Mississauga council approves 1-year pause on new data centres

Mississauga city council has unanimously approved a oneyear moratorium on new data centre projects, making the city the latest in Ontario to slow the rapid expansion of AIrelated infrastructure. The temporary freeze applies to proposed data centres with energy demands above 10 megawatts. City officials said the pause will give staff time to review planning rules and consider whether updates are needed to the official plan and zoning bylaw. Councillors said the decision was driven by public concerns about electricity use, water consumption, and noise. The pause also comes as data centres become a major issue in Mississauga’s mayoral race and as the city weighs the future of a proposed 40megawatt project in a business park in the northwest part of the city.