Regular Meeting of Council – July 21, 2026

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Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Hey, Heat. Good morning everyone. My name is

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Maryanne Meade Ward, mayor of the city of Burlington and I’d like to call to order this regular meeting of Burlington City Council for Tuesday, July 21st, 2026. I’ll now read a safety notice for all of those present in council chambers. And we have quite a group. Welcome to all of you.

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In the event of an emergency, please evacuate the council chambers by the nearest exit staircase, which is located through the doorway marked with the exit symbol. Once you’ve evacuated the building, please gather in Veterans Square outside of City Hall. I’ll now read a land acknowledgement. Burlington as we know it today is rich in history and modern traditions of many first nations in the Matei.

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From the Anesnabek to the Houdinos and the Matei, our land spanning from Lake Ontario to the Niagara Escarment are steeped in indigenous history. The territory is mutually covered by the dish with one spoon wampom belt covenant. An agreement between the Irakqua Confederacy, the Ojiway, and other allied nations to peaceibly share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes.

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We would like to acknowledge that the land on which we gather is part of the treaty land and territory of the Missosagas of the Credit. And I’ll now ask all those able and willing to stand for O Canada. Oh Canada, our home and native land. True patriot love in all of us. Come. God keep our land.

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Glorious and free. Oh Canada, we stand on guard for thee. Oh Canada, we stand on guard for thee. All City of Burlington committee and council meetings are live webcast and archived on the city’s website. Today’s meeting is being captioned digitally through our agenda management software and I’ll remind everyone to slow down and speak clearly so your words can be captured by the software.

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We do have rules of engagement here in council meetings. We ask everyone to be respectful while others are speaking and listen as you would want to be listened to. By way of introduction of our members, our first order of business for today’s meeting is to conduct a roll call and confirm quorum.

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I’ll turn it to the clerk to do that. >> Thank you. Councelor Galbreth >> here. >> Councelor Karns >> present. >> Councelor Nissan >> here. Councelor Stoalty. Councelor Stoalty is absent. Councelor Sherman >> here. >> Councelor Bentomania >> present. >> Mayor Maidward >> present. >> Council has quorum. >> Excellent.

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Staff joining today are our CEO Kurt Benson, city clerk Mike Durand, clerk’s assistant Debbie Hordike, and other staff will be introduced as items arise during the meeting. So, we’ll just do a little bit of agenda management now. Uh, for folks who are new to our chambers, we have uh a number of items on our agenda today.

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We have uh some recognitions we will deal with. First we have 16 delegates who are going to be speaking to us uh who have five minutes a piece uh and then there may be questions. So just to give you uh an idea of the timing of uh of things we may be um here for a couple of hours uh before we get to the business and uh I will ask council if they have any additions or changes to the agenda before we get started.

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Our meeting is scheduled until 4:30 today. We do take a break at noon uh till 1:00 for lunch and we will take breaks midm morning and midafter afternoon should we uh should we need that. So uh and you are free to exit the chambers after your item is done if you wish. We won’t take any offense.

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You can watch it online uh at your own um at your own pace at burlington.ca the live webcast. Uh so we do have uh so for agenda management purposes our uh staff have asked if anyone at this time knows whether or not they wish into to move into closed regarding item 16.2 the confidential legal update on a potential litigation regarding 680 GE and if yes we will do that after we reconvene from lunch at 1:00.

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So, I’ll just see if anyone is aware. I can check in uh again um about whether or not you wish to go into closed at 1:00. All right. Uh C uh councelor Nissa, I’ll just ask folks to use the screen so I can see you up here. But, uh did you want to you wanted to go into closed at one? >> Yeah, I’m interested in close on this. >> All right.

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So, uh, so for folks joining, if we haven’t, uh, dealt with our business, uh, when we come back from lunch at 1:00, we will be enclosed and then we will pick up where we left left off with the open session. And I’ll repeat that as we get closer, uh, to that time. All right. So, do we expect any early departures today before 4:30? Okay.

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Not not seeing any lots of residents. That’s okay. You you are not expected to stay for the entire uh the entire day. Um all right. So uh I do have a couple of items that we have been aware of um to change the agenda. So we’ll deal with those first and then I’ll open to see if there are any other changes. So, uh, item 18.

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3, which is a motion memo prioritizing and expediting the official plan review of data centers, uh, ADM726 and item 18.4, uh, motion memo for a sign bylaw amendment, ADM 6, sorry, 82026. That will require a motion to wave the rules of procedure to have that included on the agenda. We’ll we’ll vote on each separately.

