Toronto City Hall
100 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON M5H 2N2 PHC
Attention: Sylwia Przezdziecki
MM43.75 – Ensuring Due Diligence on Data Centres in Scarborough Southwest
by Parthi Kandavel, seconded by Councillor Dianne Saxencillor Jamaal Myers
Dear Mayor Olivia Chow and Members of City Council,
This is to express our strong support for the comprehensive and well-elucidated recommendations in the above noted Member Motion. In essence, the recommendation links a specific data centre application to the staff work directed as a result of an earlier Motion introduced by Councillor Rachel Chernos Lin and approved by City Council on March 25, 2026. Titled “Maintaining Toronto’s Climate and Energy Priorities Through the Review Process for Artificial Intelligence Data Centre Proposals,” it directed City staff to review and improve regulations around AI data centres to protect local climate, energy, and affordability goals.
Concerns regarding environmental impacts, water use, electricity demand, noise, and other issues raised by residents, deserve to be represented clearly, and answered before any decision on a site-specific application is finalized.
We appreciate the Motion and the attention to the issue demonstrated by Councillor Kandavel, and Councillor Dianne Saxe.
Yours truly,
Geoff Kettel
Co-Chair, FoNTRA
Cc: Ron Parkinson, Spokesperson, Scarborough United Neighbourhoods