AI Data Centres

My position on AI data centres in Milton is no - not now, and not without rules Milton controls. While Canada should build its own computing capacity and data sovereignty without depending on the US, my focus is on what is in the best interest of those who call Milton home - for their families, their health, bills, investment and opportunities that build our town. My position is not based on fear as someone who has written a book published by Springer on AI and Education, please see the following facts and reasoning:

What we know: A large data centre uses as much electricity as a small city and creates very few permanent jobs - the best available research puts it at roughly 20 to 30 staff per 100 megawatts once construction ends. Milton's problem is not a shortage of data centres. It's a shortage of careers close to home. Cooling equipment runs 24 hours a day, and communities in Virginia, New Jersey, Illinois and Arizona are dealing with noise complaints their bylaws were not prepared for. Even if you wanted the option to sell your house and leave when the noise bothers you, your property's value will decrease significantly. Families in rural Georgia are suing over well water they say was fouled by data centre construction. On the grid serving Virginia and New Jersey, data centre demand is now the main reason wholesale power prices jumped last year. Milton's infrastructure is already stretched by more than a decade as one of Canada's fastest-growing communities. We are playing catch-up on roads, transit and recreation. We are not prepared for something of this scale.

What we don't know: Ottawa announced principles for data centres this month - lasting local benefits, no shifting of electricity costs, minimal water use, transparency. They are voluntary, with no penalties. Ontario's Playbook is still a draft. No one has shown this town what a proposal would pay in taxes and local investment versus what it would cost us to service. Ontario has had data centres for years in the GTA's industrial corridors; what's new is the scale and the location - large AI facilities on employment land beside neighbourhoods. Nobody in Halton has one operating yet, so nobody in Halton can tell you what it's like to live next to one.

What we need to do: Milton has no zoning rules for data centres. A developer can file on employment land tomorrow, go straight to staff for site plan approval with no council vote, and the town could struggle to refuse. That is exactly Burlington's situation. On September 14, council opposed a one-year pause that would have given us time to write our own rules as those proposing it failed to build consensus before the vote. We learned with the CN hub that when council fails to protect Miltonians. The air quality, the quiet neighbourhoods, and road safety are what is sacrificed when council is slow to act. We don't want to learn it twice.

We need clear rules that govern data centers: data centres defined as their own zoning use requiring council approval; independent noise, water and grid-capacity studies before approval, with noise limits that cover the low-frequency hum, not just decibels; a signed community benefits agreement; and proof the project pays its own way on electricity and servicing. Until then, no, we are not willing to risk the health and safety of Miltonians on a project that has not shown clear benefits to our town. . We must closely watch Burlington's 17-megawatt proposal, and push the province and Ottawa for rules that are binding, not principles that cannot be enforced.

Ask: The truth is one mayor can't do anything about this alone. It takes a team - for people to participate, pressure and exercise their power. Join us to build power with your neighbours, doorknock, make calls and meet people at milton.com!