Ford to municipalities opposing data centres: 'Either we do it, or Donald Trump's going to do it'
Ontario Premier Doug Ford at a data centre in Guelph. Photo: Doug Ford / X
By Cloe Logan
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says it’s “ironic” and “hypocritical” for municipalities to oppose data centre development.
Over the past few months, cities and towns across the province have been grappling with data centre development within their bounds. This week, Oakville city council voted unanimously in favour of enacting a one-year moratorium on data centres. A similar bylaw failed in Hamilton, while a final vote on the same legislation is pending in Mississauga.
Ford was in Guelph at a provincial data centre on Thursday when he announced the province’s framework for its Data Centre Playbook, which is open to public comment for 30 days. He also responded to questions about the bubbling concerns in municipalities about how to regulate the industry.
He said municipalities need data centres to support their businesses, AI use and hospitals, along with computer services and social media for residents. Larger data centres will pay more for energy than existing industrial projects, he said.
“You can't say, ‘I don't want it in my backyard, but by the way, we're going to use all that power and all the information and the data centres to run my community.’ It just doesn't add up,” said Ford.
“This is the way of the future. Either we do it, or Donald Trump's going to do it. And I'm not giving Donald Trump nothing, absolutely nothing.”
A media slide deck on the new Data Centre Playbook confirms that the legislation gives the province final say on AI data centre approvals, but Ford said he would rather a data centre “go to a willing host.” He also said it would be up to the municipality “to pass a resolution if they want a data centre.”
Bill 40, also known as the Protect Ontario by Securing Affordable Energy for Generations Act, empowers the minister of energy and mines to allow data centre projects to connect to the grid if they “serve the province's economic interests.”
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