A contentious debate of a notice of motion for an Interim Control By-law surrounding data centres ended with the notice of motion being deferred to Quinte West council’s meeting on October 7.
The motion was deferred in a narrow 6-5 recorded vote during council’s meeting on Wednesday.
Brought forward by Councillor Egerton Boyce, the notice of motion called on city staff to prepare an Interim Control By-law (ICBL) under the Planning Act, which would temporarily prohibit the approval or establishment of new digital infrastructure facilities, including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and data centres, citywide for up to one year while a comprehensive study is completed.
It comes after a highly-attended planning committee meeting last week where the committee voted to defer a decision on a proposed data centre, located at the former Saputo Dairy property on Riverside Drive, just north of Hwy 401, until after next month’s municipal election.
In introducing the notice of motion, Councillor Boyce explained that it would give the public an opportunity to provide comment while the study was being done by staff.
“Council will need to thoroughly examine all the facts and information that will be presented by staff in the policy. It is not something that should be rushed or rammed through,” Boyce explained to council.
“With all that said, it is important we vote for this interim by-law so that staff, without rushing, can complete a comprehensive review with a proposed policy in which, then, the public can make comments and the new council can make an informed decision.”
Councilor David O’Neil agreed with Boyce that the decision on the data centre should not be rushed and that future councils should decide on the mandate, but called the notice of motion itself rushed.
“You haven’t given the business community a chance to do a delegation to say why you shouldn’t do this,” Councillor O’Neil explained, following up with a motion to defer.
Following several asks for clarification on the matter, and a reiteration that there would be no discussion during a motion deferral, Councillor Boyce said he took offence to the idea that the business community was rushed.
“There were a number of participants in that Thursday planning meeting. I think they were rushed. I think that that group was rushed. They only had that one evening,” Boyce said.
“The business community could have come forward at that meeting as well. They knew that planning thing was on. It was just that the residents felt strongly about it and wanted to seek information.”
After a brief back-and-forth culminating in a member of the public being told to leave the council chambers for disrespectful comments made towards Councillor O’Neil, the notice of motion was brought to a recorded vote.
The deferral motion was passed in a narrow 6-5 recorded vote.
Yes votes came from councillors Duncan Armstrong, Michael Kotsovos, Don Kuntze, David O’Neill, Leslie Roseblade, and Mayor Jim Harrison.
No votes came from councillors Jim Alyea, Zack Card, Egerton Boyce, Lynda Reid, and Shelley Stedall.
The notice of motion will now be brought forward at the October 7 council meeting.
