Media Watch – Data Centres
Nathan Bawaan from the Hamilton Spectator asks Rob Cooper a series of questions around if Rob supports data centres coming to Hamilton.
By Nathan Bawaan
Published August 22, 2026
Question 1: Do you support data centres coming to Hamilton? Why or why not?
I don’t think this should be framed as being either for or against data centres.
Any proposed data centre should be evaluated on its individual merits, including its potential economic benefits, infrastructure requirements, electricity and water demands, environmental and community impacts, and any potential risks to residents.
My responsibility is to make sure Hamilton has the appropriate safeguards in place and that decisions are based on evidence. If a proposal can meet those requirements and demonstrate a clear benefit to Hamilton without imposing unreasonable costs or risks on residents, it should be considered. If it cannot, then it should not proceed.
Question 2: What, if any, regulations or requirements should these server hubs need to follow? Would you push for any new regulations if elected?
Data centres should be subject to clear and enforceable standards governing issues such as electricity and water consumption, infrastructure capacity, environmental impacts, public health and safety, noise, land use and the costs associated with servicing these facilities.
I also believe taxpayers and existing electricity ratepayers should not be expected to subsidize the infrastructure or electricity requirements of data centre developments.
The province has already established legislation and is developing additional regulations for the sector. Hamilton needs to understand exactly what those rules will cover before determining where additional municipal measures may be necessary.
As Mayor, I would work with provincial officials, our utilities, City staff and other experts to identify any gaps in the regulatory framework. Where Hamilton has the jurisdiction to address those gaps, I would support appropriate and evidence-based measures to protect residents.
Question 3: The province recently announced a data centre playbook. What do you think of it?
I think the province is moving in the right direction by establishing a clearer framework for data centre development.
I particularly support the principle that data centres should pay the full cost of the electricity infrastructure required to serve them and should not shift those costs onto existing ratepayers. Community benefits and the impacts on local infrastructure also need to be part of the equation.
At the same time, this is a provincial framework, and Hamilton still has a responsibility to ensure our local interests are protected. I want to see the final regulations and understand how they will operate in practice before making a definitive judgment.
The appropriate approach is to work with the province and our utilities, assess the effectiveness of the new framework and determine whether there are gaps Hamilton needs to address within its own jurisdiction.
Question 4: You were one of several councillors to flip your stance on the proposed moratorium back in July. Why did you change your position to ultimately oppose the bylaw?
When the issue first came before Council, I wanted more information, which is why I said I was looking forward to receiving the staff report.
By the time of the final vote, Council had received considerably more information from staff, experts and legal counsel, including information provided in closed session that I cannot disclose.
What became clear to me was that the proposed Interim Control By-law would not necessarily accomplish what many residents understandably believed it would.
For example, provincial legislation already regulates aspects of how data centres connect to the electricity system. We also learned that certain undertakings, including university projects such as McMaster’s, can be exempt from an Interim Control By-law under the Planning Act.
The proposed by-law would not itself have created new environmental protections, public-health standards or other safeguards. There were also legitimate questions about its practical effectiveness, the potential for legal challenges, and the related costs that would have been incurred by taxpayers.
My vote was therefore not a vote for or against data centres. It was a decision about whether this particular by-law was an effective legal and policy tool. Based on the information available to Council at the time of the final vote, I concluded that it was not.
Question 5: This moratorium was widely popular across the city. What would you say to supporters of this proposal who might be hesitant to vote for you due to this vote?
I understand why residents supported a pause, and I respect those concerns. But as an elected official, my responsibility is to look beyond whether a proposal is popular and determine whether it will actually accomplish what residents expect it to accomplish.
The vote in July was not about whether Hamilton should have data centres, nor was it a vote on whether environmental or public-health concerns matter. It was about whether that specific Interim Control By-law would provide Council with meaningful additional authority to address the projects causing concern.
Based on the information Council ultimately received, I did not believe it would. I would rather be transparent with residents about the limits of our authority than support a measure that creates an expectation that Council has stopped or regulated something when the by-law may not actually accomplish that.
Residents should expect me to listen to them, take their concerns seriously, examine the evidence and then make the decision I believe is in Hamilton’s long-term interest. That is the approach I took on this vote, and it is the approach I would take as Mayor.
Question 6: Given that Mississauga and Oakville have each separately approved moratorium bylaws, would you consider reviving, or backing, a similar motion?
I don’t believe another moratorium should be our starting point. Hamilton Council considered an Interim Control By-law, received additional information about its legal and practical implications, and ultimately made a decision. My conclusion was that the proposed by-law would not necessarily provide the protections or outcomes many residents expected from it.
Other municipalities have to make decisions based on their own circumstances, proposed developments and legal advice. Hamilton has to do the same. I would rather focus our efforts on determining what measures will actually be effective within Hamilton’s jurisdiction. That means working with the province, our utilities, City staff and experts to understand the implications of data centre proposals for electricity, water, infrastructure, land use, the environment and residents.
If the provincial framework ultimately leaves gaps that Hamilton has the legal authority to address, then Council should consider appropriate additional measures. My position remains neither for nor against data centres as a category. My position is that Hamilton should make these decisions based on evidence, ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, protect taxpayers and residents, and consider each proposal on its own merits.
