Hamilton data centre pause survives first council vote, exemption rejected

Hamilton’s proposed citywide pause on new data centres easily survived its first test before city council, with local legislators rejecting a bid to exempt smaller facilities.

Council voted 15-1 to advance the proposed moratorium, with a final vote expected at next month’s council meeting.

The moratorium is framed as a chance for the city to develop guardrails around data centres powering the artificial intelligence boom.

The lone no came from Coun. Brad Clark, who backed a failed effort to insert an exemption for smaller data centres established to support research.

That motion, defeated 14-2, was drafted by McMaster Innovation Park and its partner s2e Technologies, who want to build a data centre at the former Hamilton Spectator building on Frid Street.

The moratorium’s sponsor, Coun. Nrinder Nann, says the plan is to ensure future data centre decisions prioritize public health, transparency and community-defined benefits over rapid industrial expansion.

“There is a deep democratic value in this pause. Ultimately, it enables good governance to prevail, and it signals how to do business well in our city. We need good rules first,” she said.

By Jordan Omstead