This petition opposes the construction of a hyperscale data centre at 0 Tenth Line West, Mississauga, ON, and will be submitted to the Mississauga City Council.
The AI data centre will be 220,000 sq ft and have the potential for 100+ MW of energy capacity, with 14 backup generators. It will be built within 500m of Hustler farm, Hope Church Mississauga, and Lisgar Meadow Brook, and within 2km of four elementary schools.
AI data centres of this size and capacity are new to Canada and carry risks incomparable to the <50MW facilities we are accustomed to.
Emerging evidence shows hyperscale and AI data centres increase utility fees and taxes, worsen cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses, contaminate residential tap water, overload municipal facilities, drain and pollute groundwater and freshwater supplies, emit constant noise, release toxic fumes, and contribute to sweltering summer temperatures.
A basic overview of the risks associated with these facilities can be found at policyalternatives.ca and wri.org.
For more detailed information, please refer to the petition.
Town Hall updates are detailed below.
Town Hall updates are detailed below.
At Town Hall, Prologis made new claims about energy, water, noise, and employment.
Since then, four councillors have initiated a motion proposing a 1-year moratorium, which goes to vote on Wednesday, July 29th at 8:30 AM.
Did Town Hall change anything? Why should I sign the petition?
Since then, four councillors have initiated a motion proposing a 1-year moratorium, which goes to vote on Wednesday, July 29th at 8:30 AM.
Did Town Hall change anything? Why should I sign the petition?
The petition remains necessary to ensure that this development is opposed.
The proposed moratorium does not guarantee opposition to Prologis’ application. We must still secure a majority vote against this data centre within the City Council.
The information provided by Prologis at this meeting and in planning documents to date is insufficient to guarantee resident and environmental safety.
As long as the development is positioned in a high-density area, our stance on Prologis' application extends beyond the moratorium.
Our concerns with Prologis' claims are as follows:
Emissions:
Prologis claimed that the 14 on-site generators would only be used in emergencies. However, back-up generators are often used far more than initially anticipated due to weather changes and grid instability, and are increasingly used alongside demand (see Consumer Reports, Better Data Centre Project, and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute). Data centres often rely on continuously running generators to maintain operations during the coldest months and automatically activate them during minor grid disruptions (resulting in hours of generator use for seconds-long disturbances).
Regardless, we found no studies on air quality and emissions, including during peak demand, emergencies, and extreme temperatures (i.e., below -30°C and above 30°C). While overall emissions are similar to those of other industrial facilities, typically data centre generators emit extremely high concentrations of toxic pollutants. These high concentrations have proven significantly more dangerous to residents' health (see the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, for Time Magazine, and the Better Data Centre Project).
Water Consumption and Heat:
Prologis stated at Town Hall that the facility will require 275,000 L on launch, with a supplementary 2000 L/day for humidification and employee facilities (daily use would be comparable to manufacturing facilities). However, there appears to be little public documentation detailing these requirements; the Functional Servicing report is lacking information, with estimates calculated based on employee count (approximately 50 employees, below the stated 75) rather than on equipment requirements.
Prologis claims it will use a closed-loop system. Generally, these systems use considerably less water than other cooling methods by recirculating water through the facility and rejecting heat to the outside air. Unfortunately, closed-loop systems still carry significant risks that must be investigated prior to approval: microclimate impacts and contaminated water systems. Municipal wastewater facilities may become overloaded during repairs (leading to contaminated drinking water), and valves may leak, potentially contaminating groundwater, the Lisgar Meadow Brook, and storm drains. The chemicals used to maintain this system must be detailed to properly assess environmental and residential harm.
There are no documents available that adequately assess the risks associated with closed-loop systems, nor water consumption relative to anticipated energy capacity (including future demand increases and refills following repairs, emergencies, or leaks). Heat rejection and microclimate impacts related to closed-loop cooling systems have also not been evaluated.
Energy Consumption:
There are no documents available that adequately assess the risks associated with closed-loop systems, nor water consumption relative to anticipated energy capacity (including future demand increases and refills following repairs, emergencies, or leaks). Heat rejection and microclimate impacts related to closed-loop cooling systems have also not been evaluated.
Energy Consumption:
Electrical infrastructure and power demand are largely undisclosed. Prologis has claimed the facility will operate at 35MW at peak capacity and will operate as an AI colocation facility; however, their energy demands have not been detailed in planning documents.
