AI Data Centres in Canada: What Do They Mean for our Energy, Environment and Communities?
Anabella McElroy, coordinator at the Dialogue on Technology Project, Dialogue and Engagement Unit
As the federal government and private industry begin to invest billions in data centre construction across Canada, communities and researchers are wrestling with the potential energy and climate costs. What are the implications of this nationwide build out – and what conditions would create the social license for these developments?
Canada’s AI data centre buildout is accelerating
Across Canada, AI data centre projects are being planned with private investment and billions in promised public funding through the federal Sovereign Compute Strategy. Decision-makers and community members are racing to weigh the potential economic benefits alongside data centres’ escalating resource consumption, with implications for electricity grids, water resources, and Canada’s climate commitments. And in communities where companies are seeking approval to build, concerns and opposition are growing.
What will AI infrastructure mean for Canada’s environment?
What could data centre buildout mean for Canada’s environment? What options do local and national leaders have to regulate this new industry? And what conditions, if any, will determine whether AI infrastructure proposals gain the social license to operate?
To dig into these questions and more, join us on November 19 for a conversation bringing together Canadian experts in technology, climate policy and AI infrastructure. This event is co-presented by , Â鶹ÊÓƵClimate Innovation, Â鶹ÊÓƵPublic Square, the Dialogue on Technology Project (DoT) and the .
Meet the experts joining the conversation
Panelist Paris Marx is a Canadian tech critic and host of the acclaimed Tech Won’t Save Us podcast. He speaks around the world about the politics of technology and writes the Disconnect newsletter. Paris is the author of Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Big Tech’s Data Empires.
Sean Mullin is a Senior Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy whose work focuses on AI, sovereignty and economic competitiveness. As a special advisor to the Prime Minister, he helped launch Canada’s Sovereign Compute Strategy. Sean is the author of Sovereign by Design: Strategic Options for Canadian AI Sovereignty, which sets out a comprehensive framework for Canadian digital and AI sovereignty.
Kate Harland is Research Director, Clean Growth at the Canadian Climate Institute with over 15 years of climate and policy experience spanning three continents. Kate has written extensively about the fact that Canada’s AI and electricity strategies can and should be mutually reinforcing. She is the co-author of the 2026 CCI report, Power Play: How to Supercharge Canada’s Clean Energy Advantage.
The panel, and audience Q&A, will be moderated by Isaac Phan Nay, labour and work life reporter at The Tyee, who has extensively covered data centre development from community, policy, and taxation perspectives.
Join the conversation: AI: Energy, Environment and Community
Cut through the noise and hear directly from experts about what AI infrastructure could mean for Canada. This evening features experts Paris Marx, Sean Mullin and Kate Harland in a nuanced panel conversation moderated by The Tyee’s Isaac Phan Nay. There will also be an opportunity for audience Q&A, so bring your questions.
Date: November 19, 2026
Doors open: 6:30 pm
Panel and Q&A: 7:00–8:30 pm
Location: Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema, Â鶹ÊÓƵGoldcorp Centre for the Arts, 149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
