With news that planning for a 400MW data centre in Sault Ste. Marie is in its early stages, city council has placed a moratorium on approving the centres until rules can be put in place to govern when they should be approved – and rejected. Meeting on Monday evening, councillors had a lengthy debate on how to proceed, eventually agreeing to a motion that would halt the approvals process until new rules are in place. A 50 MW centre has already been approved, and the motion passed Aug. 31 is aimed at centres larger than that. Coun. Angela Caputo originally moved a motion to ban approvals of all data centres but changed the wording to restrict the motion to larger data centres, with the moratorium only remaining in effect until a new policy is in place. Caputo described data centres as a “necessary evil,” but argued that massive data centres aren’t necessary, including data centres that exist to mine data for Bitcoins. “Some of these things should not exist,” she said, since they only work “to make the rich and the ultra-rich even richer.” “We need to stop before we really damage society.” Municipal framework City planner Peter Tenazzo said staff will take a look at what other cities have in place, as well as the provincial playbook for approving data centres, and present a range of options for a framework in the Sault. Tenazzo said the larger the data centre, the more power it consumes, the more water it requires and the more noise it makes. The issue to be decided will be how to handle those larger centres, which have a much bigger impact on communities. A broad framework should be ready by council’s Sept. 21 meeting, after which a long series of public consultations will begin. The goal is to have a policy formally approved by March 2027. Tenazzo said there currently are no rules allowing data centres to be built in the city, so every proposal requires the proponent to apply for rezoning. City CAO Tom Vair said before proposals come to city council, they go through a process with the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), which must approve any large load application to ensure there is enough power from the grid. Building and safety codes must also be followed, Vair said. And under Ontario’s data centre playbook, the province needs to approve all large data centres. The playbook also includes evaluation of economic benefits, data security and benefits to local communities. The motion received unanimous approval.
