Want to build a data centre in Canada? These are the federal government’s
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The federal government has announced a new framework outlining key expectations for responsible data centre development, as politicians and companies grapple with public pushback to the infrastructure underpinning AI technology.
“If we don’t build the infrastructure of the future here, we will have to buy it from somewhere else. And if we don’t innovate here, we will rent that from someone else,” AI Minister Evan Solomon said at a news conference in Markham, Ont., on Thursday morning.
But Solomon said the federal government is aware that trust is vital for AI development, and the new principles will help people and companies “understand what responsible development looks like and what Canadians expect from projects that are seeking to build in their communities.”
The framework sets out five expectations for data centre projects, saying they must:
- Create lasting local benefits.
- Not shift electricity costs to Canadians.
- Minimize water use and environmental impacts.
- Be transparent about local impacts.
- Bring strategic value to Canada.
According to the federal government, the principles are supported by a “broad cross-section of Canada’s data centre, cloud, artificial intelligence and technology sectors.”
Several top companies are listed as signatories to the framework, including Amazon Web Services, Anthropic, Bell Canada, Cohere, eStruxture, Hypertec, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI and Telus.
AI Minister Evan Solomon announced new frameworks for responsible data centre development on Thursday. Solomon says the principles will allow for ‘more capacity at home’ and push to ‘build responsibility.’
Solomon emphasized the five expectations do not mean there’s a new federal approval process — and do not replace provincial, territorial or municipal responsibilities.
Asked how these expectations will then protect Canadians, Solomon said they have been endorsed by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities — an advocacy group representing more than 2,000 municipalities.
“This is not for the federal government to say what a city, a town, a rural place in a province or territory should ask — but they should be armed with the fact they are beginning not three steps back, but three steps ahead.”
Data centre pushback across Canada
The principles are being released at a time when politicians at all levels of government are facing public pushback about data centres over concerns about noise, costs and environmental impacts.
According to a poll from Leger, which surveyed 1,505 Canadians in July, 46 per cent of respondents viewed data centre development as positive, compared to 37 per cent who viewed it as negative.
But the poll also…
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