Overview
- Mississauga City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to impose a one-year moratorium that pauses a proposed 50–100 MW hyperscale site near Tenth Line West and Argentia Road.
- Council directed staff to draft an interim control bylaw that blocks new data centres for one year and to develop a protocol for reviewing future applications.
- Local residents and health and environment experts told council they fear higher household electricity costs, heavy freshwater use and the risk of gas-fired backup generation if power shortfalls occur.
- The vote sharpens a theme in Ontario municipal politics ahead of October elections, with candidates running on platforms calling for pauses, stricter rules or faster approvals.
- The decision follows a patchwork of local responses across the region — Vaughan has approved a hyperscale centre nearing completion while Hamilton recently rejected a moratorium after intense lobbying — and highlights a wider gap in municipal zoning and grid planning for large AI data projects.