Canadians overwhelmingly worried about data centre power bills and environmental damage, poll finds
In a Leger poll, 81 per cent of respondents expressed concern about AI data centres driving up electricity costs, while 79 per cent worry about environmental impacts.
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A large majority of Canadians worry that artificial intelligence data centres will spike their power bills and damage the environment, according to a new Leger poll.
In the survey of 1,505 people conducted between July 10 and July 13, 81 per cent said they are concerned about data centres leading to spikes in household electricity bills. A similar share — 79 per cent — worry about environmental impacts, including the large amounts of electricity and water data centres consume and their greenhouse gas emissions.
When asked about data sovereignty, opinion split. Just under half, 46 per cent, said building data centres to give Canada more control over data would be a good thing, while 37 per cent called it a bad thing. Awareness of data centres among Canadians was relatively high — 62 per cent said they had heard of them.
"We're seeing evidence that there is a bit of a divided opinion amongst Canadians regarding the construction of these data centres around the country," said Andrew Enns, Leger's executive vice-president for Central Canada.
When respondents were asked how they felt about data centres being built in their own provinces, support narrowed. While 44 per cent said they would support such a development, 42 per cent said they would oppose it.
On electricity supply, most respondents — 58 per cent — said provincial governments or electricity providers should supply power for AI data centres. Just under a third said they should do so only if companies pay the full cost of the power and any required infrastructure. Another 31 per cent said data centre companies shouldn't access public electricity and should be responsible for meeting their own energy needs.
There are plans to dramatically expand data centre capacity in Canada, with the vast majority of that work set to take place in Alberta, where the centres could draw power from natural gas plants rather than the electrical grid. Public opposition to data centres has emerged across the country — including in Alberta — and in June, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew rejected plans for a massive data centre southeast of Winnipeg.
By the numbers
What percentage of Canadians worry data centres will raise their electricity bills?
81 per cent of survey respondents said they are concerned about data centres leading to spikes in household electricity bills, according to a Leger poll conducted between July 10 and July 13, 2026.
What percentage worry about data centres' environmental impact?
79 per cent of respondents expressed concern about environmental impacts from data centres, including their consumption of electricity and water and their greenhouse gas emissions.
How many Canadians said they'd heard of data centres?
62 per cent of survey respondents said they had heard of data centres.
What split emerged on building data centres in respondents' own provinces?
44 per cent said they would support data centre construction in their own provinces, while 42 per cent said they would oppose it.
