Ontario Greens call for a moratorium on new AI data centres

August 6, 2026

QUEEN'S PARK — Ontario Greens are calling for a moratorium on new AI data centres in Ontario until the provincial government has studied and regulated their effects.

“This is about putting communities over corporations and protecting the places we love from unregulated takeover,” said Schreiner. 

“There are serious concerns with AI data centres, including the risks they pose to our air and water, the amount of energy they consume and their economic impact on our communities. 

“There are also serious concerns about who benefits from the construction of these AI data centres. Many of them are built by American tech giants who want us to believe that they are the ones with the power here—but that is not the case.

“The Ford government has not yet put proper safeguards in place to ensure that the construction of these data centres won’t harm our communities, and that any benefits are for community members and workers, not American big-tech billionaires.

“That is why we’re calling for a moratorium on building new AI data centres in Ontario until we have proper regulations in place to protect people and communities.”

Schreiner was joined by Ilham Abdulkadir, an organizer with Water Waters and Shelly Agius, co-chair of the Toronto chapter of the Council of Canadians. 

“Protecting water cannot be an afterthought. It must be the foundation of how we plan for the future,” said Abdulkadir.

“The question before us is not whether Ontario should pursue new technologies. It is how we will protect the water that sustains our communities before locking ourselves into a future that demands more from it.”

“This is about transparency and about what a true democracy looks like,” said Aguis. 

“It’s time for the Ford government to step up,” said Schreiner. “We must protect our water for communities, not corporations. We need to ensure people are not on the hook for higher energy bills and that these facilities don’t increase the use of fossil fuels and toxic air pollution. The province has a responsibility to protect the people and places we love from harms like air, water and noise pollution,” said Schreiner.

“We can’t let tech billionaires come in and take over our communities. It’s time to take our power back.”

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