Could AI data centres come to Essex County? Kingsville deputy mayor wants municipalities to prepare

An aerial view of the Meta data centre, in Dublin, Ireland, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bram Janssen)

Kingsville’s deputy mayor wants Essex County to begin developing policies for artificial intelligence data centres before any proposals arrive at local council chambers.

Deputy Mayor Kimberly DeYong is expected to introduce a notice of motion at Wednesday’s Essex County council meeting asking county administration to review existing land-use policies related to data centres and work with local municipalities to develop a planning framework.

The motion follows unanimous support from Kingsville council.

“I’m not aware of any imminent applications,” DeYong told CTV News.

“But I know when they come, they come quick. And I’d like us to be prepared for that.”

DeYong said municipalities currently have little policy guidance for evaluating data centre proposals and believes that leaves councils vulnerable if an application is submitted.

“When you don’t have policy in place, then you don’t have any regulatory backing to help your decision,” she said.

“If you decide this might not be the right place or the right fit for the community, and you don’t have policy to enforce it, then you have no mechanism to say no.”

She said municipalities need a better understanding of potential environmental, infrastructure, and human health considerations before making planning decisions.

“Ontario has no regulatory framework right now, it seems,” DeYong said.

“So, it’s being left up to municipalities to figure out.”

DeYong added that Kingsville already has significant demands on its hydro and water infrastructure because of its greenhouse industry, and she personally does not believe a data centre would be a good fit for the municipality.

She said the proposed county review would allow municipalities to make informed decisions based on consistent planning policies.

Amherstburg council has also endorsed motions asking Essex County to study land-use policies related to data centres. Council also requested that staff prepare an interim control bylaw for consideration should a data centre proposal be received, allowing the municipality to temporarily pause certain development while further study is completed.

Councillor Linden Crain said there are still too many unknowns surrounding the facilities.

“A big one that’s been raised to council, myself, would be the impact on power and the impact on water consumption,” Crain said.

Crain said he has not heard of any active discussions or proposals involving a data centre in Amherstburg.

Speaking with CTV News on July 9 following the announcement that Meta plans to build a major data centre in Alberta, CTV Science and Technology Specialist Dan Riskin said concerns over electricity use, water consumption, and other local impacts are becoming increasingly common as the industry expands.

“These things use a ton of electricity,” Riskin said.

“A lot of them use a lot of water to cool those computers.”

Riskin noted that data centres are already operating or planned in several parts of Canada, saying governments will increasingly need to balance economic opportunities with environmental and infrastructure considerations.

DeYong’s notice of motion is expected to be introduced Wednesday, with a final vote anticipated at Essex County council’s Aug. 5 meeting.