After hundreds protest Hamilton data centre proposal, committee denies planning application

After audience from hundreds of people opposed to a proposed information centre, a sir william rowan hamilton preparation tribunal denied a developer's application program to split a plot of land on which the company is considering such a facility.

"In a lot of years, I've never seen that kind of outcome from the public," tribunal member Robert Reid said Thursday evening after the day-long meeting at city hall.

It is unclear if the developer will appeal the decision or continue with its proposal even without the land change.

Ahead of the raucous planning meeting Thursday morning, chants of “f--k AI” filled Hamilton’s city council chambers as dozens packed the public gallery and over a hundred waited in the halls. 

Over more than eight hours in the council chambers, dozens of community members addressed a local planning tribunal tasked with deciding whether development company Slate Asset Management could split a roughly 324-hectare lot it owns into two parts. 

In Slate’s planning application, it noted one possible use on the smaller plot of land would be “hyperscale and enterprise data centres.”

The possible construction of a data centre galvanized community opposition. City staff said the 1,688 people that submitted comments on the land-severance application was possibly a record. 

He said he and others are worried about noise, pollution and effects on drinking water.

“People in Hamilton seem to be in touch with that reality,” he said. 

Throughout North America, the growth of AI has accelerated the development of the physical places that store, process and run data and software. Canada already has 5 hyperscale data centres. Another 96 are in development.

Some protesters in Hamilton held signs that were against the use of artificial intelligence more broadly, in addition to opposition to bringing a data centre to Hamilton. 

People told the committee they worry about the impact of AI on the environment, employment, and creativity, and shared fears about pollution from a data centre negatively affecting their health.

The site "meets all the regulations," for the severance Reid said when the time came to vote, but "because of residents, the way they came out today and voiced their opinions, I would like a motion to deny the severance."

People applauded as other members raised their hands, passing the motion.

At the meeting, Gerry Tchisler of MHBC Planning Urban Design & Landscape Architecture represented the company. He stressed that separating 76 hectares on the east side of the lot would advance overall development at 386 Wilcox St., but would not hasten the creation of a data centre.

According to the government website, the program includes an "open call for applications to build a large-scale sovereign public AI supercomputer for Canadian researchers and innovators."

Slate said the proposal is not about training AI, but about ensuring Canada has data storage capacity and access to high-performance computing.

Slate says it has not made any decision about building a data centre or who might store data in one. However, the company says that if it does build one, it believes it can operate such a facility in a way that will mitigate people’s concerns. 

It says a Steelport data centre would use existing infrastructure at the former steel mill site, preventing an impact on the area’s electricity grid. It also says it could cool the data centre with water from the bay, preserving more of the resource than other cooling techniques.

Tsergas said that did not assuage his worries.

“It really benefits them to say those sorts of things, he said. “Frankly, I don't believe them.”

Many residents who spoke before the committee Thursday called for greater scrutiny of any data centre proposal.

Waterdown resident Chase Alford said he wanted the committee to impose conditions on the lot severance, including water and energy use disclosure.

“I’m not asking you to end the data centre. I’m asking you to look out for the residents of Hamilton,” said Alford, who is registered to run for council in Ward 15. 

Lisa Kearns — city councillor for Ward 2 in Burlington, Ont., who also attended — said she grew up near Hamilton's industrial area and saw first-hand the effects of pollution.

Kearns, who has declared she will run for mayor of Burlington, urged the committee to deny the application to buy time for elected officials to “unlock new legislative tools to address [data centres].”

Slate has noted data centres are one of several approved uses of the former steel mill site under its industrial zoning. Its plans for the wider lot is a mixed-use development called Steelport, which it says would bring $10 billion in investment and 30,000 jobs to the region.

Hamilton Ward 3 councillor Nrinder Nann has said she wants to move a motion to help develop a local framework for data centres.

Hamilton is one of multiple communities in which residents have protested data centre projects, including Vancouver and Regina. The federal government is promoting data centre construction, citing economic benefits and the ability to keep Canadian data within the country.  

Canada's new AI strategy aims to serve all Canadians, Carney says

He said guidance around public consultation on data centres and governance of how they use water is lacking.

Ahead of the committee meeting Thursday morning, staff and security turned some people away from entering the council chambers as many loudly voiced their opposition. 

Workers told people that while there were open seats, some were reserved for members of the media and city staff. 

While comments during the meeting were testy at times — including when people heckled committee chair Melvin Switzer for asking speakers not to repeat points others made previously — many delegates thanked the committee, and the meeting ended with Switzer thanking everyone.

Adeola Egbeyemi, an environmental advocate who spoke against the land severance, said "sustainable engagement" will be important going forward to those opposed to a data centre.

"My hope is that Hamiltonians see this as the beginning and buckle up," she said, smiling. "I love this city."

Reporter

---

---