Canada eyes 'large-scale' AI data centres amid community pushback
The new national AI strategy includes plans for major data centre development, but 68 per cent of Canadians surveyed oppose having one near their home.
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Canada's newly announced artificial intelligence strategy includes plans for "large-scale" AI data centres, a move sparking growing pushback from communities across the country and the U.S. concerned about local impacts.
Data centres require enormous amounts of energy and resources. A recent Angus Reid survey of 1,800 Canadians released June 1 found 68 per cent would oppose a large AI data centre near their home, citing concerns about energy consumption, environmental sustainability, and effects on local neighbourhoods.
At the same time, nearly half of respondents (46 per cent) support the idea that Canada needs domestic AI infrastructure to maintain technological sovereignty. The balance reflects the tension between national competitiveness and local quality of life.
The AI strategy, written by Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon, describes how the government's plans will require doubling Canada's electricity grid capacity by 2050. That ambition echoes Prime Minister Mark Carney's announcement on May 14.
Arvind Gupta, a computer science professor at the University of Toronto, said community consultation is key. "If you don't consult the community, it becomes really tricky, and the local politicians will then make it really hard for that company to operate," he said. "So it's actually in the company's interest to make sure they're doing proper consultation and really becoming part of that community."
One example of community resistance: in Saskatchewan, an AI data centre was approved despite local protests. Ontario, with its largely decarbonized power grid due to nuclear energy, is seen as a natural home for such facilities—but only if communities are brought into planning from the start.