Ontario Greens are pushing for a moratorium on the development of new AI data centres.
They want to first see rules and regulations that address concerns the public has about the centres.
Concerns about their impact on electricity prices, health and the environment have frequently been raised.
Leader Mike Schreiner says the Ford government has ignored them.
“We have no guardrails. We have no enforceable regulations,” says Schreiner.
“If you look at the government’s playbook, there are so many holes in it, you could drive a truck through it. The playbook, quite frankly, has no enforceable scoring system or measurable limits. There’s a lot of weasel words in there.”
The amount of water data centres use is one of the major concerns.
The centre gives off a lot of heat that requires consistent cooling to prevent its servers from overheating.
Ilham Abdulkadir with the group Water Watchers says it could place increased pressure on local watersheds, municipal water infrastructure, and existing water users.
“We need legislation that puts environmental protection, water security, and the public interest at the forefront, backed by comprehensive and enforceable regulations,” says Abdulkadir.
“Until those safeguards are in place, a moratorium on new and expanded AI data center development is necessary.”
Most of the new AI data centres are planned for southern Ontario.
Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation received funding last year for a pre-feasibility study of a data centre within its area.
Projects have also been considered for other northwestern communities, but none have gone past the initial planning stages.
The Green Party intends to put forward its Private Members Bill this week.
