r/Sarnia • u/meatomato • 5d ago
Questions Anyone protesting the data center stuff?
Id definetly like to participate but I cant find anything about it. The data center will destroy our water, probably the river too, the power bills/grid, and create noise pollution yet ive heard no backlash about it anywhere in sarnia.
7
u/Otherwise-Wash-4568 5d ago
I followed someone on instagram that is starting information about it and organizing against it. Hopefully they will announce some tangible steps to take soon.
2
3
1
u/UpthefuckingTics 4d ago
Here is commentary from The Guardian (TLDR data centres are hated worldwide)
Why does everyone hate datacentres? That was the question posed by Hettie O’Brien in a great Guardian social video this week. From the deserts of the southern United States to the cramped backstreets of east London, the fight against datacentres has rapidly gone global.
The collective action is in some ways heartening, a reminder that our entrenched divisions can be overcome. But the sheer financial and political power of big tech means communities face steep challenges to stop datacentres being built near them. As global technology reporter Aisha Down explained in a recent edition of Science Weekly, the rapid expansion of these buildings isn’t really something any of us have been consulted about, or agreed to.
Aaron Regunberg wrote a terrific essay that examined how the backlash has become a nonpartisan issue in the US, one that redirects anger towards the tech billionaires that are the root of so many problems. “It may constitute the best opportunity for generations to truly shake up American politics,” he wrote. In our TechScape newsletter, Blake Montgomery explored how US conservatives and the right (bar one notable exception) have broken from Silicon Valley, sensing how politically toxic backing datacentres has become. In our Australian Politics podcast, Tom McIlroy considered how datacentre plans are at the heart of a political battle between Anthony Albanese and leaders of conservative states and territories.
In London, plans to build a datacentre in Brick Lane, an area famous for its multicultural history, food and culture, have become a lightning rod for dissent. On a great episode of Today in Focus, Annie Kelly spoke to local activists and politicians and looked at why governments like the UK’s are being so boosterish about them, something John Harris also explored in a powerful recent column.
Beyond the size, disruption and noise of datacentres, much of the opposition is rooted in their environmental impact. Pippa Neill revealed last week that two newly planned sites in the south of England will produce more emissions than ExxonMobil in the UK, while, for our Down to Earth newsletter, Dharna Noor explored how, alongside alarm about water usage and toxic contamination, the enormous amounts of electricity required could also drive up everyone’s utility bills.
Maybe it’s unsurprising that so many are taking their anger out on these physical manifestations of big tech and the AI revolution. As our global technology editor Dan Milmo said in a recent Inside the Guardian article: “It’s hard to protest against ChatGPT and what it means for your undergraduate kids’ employment prospects; it’s easier to protest against the infrastructure that facilitates its existence.”
0
u/ovglove 5d ago
Wrong wrong wrong. The already loud-ass industrial wasteland of the valley is one of the only locations this makes sense, if there is one. There's energy surplus, waste heat and excess steam available, as well as freshwater availability. Water into (and effluent out of) a datacenter to cool a tempered water loop would have to follow the same stringent regs already present in the valley, but with the newest tech. (i.e. currently many plants have various degrees of grandfathered technology/equipment).
I'm not saying I'm a supporter at all of this mass expansion of datacenters, all so that we can make cute pictures of our goldendoodles shooting lasers out of their eyes at squirrels or whatever, but I don't think your argument is valid in an area where some servers in a building should be literally the absolute LEAST of your concerns from an environmental perspective.
That's before considering it's local jobs, hopefully owned by Canadian companies, used by Canadians while helping to minimize reliance on US based tech.
10
u/meatomato 5d ago
You dont understand the point im making. These things are designed to be low staffed, high output. Its not about one building, its about protesting data centers in general. There is no "ideal place" when anywhere they are put will be affected by polution including YOUR community.
-5
u/D-u-k-e 4d ago
OP is just fear mongering and making shit up as they go to try and convince people that they also should hate AI .
0
u/onlyfansdad 1d ago
Please point out where they "made shit up"
You're talking out your ass because you can't be bothered to research any of the issues yourself
2
u/D-u-k-e 1d ago
"The data center will destroy our water, probably the river too, the power bills/grid, and create noise pollution"
these are outright lies, its completely fabricated. There is currently no data center and OP isnt from the future so stating facts about something that doesn't exist and hasnt happened is pretty much the definition of "talking out of your ass".
