Pause AI Data Centres

Companies are looking to build mega AI data centres across Ontario. These aren't ordinary buildings. They're warehouse-sized facilities packed with computers that run the AI boom, and they drink staggering amounts of electricity and water to stay cool.Communities from Oakville to Hamilton to Sault Ste. Marie are finding out about these projects after the plans are already drawn. People are asking reasonable questions. What happens to our water? What happens to our hydro bills? What does this actually bring us?So far, nobody has answered them. Nothing requires a company to consult the people living next door, nothing guarantees these costs stay off your bill, and not a single approval has been paused while it gets sorted out.Marit Stiles and the the Ontario NDP are calling for a pause on new mega AI data centre approvals until Ontario has real rules. Rules that guarantee your hydro bill won't cover the cost, that require environmental assessments, and that give your community a say before the shovels go in.

Authorized by the CFO of the Ontario NDP.

Check your community

What's proposed near you?

Councils across Ontario are dealing with this right now. Find out where yours stands.

(function(){ /* ============================================================ EDIT HERE. One object per community. status: "paused" | "live" | "none" scale / scaleNote: optional. Leave out if you don't have a verified number. Do not guess these. ============================================================ */ var PLACES = [ { name:"Oakville", status:"paused", chip:"Paused", date:"August 2026", what:"Oakville became the first municipality in Ontario to enact a one-year moratorium on new data centres. The pause holds for now, but the province, not your council, has the final say on who connects to the grid." }, { name:"Mississauga", status:"live", chip:"Live fight", date:"Vote pending", what:"Residents packed a five-hour council meeting and pushed council to move on a pause. The American developer behind the proposal has threatened to appeal the decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal." }, { name:"Hamilton", status:"none", chip:"Pause rejected", date:"July 15, 2026", what:"Council voted down a proposed pause 10 to 6, after hundreds of residents turned out with questions about water, noise and electricity. A large proposal on the waterfront lands is still moving." }, { name:"Toronto", status:"live", chip:"Live fight", date:"Motion pending", what:"A proposed expansion on Danforth Avenue in Scarborough would grow from 8 megawatts to 56 on a 19-acre campus. The city has asked the province for clear rules. Residents are pushing council to go further.", scale:"56 MW", scaleNote:"Roughly what tens of thousands of homes draw. Proposed for one site, up from 8 MW today." }, { name:"Milton", status:"live", chip:"Live fight", date:"In the queue", what:"Developers have asked Ontario's grid operator for more than 1,000 megawatts of capacity in Milton alone. No provincial rules require anyone to consult you first.", scale:"1,000+ MW", scaleNote:"More capacity requested in one town than many mid-sized cities draw at peak." }, { name:"Burlington", status:"none", chip:"Pause rejected", date:"2026", what:"Councillors voted down a moratorium while city staff review a data centre proposal. Nothing currently requires the proponent to consult residents before approval." }, { name:"Sault Ste. Marie", status:"none", chip:"Approved", date:"December 2025", what:"A project was approved and construction is moving ahead. Residents have started a petition asking for answers about power and water use." }, { name:"Armour Township", status:"paused", chip:"Withdrawn", date:"June 2026", what:"The developer withdrew plans for a two-megawatt facility after sustained public opposition. Proof that speaking up early changes outcomes." } ]; /* Shown when someone picks "My community isn't listed" */ var FALLBACK = { name:"Your community", status:"live", chip:"Could be next", date:"No proposal on the public record yet", what:"Nothing has been announced near you that we know of. That's exactly how it went in every community on this list, right up until it wasn't. Ontario has no rule requiring anyone to tell you before a project is proposed. Add your name now and we'll let you know if something is filed near you." }; /* Your NewMode action URL */ var ACTION_URL = "https://win.newmode.net/ontarionewdemocraticparty/pausedatacentres"; /* ---------------- build ---------------- */ var sel = document.getElementById('pdc-select'); var btn = document.getElementById('pdc-go'); var out = document.getElementById('pdc-result'); if(!sel || !btn || !out) return; PLACES.slice().sort(function(a,b){ return a.name.localeCompare(b.name); }) .forEach(function(p){ var o = document.createElement('option'); o.value = p.name; o.textContent = p.name; sel.appendChild(o); }); var other = document.createElement('option'); other.value = "__other__"; other.textContent = "My community isn't listed"; sel.appendChild(other); function esc(s){ return String(s).replace(/[&<>"']/g, function(c){ return {'&':'&','<':'<','>':'>','"':'"',"'":'''}[c]; }); } function render(p){ var cls = p.status === 'paused' ? 'pdc-c-paused' : (p.status === 'live' ? 'pdc-c-live' : 'pdc-c-none'); var scale = ''; if(p.scale){ scale = '
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' + scale + 'Tell Ford: Hit Pause →' + '

One minute · Straight to the Premier’s office

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