Canada introduces guidelines, but not regulation, for AI data centres amid growing backlash

The Government of Canada has unveiled a series of guidelines for AI data centres to follow in the country.

AI Minister Evan Solomon detailed the new framework during a press conference in Markham, Ont., which comes amid rising public pushback against data centres. However, Solomon noted that the government lacks the jurisdiction to actually enforce these guidelines.

Per the framework, the federal government calls on companies to create data centres that follow these five principles:

• Must create lasting local benefits
• Must not shift electricity costs to Canadians
• Must minimize water use and environmental impacts
• Must be transparent about local impacts
• Must bring strategic value to Canada

The government says this framework is intended to “provide greater clarity and certainty for municipalities, helping ensure they have the tools needed to assess projects and make informed local decisions.” It adds that these guidelines are endorsed by a “broad cross-section of Canada’s data centre, cloud, AI and technology sectors,” including Amazon, Bell, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Telus. (Interestingly, Rogers was the only “Big Three” carrier to not be mentioned.)

“These principles set a clear national standard: If you build in Canada, you must build responsibly and transparently and you must build for Canadians,” said Solomon in a statement.

But of course, saying a company “must” do something but not introducing any sort of actual associated legislation is practically meaningless. Indeed, it’s one thing for the ever-greedy Big Tech to say it supports this framework, but if it’s not legally binding in any way, then what reason do they have to abide? In the press conference, Solomon (via Global News) even said that it will ultimately be up to “municipalities or the provinces” to monitor and regulate AI data centre companies.

What Canadians want, ultimately, is actual regulation of data centres. Over the past several months, people across the country have protested data centres due to their significant environmental and energy costs, from heavy water consumption to major carbon emissions. This has led municipalities like Mississauga and Sault Ste. Marie to agree to moratoriums to study their wider impacts.

In the meantime, there are numerous Canadian grassroots efforts to push back against AI data centres. For instance, activist group The Council of Canadians has various ongoing anti-AI data centre initiatives, while a petition calling for AI data centre regulation brought forth by Vancouver East NDP MP Jenny Kwan just surpassed 28,000 signatures.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Government of Canada