Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Evan Solomon speaks in the Foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Feb. 23, 2026. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang
The federal government has announced a framework outlining expectations for companies that want to build artificial intelligence (AI) data centres in Canada, including minimizing water and electricity usage.
“Canada is building the digital infrastructure we need to lead in the age of AI, grow our economy and strengthen our sovereignty. But how we build matters,” Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Evan Solomon said in a Sept. 3 statement.
The framework includes
five expectationsfor data centre projects: that they create lasting local benefit, do not shift electricity costs onto Canadians, minimize water usage and environmental impacts, be transparent about the impacts on local communities, and bring strategic value to Canada through investment, workforce development, and research partnerships.
“Data centres must protect ratepayers, respect water and energy resources, and create lasting benefits for the communities that host them,” Solomon said. “These principles set a clear national standard: If you build in Canada, you must build responsibly and transparently and you must build for Canadians.”
Ottawa said the principles are supported by a “broad cross-section” of Canada’s data centre, AI, technology, and cloud sectors. More than 20 companies, such as Bell Canada, Telus, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Amazon Web Services, have so far signed on to Canada’s Responsible Data Centre Development Principles.
Solomon told reporters that the five expectations did not mean there was a new federal approval process for data centres, and said they do not replace provincial, territorial, or municipal responsibilities. He also noted that the Federation of Canadian Municipalities has endorsed the principles.
“This is not for the federal government to say what a city, a town, a rural place in a province or territory should ask,” he said. “They should be armed with the fact that they are beginning not three steps back, but three steps ahead.
Solomon’s announcement comes amid protests and opposition to data centres in different communities they have been proposed. A
July 20 Leger pollfound that 46 percent of respondents had a positive view of the facilities, while 37 percent viewed them negatively. When it came to data centre development in their own provinces, 44 percent said they supported the idea, while 42 percent opposed it.
In July, Conservative MP and shadow AI minister Leslyn Lewis said that the Liberal government needs to give Canadians more information around a $13 billion AI data centre that Meta planned to build in Alberta, given that Canada is already facing constraints on energy infrastructure and skilled labour.
“After eleven years of failing to build the energy infrastructure Canada needs, the government must explain whether this project is truly viable and who will ultimately own, control, and benefit from the infrastructure if it proceeds,” she said.
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