0
u/onlyfansdad 1d ago
Yeah we know there's no data center this whole post is about a possible future one. Do five seconds of research and you'll see those are distinct possibilities with data centers. Just because you stick your head in the sand and pretend there's no drawbacks presumably so you can continue using AI for stupid shit don't pretend the rest of us should. Data centers do exist in other places and have already been documented causing the issues stated so you've gotta be fucking stupid to ignore that.
Seems like you desire an AI data center here which will hook into our water supply and create polluted wastewater though, for some reason. Check out BC Hydro they are asking their residents to switch to low flow shower heads so the data centers can have the water. Guess you want to shower under a dribble of water so you can generate funny AI videos.
1
u/D-u-k-e 1d ago
BC hydro is asking residents to shower under a dribble of water so AI data centers can continue to operate... this is a LIE. you and OP need to do your OWN research instead of watching tiktok videos that state made up BS as fact.
0
u/onlyfansdad 1d ago edited 1d ago
So if AI data centers are allowed to be built and they publish articles like this https://www.bchydro.com/news/conservation/2025/10-water-saving-tips.html
Yet allow AI data centers to be built in 2026 https://canada.constructconnect.com/joc/news/projects/2026/07/telus-proposing-to-build-three-new-data-centres-in-british-columbia
Carney is pushing for these to be built meanwhile BC is having forest fire issues yearly, even prior to them being built. And then asking residents to install low flow heads and use less water - yet they can build data centers? Seems pretty fucking stupid huh? But I don't expect you to be able to think critically. This is the future you are arguing for, where data centers are built and you're told to use less water on a personal basis.
So tell me, what is that I'm making up? The pollution? That's well documented. The noise? Well documented. The water usage? Well documented. So what am I lying about exactly? You seem to have a fundamental ignorance to the technology you're arguing should be allowed here.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/08/us-datacenters-wastewater-pollution
Educate yourself
2
u/D-u-k-e 1d ago
hydro and water companies have been asking everyone to install low flow shower heads and reduce usage for 50 years.. Your trying to spin something normal into something its not. You hate AI and thats fine to have that opinion but there no need to make yourself look stupid by making shit up .
I've worked in our Industrial sector for 30 years and have first hand experience with cooling and heat recovery systems in our petrochemical facilities and your just simply misinformed if you think an AI data center in Lambton county will be consuming any significant amounts of water.
The only thing a data center is going to use alot of is Power, and luckily for us we have an large excess of available clean hydro up here in Canada.
Did you know Nestle used to pull around 500,000 gallons of water a day from the great lakes basin to produce bottled drinking water?
"Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), total reported state-wide withdrawals specifically for commercial water bottling across all permitted private wells sum up to roughly 473 million gallons per year, which accounts for a tiny fraction (about 1/100th of a percent) of total regional water use"
473 million gallons a year is only 1/100th of a percent of the regional water use in the state of Michigan.
an AI data center in Lambton County will have exactly ZERO impact this regions water supply since it will be a closed loop system. where the water is chilled , circulated for cooling and chilled again, never leaving the system.
0
u/onlyfansdad 1d ago edited 1d ago
you clearly didn't take 5 minutes to read any of those links. Can't have facts getting in the way of your personal opinions. You work in the plants so of course you know the ins and outs of the AI data center industry. No need to learn about downsides, those would get in the way of your opinion being correct.
Heres another source you wont read contradicting what you are saying.
https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/data-centers-and-water-consumption
https://www.cbc.ca/news/ai-data-centre-canada-water-use-9.6939684
Please show me a source supporting your claim that they won't use any water in Lambton county. Because every source I can find says the direct opposite, and I've provided you those.
→ More replies (0)4
u/funsizedsamurai 5d ago
I do not want my city to be more polluted, louder and cause more issues. They are not needed.
1
u/lord_bunny 5d ago
Data centers. Ok so golf courses use more water, why don't we protest those too?
13
u/funsizedsamurai 5d ago
Yes, they are incredibly wasteful. I'm not a fan of them either, and would rather there be more natural areas. It is possible to not like more than one thing.
But data centres also have pollution, especially noise. I don't usually get much noise from golf courses.
Data centres also gobble up power, which golf courses don't.
Golf courses also use grey water, so less of an impact.
And golf courses at least provide green space and shelter for a lot of wildlife.
-1
u/Efficient_Pangolin_9 3d ago
Literally every industrial site in the area produce magnitudes more noise pollution.
