AI DATA CENTRES PUT
CANADA’s WATER AT RISK
We’re fighting for transparency that empowers democratic decisions by communities
Across Canada, there are plans for historic expansion of AI data centres which will consume enormous amounts of water and energy. Armed with trillions from investors, AI corporations are driving up emissions and locking communities into projects while sidestepping public scrutiny.
Get involved
Hundreds of data centres are planned; they will shape our landscape for generations
For 40 years, the Council of Canadians has depended on members and people like you for the independence to confront corporate power and defend People, Planet, and Democracy. We’ve exposed corporate abuse, won victories for the right to water locally and internationally, and helped build powerful coalitions.
Now, we’re working to empower communities to make informed decisions about data centres by building support for clear transparency. We have the right to know how much water will be used, how much pollution will be created, and what the AI will be used for.
Your support helps put this issue in the public eye before the damage is locked in. Sign up now to help protect our communities.
Join the civil society summit on ai
We’re bringing together civil society to confront these impacts at the Civil Society Summit on the AI Industry.
At the Summit, you’ll hear from Indigenous leaders, environmental and water‑justice advocates, labour organizers, researchers, journalists, cultural workers, and community groups – all working to ensure decisions about technology don’t come at the expense of our climate, our water, our public services, or our rights.
Learn more
- Getting into Fights with Data Centres: Podcast— As a wave of new data centres threatens to reshape the Canadian landscape, explore a timely conversation with Dr. Anne Pasek. The Trent University professor’s work challenges common assumptions about the carbon footprint of the internet, and she is the author of the widely shared zine Getting Into Fights With Data Centers. Pasek draws our attention to the infrastructure that makes AI, but also much of the online infrastructure we use day to day, and its impacts on climate and water.
Chip-in to support our work
The Council of Canadians is a grassroots, nonpartisan, independent organization funded almost entirely by tens of thousands of individual Canadian donors. We do not take any money from governments or corporations. Due to our political work, the Council of Canadians is not a registered charity and are unable to provide charitable tax receipts.
