Ford says Ontarians 'misinformed' about data centres as province releases AI playbook

Ontario Premier Doug Ford asserted that residents are "misinformed" about data centres as his government unveiled a new "data centre playbook" aimed at attracting investment in the province. The announcement comes amid growing opposition from municipalities that have placed moratoriums on data centre development due to environmental, zoning, and noise concerns.

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I think people need to learn a lot more about data centres. You can’t say, ‘I don’t want it in my backyard,’ but we’re going to use all that power and all the information to run the community.

During a news conference in Guelph, Ford urged the public to "learn a lot more about data centres," stating, "You can’t say, ‘I don’t want it in my backyard,’ but we’re going to use all that power and all the information to run the community." He emphasized the need for more data centres to maintain digital sovereignty, warning that the alternative is to be "run over" by the United States.

However, opposition critic Chris Glover of the NDP countered that Ontarians' concerns are legitimate. "We all want jobs, we all want to protect our digital sovereignty, but we don’t want higher water and utility bills, we don’t want environmental destruction and we don’t want the loss of jobs," Glover said, calling for government transparency and a regulatory framework.

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We all want jobs, we all want to protect our digital sovereignty, but we don’t want higher water and utility bills, we don’t want environmental destruction and we don’t want the loss of jobs.

Experts like Evan Light, an associate professor at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Information, questioned the effectiveness of data centres in ensuring data sovereignty. "The reality is that a lot of internet infrastructure is not in Canada, and so we still have traffic transmitting through the United States," Light explained. "Just because you have data centres in Canada doesn’t mean that your data only stays here." Glover echoed this sentiment, noting that American-owned facilities fall under the U.S. Patriot Act, allowing data access without notification.

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We have two choices, either do our own data centres and keep our own data sovereignty, or we let President Trump run us over like he has in other areas.

Ford insisted that the new playbook will attract high-quality projects through a rigorous application process, emphasizing that businesses will not receive preferential treatment. He stated, "We’re not putting a penny into these, I want to see the benefits." However, experts point out that data centres, while construction-intensive, create minimal long-term employment, being "essentially gigantic construction sites for a long time."

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The reality is that a lot of internet infrastructure is not in Canada, and so we still have traffic transmitting through the United States. Just because you have data centres in Canada doesn’t mean that your data only stays here.