Mississauga Approves One-Year Moratorium on AI Data Centres

The Mississauga City Council unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on the development of hyperscale AI, enterprise, and cloud computing data centres on July 29, 2026. The decision follows a motion by Councillor Martin Reid to implement an interim control bylaw, pausing construction to allow city officials to develop a planning framework and conduct studies on greenhouse gas emissions, noise, and wastewater servicing.

The move was driven by resident protests against a proposed 220,000 square foot facility at Tenth Line West in the Meadowvale Business Park, with specific concerns regarding the 50-100 megawatt site's water and electricity consumption. City staff will now draft the bylaw and establish a protocol for evaluating future applications. The city also intends to urge Ontario and federal governments to create a coordinated regulatory framework for digital infrastructure.

The moratorium has sparked similar demands from residents in Toronto, where councillors are now weighing the impacts of projects by Microsoft and STACK Infrastructure in Etobicoke and Scarborough. This trend contrasts with Hamilton, which recently rejected a similar moratorium to protect industrial investment. The issue has become a focal point in the Mississauga mayoral race between Mayor Carolyn Parrish, former mayor Bonnie Crombie, and candidate Alvin Tedjo.