Ontario Unveils Data Center Playbook for AI Infrastructure

The Ontario government has unveiled a Data Center Playbook to guide data center investment and support Canadian data sovereignty, according to Data Center Dynamics. The framework was announced by Premier Doug Ford in Guelph and is open for a 30 day public comment period that began August 13.

The playbook sets out three priority assessment pillars for data center projects: economic development in Ontario, data security and digital sovereignty, and community investment and public confidence. The province says data centers should bring local benefits such as training opportunities, infrastructure investment, community amenities, and indirect economic activity.

Ontario said it will offer no financial incentives to attract data center investments. The framework says new data centers must pay the full cost of their impact on the electricity system, and it points to a new rate class for large data centers with more than 1 MW of capacity.

The government also said the playbook will support its AI strategy, which it says could add $122 billion in economic growth by 2035 and create more than 17,000 jobs each year. Public input is being collected through the Environmental Registry of Ontario and the Ontario Regulatory Registry.