August 18, 2026
86
To the Editor:
As the municipal election approaches, candidates in Bruce County should be asked to state clearly where they stand on large-scale data-centre development.
The county may appear attractive to data-centre developers because of its proximity to abundant nuclear generation and the possibility of further expansion at Bruce Power. Municipal officials may naturally see investment, construction work, increased assessment and economic prosperity.
Those potential benefits deserve consideration. But they must not become a substitute for examining the full costs or obtaining informed community consent.
Unlike Waterloo Region, where regional staff has been asked to report on the possible implications of data-centre development, I have seen no evidence that the county is conducting a comparable public assessment.
Before welcoming proposals, the county should independently examine how much electricity and water these facilities would consume; how many permanent local jobs they would actually create; who would pay for new infrastructure; and what effects they could have on farmland, municipal water systems, electricity rates, noise, wastewater and emergency services.
There is also a danger of circular reasoning. Data-centre demand could be used to justify nuclear expansion, while proposed nuclear expansion could then be used to attract data centres. Neither should be presented as inevitable without a full public discussion.
The county has considerable experience with the principle of the “willing host.” That principle should apply here as well. A willing host must mean more than a council resolution passed after negotiations with a developer. It should require full disclosure, independent studies, meaningful public meetings and a clear opportunity for residents to say yes or no.
For a project large enough to reshape a community’s infrastructure, economy or environment, a local referendum may be warranted.
I am not arguing that every data-centre proposal should be rejected. I am arguing that no community should be treated merely as a convenient source of land, water and electricity.
Every candidate seeking a council seat in Bruce County should, therefore, answer a straightforward question: Will you support a policy ensuring that large-scale data centres proceed only after all benefits and costs have been publicly examined — and only with the informed consent of the proposed host community?
That answer should come before an application arrives, not after the important decisions have already been made.
David Wood
Mildmay
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