After a 90-minute discussion on Monday evening, council members in Sault Ste. Marie rejected a proposal to stop new data center projects in the northern Ontario city. The debate arose following a local petition opposing a cybersecurity monitoring and training center, which includes a data center, approved by the city council in December 2025. Spearheaded by cybersecurity firm Protexxa and Missanabie Cree First Nation, the initiative aims to utilize AI for cyber issue identification and resolution for various organizations and governments.
During the meeting, Ward 3 Councilor Angela Caputo put forward a motion for an interim control bylaw, suggesting a freeze on new data center proposals until additional policies were established. However, Mayor Matthew Shoemaker and some councillors expressed reservations about the specifics of the proposed moratorium, leading Caputo to retract the motion.
Instead, a new resolution is expected to be presented at the upcoming meeting on August 31, tasking city staff with developing a dedicated framework for data centers in Sault Ste. Marie, including provisions for public input. The decision is unlikely to impact the approved Protexxa data center project in the city-owned industrial park on Yates Avenue, pending the completion of the property sale.
Shoemaker cautioned against categorizing all data centers alike, highlighting the distinction of “hyperscale” facilities that demand significant resources. In contrast, Protexxa’s project is estimated to consume only five megawatts, a fraction of the city’s power capacity. The city’s planning director, Peter Tonazzo, noted existing uses in the Sault that parallel the proposed data center’s size, emphasizing the need for council approval for any rezoning requests.
Shoemaker argued against a blanket moratorium on future data center proposals, citing the existing review processes that consider practicality, infrastructure capacity, and environmental factors. He stressed the importance of enhancing the current procedures without undermining previous decisions.