Toronto: The Mississauga City Council is set to vote today on implementing a one-year temporary ban on new data center developments, driven by concerns over the intense energy consumption associated with the rapid growth of artificial intelligence.
The proposed municipal moratorium will apply to any data center project requiring more than 10 megawatts of power. The temporary halt is intended to give the city time to evaluate necessary regulations and security standards for high-energy-consuming facilities.
The vote comes as US-based industrial real estate giant Prologis moves forward with plans to build a two-story data center in a business park in northwestern Mississauga.
Following pressure from local lawmakers, the Ontario provincial government released a draft framework last month proposing that data center operators bear their full electricity costs and be charged higher utility rates compared to other industrial consumers.
Last month, Oakville became the first municipality in Ontario to enact a temporary moratorium on data centers, while similar regulatory attempts in Hamilton and Burlington were defeated.