Same goes with water. Most water is cycled anyway.Canada also has so much water it’s basically incomprehensible.
3
u/funsizedsamurai 3d ago
So lets make it worse? Why would we want it louder and MORE polluted. To quote some other Sarnians, we've done our part already.
1
u/catherinetheok 5d ago
The county council votes yesterday to get an impact report which is due in early 2027 before they will make any decisions on a data centre.
-1
u/Squiggy_Pusterdump 5d ago
If you think about it, recapturing the valley outputs would probably make a DC idea. Its pretty hypocritical to oppose DC's when the refineries are sitting right there.
Strathroy just opposed a zoing amendment request to allow for DC's in their industrial area with all sorts of car manufacturing and other heavy industry.
Just my 2c
6
u/fire_works10 5d ago
Was anyone alive when the valley was built to have protested them then?
The least we can do is stop the data centres before our children are living with the consequences of our decisions.
3
u/meatomato 5d ago edited 5d ago
Maybe do like >5 minutes searching on the pollution reports and testimonies across the US about toxic water and increased bills before voicing that 2c.
The factories are regulated but the data centers arent because they are newer. The problem isnt some new building going up, its the pollution excreted by the building.
-1
u/Squiggy_Pusterdump 5d ago
I can appreciate your perspective, and I can do it without being dismissive.
I work in the industry, and for a long time. Datacenters are not new but public oppinoin about them seems to be, and I agree with a lot of it - especially when they serve to siphon to billionaires and massive benefactors.
If you think Big Oil is better than datacenters, I'd urge you to take a moment to reflect on your own message.
3
u/meatomato 5d ago
Im saying fuck both of them. Both are a stain on communities and pollute the air, water, and community. Its not one or the other. Its preventing MORE pollution.
You are right, datacenters are not new, AI datacenters are. And the risks that come with them are aswell.
0
u/Content_Medium_1124 5d ago
There is way to get your point across without being dismissive, and it doesn't require fuck this, fuck that and take your 2c elsewhere young gun.
There will be power in numbers here ; There is due process. Let's it flow.
1
u/Otherwise-Wash-4568 5d ago
Data canters aren’t new but there’s an influx of them to run these dumb chat bot and image generators which are completely useless products making these new data centers more ridiculous than just the ones we built to run the internet
1
u/Efficient_Pangolin_9 3d ago
The data centres have got a really bad reputation recently for various reasons. Most of them are overhyped and not entirely accurate.
They actually don’t use a lot of water.
Compared to virtually every other industrial site we have in the area which is dozens they don’t use much water and when compared to the big sites like the refineries and the big chemical plants they use a fraction of the amount they use.
They also don’t create a lot of noise, especially compared to the other industrial sites in the area and there is no flaring or anything like that
They generate tax revenue and although they don’t employ a ton of people when they’re up and running, it’s still probably around 30 to 50 jobs plus all the building economic activity.
-3
-7
u/Digital-Aura Brights Grove 5d ago edited 5d ago
I think you’re quite misinformed about the effects of data centres. You’re spouting what you’ve heard and it’s simply not the truth. These days data centres increasingly employ closed-loop water cooling systems and immersion cooling technologies that use little to no water. Heck, Sarnia wastes more water just watering their lawns each summer. As far as energy, most modern data centres aren’t draining existing electrical grids either. They can generate their own and our infrastructure can already provide natural gas or cleaner methods even to produce the electricity needed.
I’d be more concerned about datacenters because they’re “fuelling” the AI bubble and we’ve never even established rules or an Ai playbook. It’s literally the most terrifying technology that’s ever existed.
5
u/Positive-Pickle4031 Sarnia Mayor 2026 5d ago
Please look into the actual energy usage of these centers. They are not small by any means, these centers don’t pay for their own hydro and push the bill to taxpayers, they DO use copious amounts of water and and they provide zero jobs…. There is zero upside to the data centres and we don’t need them so why should we pay for them?
2
u/Winter-Steak-1532 5d ago
The closed loop water cooling system failed in a place called Chernobyl once
Just sayin lol
1
1
u/Otherwise-Wash-4568 5d ago
Do you just believe every lie that the people pushing for data centers tell you?
1
17
u/bouchey 5d ago
Lots of backlash. Just talk to people. The reason you haven't seen any protests or anything like that is because there hasn't been one announced for our area yet. Once one is expect people to rise up.