By: Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press

The County of Essex will spend up to $150,000 for the completion of a County-specific study on the framework for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and High- Density Data Centres.

The funds will come from the Rate Stabilization Reserve.

Council for the County of Essex unanimously approved this during the September 2 meeting, where the initial report on the matter was received. That initial report was requested through a Notice of Motion Kingsville Deputy Mayor Kim DeYong put forward – and received support from her County Council colleagues – in August. That original motion asked Administration to outline the scope, public engagement strategy, and resource requirements needed to study land-use planning policies for AI data centres.

Rebecca Belanger, Manager of Planning Services for the County of Essex, said the initial report she provided County Council last week detailed jurisdictional overlap and addressed the approval processes relating to large-scale AI data centers. She noted the County’s role is actually quite limited as it relates to this.

While the County was preparing this initial report, she noted the Province of Ontario released the Draft Data Center Playbook, seeking feedback with a deadline of September 12.

Belanger noted the Playbook is specifically a framework that outlines how the Province will make grid connection decisions. It contains specific guidance and criteria that must be met for new large-scale AI data center proposals to be approved for connection to the electricity grid. The final draft is slated to be available by the end of the year.

This initial report – including recommendations County staff have put together on the matter – will be sent to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), County Council also voted. This will seek consideration of the County’s feedback and express support for AMO’s advocacy position to establish a trilateral siting strategy. That would support the meaningful inclusion of municipalities in the evaluation and approval/denial for large-scale data centers, she said. It also requested the delay and finalization of the Playbook to address identified concerns, including necessary legal mechanisms for the protection of residents and the environment of host communities.

The feedback to be sent to AMO from the County on the developing provincial Playbook includes building extra monitoring protocols, ensuring there are protections for municipalities, and that community benefits are understood.

Belanger added that the recommendation for a trilateral collaborative siting strategy would include municipalities, the province, and the federal government, while working towards data sovereignty. It will look at the reality that data centers are coming to Canada and where they could be most

appropriately located to accomplish objectives with the least environmental impacts.

She added the County does not have an appropriate land use in Essex County to consider a data center right now. That land use planning framework is needed to process and consider what types of policies are needed in local Official Plans to consider this type of land use, and outline what are the other regulations, protections, and bylaws that are needed should a data center proponent come forward that will help the municipality to process that.

Lakeshore Deputy Mayor Kirk Walstedt read the report, but didn’t see the advantage of the County spending $90,000 to $150,000 on it. He said the County’s jurisdiction is somewhat limited, so he believes this type of issue should be up to the individual municipalities.

He was concerned that at the end of the study, one of the conclusions could possibly point to one municipality being better suited to host data centers than another. He didn’t want to spend money on a report that would do that.

Walstedt did not want to see the County lean into a left hook.

CAO Sandra Zwiers said there was nothing in the recommendation for the report that seeks to evaluate acceptable sites within the County of Essex.

Deputy Mayor of Essex, Rob Shepley, believed the study would be looking through a lens of the local municipalities. Belanger noted that was correct. The intent of the study is to look at the County Official Plan – which acts as a roadmap for development for 25-years, local Official Plans, the specifics of municipal zoning bylaws, site plan control bylaws, and even recommendations relating to other local by-laws.

“This is such a unique land use and the implications associated with this land use are something we’ve never contemplated before,” Belanger explained.

Initially, Shepley was of the same opinion as Walstedt in that the County would not broadly be able to do a whole lot if looking at the matter through the county lens. But looking at it through the municipal lens, he could support moving forward with the study.

DeYong agreed with the scope of the study, noting she believed Belanger hit everything previously discussed.

“It shows how little is actually known about this; that we need this information and it’s not easily attained right now,” DeYong said.

The most important point, she believes, is that municipalities must be offered a first right of refusal prior to the Province approving any grid connections for this industry.

As the Province hasn’t decided what it wants to do yet, DeYong believes the County is in a bit of a fortunate situation as it can get a little bit ahead of it.

She added if the local municipalities want to put in an Interim Control By- Law (ICB) – which would study the issue for a year, with a possible one-year extension – the County being able to produce the study on behalf of all seven municipalities makes sense to her.

Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara said the study makes sense as it will give the County time to put something together and that it is critical all municipalities have access to a grid template in terms of what should be and shouldn’t be done.

In answering LaSalle Deputy Mayor Mike Akpata on what would happen with this study if an upper level of government mandates AI data centers, Belanger said she believes the study will provide helpful and hopefully useful information no matter what. If they do become mandated, the County will consider its options at that point.

Presently, she added, County and municipal documents and official plans and zoning bylaws don’t address data centers at all. The County will just have to take a wait- and-see approach as to whether or not they do become mandated at some point.

Belanger assured Akpata also that while conducting this study, there will be an opportunity for public consultation. One of the recommendations the County will put forward in response to the Provincial Playbook is that proponents of data centers also go through a public engagement process of their own.

Amherstburg Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb said this study is allowing the County to be proactive and to say to residents they are heard, and the County needs to find out answers as well. He believes it’s money well spent, instead of each municipality doing its own.

As County Council approved moving ahead with this regional study, the Request For Proposal to obtain a consultant to complete the study can be prepared and issued by the end of the month.

A draft report addressing AI data centers should be ready during the first quarter of 2027.