Cautionary Tales on Municipal Development
My wife handed me the July 29 copy of the K-W Record, interrupting my scrolling of the
Lincoln Heights Web Page and said I should read the article if I want to be a good
counsellor. It is entitled: “Data Centre ‘spill believed to be natural bacterial bloom.” I
read it. I noticed many vague references in the article, such as “is believed to be a
naturally occurring bacterial bloom “ and “was likely a result of a natural process.”
Seeking clarity, this led me down a rabbit hole of Google digs and a nightmare awareness
of one of the reasons I got into this campaign in the first place.
Water sustainability, good governance, not only at the level of municipal government, but
drawing attention to regional and provincial follies as well.
In addition to the 770-acre industrial park that the Provincial government is promoting
against all logic given the constraints of water sustainability from our aquifers, the fact
that a data centre proposed here would draw an inordinate amount of resources in terms
of water and electricity while adding few permanent jobs. We already have half a dozen
AI centres in the region. By provincial predictions, the establishment of such centres
would draw 13 percent of the provincial power supply. This may give us access to better
ChatGPT potential, but at what cost?
The AscentTori Data Centre in Cambridge may be innocent of environmental crimes this
time, but such centres are a potential threat to the environment and to people's health. It
is not just water they use for cooling purposes. They also use the equivalent of antifreeze
and other cooling chemicals, some of which do not break down to harmless forms if
released from their so-called safe cooling loops within the plants. Liver and kidney
damage but two of the dangers.
I am not opposed to technology. Artificial intelligence will undoubtedly transform
healthcare, education, scientific research, and business. However, I believe it is my
responsibility as a citizen—and as someone seeking public office—to ask whether
Waterloo Region is prepared to host large AI data centres at a time when our own water
supply and infrastructure are under increasing strain.
The Region has already acknowledged that the Mannheim water system, which serves
Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Wilmot, and surrounding communities, faces significant
water capacity constraints. Regional officials have made it clear that future growth is nowlimited not because groundwater has disappeared, but because the existing system of
wells, treatment facilities, storage, and distribution has reached practical operating limits.
Against this backdrop, I believe every proposal for a large AI data centre deserves
rigorous public scrutiny.
Many modern AI data centres rely on water cooling systems to remove the enormous heat
generated by thousands of computer processors operating continuously. Although
technologies differ—some recycle much of their cooling water while others rely more
heavily on air cooling—the largest facilities can still require substantial water supplies.
Before any approvals are granted, residents deserve to know exactly how much water will
be consumed, whether potable groundwater will be used, and whether that water would
otherwise support homes, businesses, agriculture, or future residential development.
AI computing is exceptionally energy intensive. A single large data centre may require as
much electricity as a sizeable industrial operation. If several such facilities locate within
Waterloo Region, substantial investments in electrical infrastructure may be required.
Those costs should not quietly become the responsibility of taxpayers or ratepayers. I
believe the companies benefiting from these developments should bear the cost of the
infrastructure necessary to support them.
I am concerned about environmental risks associated with cooling systems. Most modern
data centres employ closed-loop cooling systems that greatly reduce the risk of coolant
releases. Nevertheless, no industrial system is entirely risk-free. Mechanical failures,
equipment leaks, or accidental spills involving refrigerants or cooling fluids could occur.
If facilities are located near groundwater recharge areas or environmentally sensitive
lands, even a low-probability event deserves careful planning, containment measures, and
continuous monitoring. Ascent Tori Data Centre in Cambridge may be off the hook this
time but…
Heat is another issue that deserves attention. AI servers generate enormous quantities of
waste heat twenty-four hours a day. Unless this heat can be recovered for useful purposes,
such as district heating or industrial applications, it represents a significant waste of
energy while adding to local cooling requirements.
I believe cumulative impacts must be considered. One data centre may appear
manageable. Several large facilities operating simultaneously could place increasing
pressure on water supplies, electricity infrastructure, transportation networks, and
emergency services. Individual environmental assessments often fail to account for the
combined effect of multiple developments over time.The debate surrounding Wilmot illustrates why these questions matter. Residents have
already expressed concerns about groundwater withdrawals while Regional Council has
debated increasing water transfers from Wilmot wells to help address regional supply
constraints. Those discussions demonstrate that water is becoming one of Waterloo
Region’s most valuable strategic resources.
In my view, the question is not whether AI data centres should be prohibited. The
question is whether they should proceed only after independent studies demonstrate that
they will not compromise our long-term water security, overwhelm our electrical
infrastructure, threaten environmentally sensitive lands, or transfer hidden costs onto
local taxpayers.
Water is not simply another utility. It is the foundation upon which every family, every
neighbourhood, and every future business depends. Once the limits of a groundwater
system are exceeded, recovery is neither quick nor inexpensive. Is the province ready to
build us a pipeline to Lake Erie?
Technology should serve our communities—not consume the very resources upon which
those communities depend. That is why I believe Waterloo Region must place long-term
environmental sustainability and public transparency ahead of the race to attract the next
generation of AI or other Industrial Park development investment.
On a provincial level, Premier Ford is doing all in his power to erode the power of local
municipalities, including regional government, in order to promote his agenda. The
Regional Chair will be appointed; local city councillors will have less voice, as will
public school trustees, all of which forms a pattern, making it easier to promote
provincial patterns of development, like industrial development in less-than-desirable
locations, strain on resources, like our local water supply and the reduction of our own
democratic voice in Waterloo and Region.
The province's claim that “the region’s water capacity restraints are related to the Wilmot
land assembly or to insufficient groundwater availability is misguided. The constraints
are a result of limited capacity of municipal water infrastructure in the region” (Minister
of the Environment Conservation and Parks, Todd McCarthy).
This quote from the Minister implies that our aquifers, which took thousands of years to
charge, represent an unlimited supply of water that will last for centuries. I think this is a
dangerous and foolish route to follow. Even our own Karen Redman has said on record
that with improved water infrastructure, our water issues have been solved. This is an
entirely false, short-term point of view to adopt, which will soon lead to future water
shortages, building freezes, economic stagnation, and human suffering.My wife is right: if I want to be a good counsellor, and I do, and you informed citizens,
we have to be aware of our environment and how we are being led. I give a cautionary
tale of how Ford and his party, along with regional government initiatives, are leading
away from local representation, ignoring sustainability issues and walking this region into
a perilous journey where we should all fear to tread. I know too I, if elected, am a small
voice, but in my campaign at least I wish to bring awareness to certain key issues.
