Oakville and Rocky View County imposed one-year data-center moratoriums; Manitoba rejected a proposed Winnipeg-area project.

Oakville, Ontario, and Rocky View County, Alberta, each imposed a one-year pause on data-center development. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew separately rejected a proposed project outside Winnipeg, saying its disadvantages outweighed its benefits.

A proposed project from Canadian entrepreneur and television personality Kevin O’Leary, described as having capacity of up to 7.5 gigawatts, also faced opposition. Protesters separately opposed a proposed Vancouver data center that had support from multiple levels of government.

Reported community concerns included electricity consumption, noise, environmental effects and the possibility of higher electricity prices. One Angus Reid Institute poll found that 68% of respondents would oppose a large AI data center near their home, while a Leger survey found four-fifths were concerned about possible electricity-price increases and environmental effects.

The Canadian government issued a framework calling for projects to produce long-term local benefits, reduce environmental effects and avoid transferring electricity costs to residents. Amazon, Meta and Anthropic were among the technology companies reported to have signed the associated principles; another report said Canada had five operating large data centers and 159 announced or under-construction projects.