A person in opposition to AI data centres demonstrates outside Hamilton's city hall in July.Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press
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There are several development projects underway for AI data centres in Canada, with plans for many, many more. The Canadian government is behind these projects as it tries to encourage Canadians to adopt the technology and increase Canada’s digital sovereignty by housing data within our borders. But there is a lot of opposition to these data centres from the communities where they’d be built, including in Hamilton, and Île-des-Chênes, Man. Residents worry about the facilities’ water use, power use and environmental impacts.
Today, The Globe’s national reporter Joe Friesen tells us about the projects slated for development in Canada, why so many have faced public backlash, and the balance the government has to strike in deciding how and whether to build these centres in Canada.
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Editor’s note: A previous version of the show notes incorrectly said that Ile des Chênes is in Alberta. This version has been corrected.