Prologis' Floor Plan documents appear to indicate that 7750 square metres will be dedicated to housing data rack units. At an average of one rack unit per 2.79 square metres and 20-100kw per AI colocation rack, Prologis’ energy requirements are likely to increase with customer demand. Their facility has the potential to easily house upwards of 100+MW - as much as 100,000 households.
We cannot rely on their conservative estimates to assess the data centre’s long-term impact on our power grid, nor on residential utility prices following capacity auctions.
Utility Prices:
While Prologis has stated that it will cover the costs of infrastructure upgrades, we still have concerns regarding the current strain on our electrical grid, the data centre's potential to scale operations, and evidence abroad of data centres offsetting their energy consumption to residents.
Utility Prices:
While Prologis has stated that it will cover the costs of infrastructure upgrades, we still have concerns regarding the current strain on our electrical grid, the data centre's potential to scale operations, and evidence abroad of data centres offsetting their energy consumption to residents.
Speaking on potential risks to Mississauga's grid stability, Planning and Development Committee vice-chair Alvin Tedjo stated that Alectra is currently struggling to keep up with housing-related demands; substantial changes to the city's infrastructure would be required to accommodate the data centre. Our understanding is that infrastructure upgrades would be made primarily during the data centre's construction. Should Prologis choose to upgrade its equipment for its colocation clients before supplementary grid upgrades are completed, the grid will be heavily strained.
Research abroad shows that regardless of infrastructure coverage, modern data centre electricity costs are passed on to customers through a number of legal and under-the-table agreements. One such legal method is capacity auctions, which are routine in Ontario: when capacity prices rise to meet anticipated corporate capacity requirements, they also rise for residents (read more about it in TD's report, under "Concerns about data center impact on electricity prices causing backlash").
Noise:
The noise impact study provided does not consider the duration or frequency of the sounds emitted by the facility, which affect residential and animal well-being, as evidenced by testimony abroad. The study fails to meet the MECP NPC-300 sound level criteria and does not appear to evaluate low-frequency noise, tonal noise, vibration, cumulative equipment operation, future residential receptors, or outdoor amenity areas.
Noise:
The noise impact study provided does not consider the duration or frequency of the sounds emitted by the facility, which affect residential and animal well-being, as evidenced by testimony abroad. The study fails to meet the MECP NPC-300 sound level criteria and does not appear to evaluate low-frequency noise, tonal noise, vibration, cumulative equipment operation, future residential receptors, or outdoor amenity areas.
May I sign the petition online?
Yes! You can sign the petition online here or by going to tinyurl.com/Data-Centre-Petition
The signature will automatically be sent to the organizer at datapetition@gmail.com. The link will always display a brand new blank form; other petitioners will not see your information. Signing is handled in Adobe Acrobat, ensuring your information is protected.
If you do not need or want a personal copy of the signed document, please feel free to use the organizer email, datapetition@gmail.com, when prompted by Adobe for verification. We will verify the signature for you!
May I print the petition out?
When you finish collecting signatures, please scan the document and send it to datapetition@gmail.com.
You can also use Adobe Scan or Microsoft Lens on your phone to take a clear photo if you don’t have access to a scanner!
What information do you need?
What if I don’t know my ward number?
You can search for your ward number here. If you’re still not sure, please leave that section blank, and the organizers will fill it in for you!
Once all signatures have been collected, they will be submitted to the Mississauga City Council for review. As per petition guidelines, this petition will be considered a public document at the City of Mississauga. Thus far, we haven’t been able to find any archived petitions and believe they may only be available to individuals through an FOI request; however, it is mandatory to note that the information contained therein may be subject to scrutiny by the City and Members of Council.
There are tons of data centres in the GTA. Why do you care about this one?
The majority of data centres in the GTA and Canada operate at under 50MW per unit. The proposed data centre will be among the first of its kind, with the potential to operate at an estimated 100+MW based on publicly available floor plans.
The majority of data centres in the GTA and Canada operate at under 50MW per unit. The proposed data centre will be among the first of its kind, with the potential to operate at an estimated 100+MW based on publicly available floor plans.
Unlike the facilities we already have in the GTA, hyperscale and AI data centres increase production to meet industry demand, posing significant risks to their neighbours. Time and again, the companies running these data centres are caught exceeding the water and energy consumption rates promised in their proposals. When this happens, residents and small businesses pay the price.
We understand that data centres are important. We know they are vital to our digital infrastructure.
This petition specifically outlines the dangers posed by hyperscale and AI data centres in high-density areas, such as Argentia and Meadowvale.