislinn Clancy are set to table a bill calling on the government to enact a moratorium on new or expanded AI data centres.
“The government is rolling out the red carpet for American tech giants to come in and build AI data centres wherever they want. But our communities did not sign up to be testing grounds for tech billionaires,” said Schreiner.
“We need a moratorium now to protect the people and places we love from unregulated takeover.”
“AI data centres put our jobs, health, electricity bills and environment at risk. They raise serious concerns about noise pollution and water use. That’s why we’ve seen people across the province standing up to say NO.
The government isn’t listening. They have failed to put real rules in place to keep our communities safe. There are no enforceable requirements to ensure that AI data centres benefit people before tech billionaires.”
This week, Schreiner and Clancy will table the Artificial Intelligence Data Centre Moratorium Act.
If passed, this bill would enact a moratorium on building new AI data centres in Ontario until we have proper regulations in place to protect people and communities. Suggested regulations would be prepared by an advisory committee made up of experts in AI, digital information, water and land use planning.
“Data centers in Canada run by US-based operators make our data subject to US legal demands which deprives us of our right to true digital sovereignty. That is irresponsible leadership. A moratorium is the first step towards risk prevention and getting data centres right. Good projects aren’t afraid of good rules. People and the planet cannot be treated as collateral in the name of economy and innovation,” said Bea Bhardwaj, a systems governance researcher focussed on AI infrastructure.
“We shouldn’t have to wait for a crisis to realize the rules aren’t keeping pace with the scale and speed of AI data centre development. Ontario has both an opportunity and a responsibility to get this right before the damage is done. Our water, our environment and our communities cannot be an afterthought,” said Ilham Abdulkadir, Organizer, Water Watchers.