Chatham-Kent council is looking to get informed on Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centres and what they mean for communities.
Council voted unanimously in favour of Councillor Ryan Doyle’s motion for administration to create an initial report on the scope of work required for a study, the use of an interim control by-law, information on the current regulatory environment for AI data centres at various levels of government, and the financial considerations, staffing resources and consultants needed to undertake further studies.
“I believe we can’t use the interim control by-law until we are going to do a study,” said Doyle.
“I think this would be the first step in putting an interim control by-law on these and I think this would come back to the next term of council before December and then they will have a chance to vote on it.”
Councillor Michael Bondy had a similar motion but withdrew.
An interim control by-law temporarily restricts land development to allow the municipality to review its planning policies for that specific area.
A copy of the motion will also be shared with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) to express support for their advocacy position on data centres.
According to their website, the AMO wants “clarity and consistency in how data centres are evaluated to help advance projects only where they are the right fit for Ontario’s economy and host community.”
Doyle’s motion comes after a clean-energy manufacturing facility is considering building in the municipality.
The company, Canadian Energies, has ties to data centres and created some discourse in the council chambers at last week’s meeting with Mayor Darrin Canniff reiterating that if the company builds in the area it is only to manufacture parts to support data centres.