Skip to content
BetaVoices
Check a link
BetaVoices
Data centres

Poll finds most Canadians cool to data centres as some municipalities push back

An Angus Reid survey found a strong majority not interested in encouraging the facilities, while a Calgary councillor seeks to halt approvals of large-scale projects

1 min read
88 Trust score
88/100 Well backed by other sources

An independent AI check searched the web for this story's main claims. The newsroom cannot change this score.

  • Confirmed elsewhere 3 of 4
  • Not found either way 1 of 4
  • Disputed elsewhere 0 of 4

Our verification desk checked this story, and an editor approved it before it was published.

See how we checked this
Poll finds most Canadians cool to data centres as some municipalities push back

A recent Angus Reid poll found a strong majority of Canadians were not interested in data centres when asked whether their province should encourage or limit them, the Calgary Herald reported in its graphic of the week.

The findings come as businesses and governments promote the benefits of building and operating the facilities, while people express doubts about their effects on communities, the Herald said.

Albertans were among both the biggest proponents and the biggest opponents of data centre construction at the same time, according to the poll.

Some municipalities are also pushing back. A Calgary city councillor is trying to stop approvals for large-scale data centres until policy gaps are addressed, the Herald reported.

Supporters point to job creation. Opponents have raised concerns about the facilities' effect on power use and electricity rates, as well as side effects on local water supplies, the Herald said.

How this story was checked

3 of 4 main claims confirmed by other sources. An editor checked the story and approved it before it was published.

Independent web check · Trust score 88/100

An AI check searched the web for each main claim. The score comes only from what it found, so the newsroom cannot change it. How the score works

  1. Confirmed An Angus Reid poll found a strong majority of Canadians not interested in data centres, when asked whether their province should encourage or limit them. Angus Reid found 64% want their provincial government to limit large data centres, and fewer than one in five (18%) would encourage more. Data Centre Doubts: Two-thirds want them limited
  2. Not found Albertans were among both the biggest proponents and the biggest opponents of data centre construction at the same time. The Angus Reid page I opened shows 64% of Albertans want development limited, the same as the national figure and below Saskatchewan's 70%. I did not see a breakdown showing Alberta also has among the highest support. Data Centre Doubts: Two-thirds want them limited
  3. Confirmed A Calgary city councillor is trying to stop approvals for large-scale data centres until policy gaps are addressed. A motion would pause new land-use applications for large data centres while the city develops rules. It is sponsored by four councillors and the mayor, so it is more than one councillor. Calgary city councillors propose temporary pause on data centres · Council to debate temporary pause on data centre development
  4. Confirmed Opponents have raised concerns about power use, electricity rates and local water supplies. The Calgary motion cites water use and electricity demand. The federal principles say data centres should not shift electricity costs onto households and should minimize freshwater use. Council to debate temporary pause on data centre development · Data Centre Doubts: Two-thirds want them limited

Our newsroom's record

An editor checked 7 claims in this story against 7 sources before it was published.

Claims checked: 7. Sources used: 7. 4 matched to a source we list. 3 without a second source of our own (the web check above may still have found one).

Sources the newsroom lists

  1. Graphic of the week: Public expresses concern over data centres (News report or publication)
  2. Data Centre Doubts: Two-thirds want them limited; fears over resource drains drive resistance - Angus Reid Institute (Official record)
  3. Posthaste: Data centre anger is boiling over in Canada (News report or publication)
  4. Councillor to bring forward motion to restrict, regulate large AI data centres in Calgary (News report or publication)
  5. Temporary moratorium sought on large-scale Calgary data centre development applications - LiveWire Calgary (News report or publication)
  6. Council to debate temporary pause on data centre development (News report or publication)
  7. Calgary city councillors propose temporary pause on data centres - Yahoo News Canada (News report or publication)

Independent web check on Nov 3, 2026. Checked by our verification desk on Nov 3, 2026. An editor approved the story before it was published. Our standards

Events 1
Comments

Comments (0)

Please log in to comment.

No comments yet.

Up next

Food safety Calgary family finds black widow spider in bag of grapes Shared tag: Calgary An Olds College entomologist confirmed the spider from photos and says finds in imported produce are becoming more common as growers reduce pesticide use

Support BetaVoices

Our reporting is free to read. Readers who support BetaVoices keep it that way.

Become a supporter