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They have both been moved and seconded uh respectively by councelor Nissan and Galbrath. Um did you have something you wanted to say about that? Uh councelor Char. >> Thank you. I’m just wondering if we could also do with deal with 18.2 at the same time. >> There’s 18.3. >> Uh 18.2 and three are already on the agenda.

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Just need to add these two to the agenda first and then we can order the items as we wish. Uh >> I thought you were talking about change or change bringing them forward. >> No, I’m adding there are two items that are not currently on the agenda because they were submitted after the council package. So we need to add these first.

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Okay. >> And then we will deal with ordering. >> Thank you for the clarification. But I would like them the ordering to be changed so they’re done. >> I will I will come to you for that counselor. Thank you. Okay. Uh, so we have uh the first on the screen. It has been moved and seconded.

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Are there any comments or questions before I turn it to the clerk to call the vote? We do need a twothirds on this one to add it. All right. Not seeing any, I’ll turn it to the clerk for the recorded vote. >> Councelor Gworth, >> support. >> Councelor Karns, >> support. >> Councelor Nissan, >> support. >> Councelor Stoalty is absent.

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Councelor Charman >> support. Councelor Benia >> support. Mayor meward >> support. >> That’s six in favor, zero against. >> And that does carry. So that’s been added to our agenda. Uh the next one is 18.4 related to the sign bylaw amendment. Any questions or comments on that one? >> All right, seeing none, over to the clerk for the recorded vote.

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Councelor Gold, >> support. >> Councelor Karns, >> support. >> Councelor Nissan, >> support. >> Councelor Stoalty is absent. Councelor Charman >> support. >> Councelor Bentomania >> support. >> Mayor meard >> support. >> That’s six in favor, zero against. >> And that uh carries and has been added to the agenda.

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And now we will deal with um the ordering of items. So councelor Charman has asked for the uh items related I believe to the data centers. Is that correct? Uh >> yes. So that would be 18.1, 18.2 and 18.3 as I understand it. >> Okay. >> So do it all at once. Thank you. >> So we will um move that to uh as near to the top.

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We do have some other uh some other things that we want to deal with as well. So um so we will deal with that. Uh and councelor Karns, was that seconding that? >> Uh yes, mayor. I had asked the clerk to to provide that provision in the script. So yes, thank you very much. >> Okay. So that has been moved and seconded to uh bring those items to the top of our agenda for folks who are gathered today.

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So over to the clerk for the recorded vote on that. >> Councelor Greath >> support. >> Councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nixon >> support. Councelor Stoalty is absent. Councelor Sherman >> support. >> Councelor Benia >> support. >> Mayor me Ward >> support. >> Six in favor zero against. >> And that does carry.

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Uh we also have had a request from our staff to deal with three planning items uh and their associated bylaws to the very very top of the agenda. So we will deal with that before we get to items 181 2 and three. Uh that is because these items have uh some time sensitivity. We don’t expect them to take a great deal of discussion or questions.

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We had uh quite a lot of that at uh committee. So uh we expect those to be short and that uh that and staff have asked us to deal with those. So that has been moved by councelor Charman and seconded by councelor Bentovenia that we will deal with those three and their related zoning bylaws before we get into 18123. Uh seeing no questions or comments on the board, I will turn it to the clerk for the recorded vote on that.

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Councelor Golth >> support. >> Councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nissan >> support. Councelor Stolty is absent. Councelor Sherman >> support. >> Councelor Bentmania >> support. >> Mayor me Ward >> support. >> That’s six in favor, zero against. >> And that does carry. All right. Are there any other uh questions related to the approval of the agenda and the order that we are dealing with items? All right. Actually, I have one more.

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Um, we do have uh a request from Kamla Hurley who has uh uh asked to delegate and so I will need a mover and seconder for that. Uh, councelor Bentania, would you move? Councelor Karns uh will second that uh to add to the uh speaking time. All right, seeing no questions or comments, I’ll turn it to the clerk to add uh the delegate.

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Over to you, >> councelor Golth, >> support. >> Councelor Karns, >> support. >> Councelor Nissan, >> support. Councelor Stoalty is absent. Councelor Charman >> support. >> Councelor Bentania >> support. >> Mayor Midwart >> support. >> Six in favor, zero against. >> And that does carry. All right. So, turning now to declarations of interest.

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Are there any declarations of interest in the Oh, sorry. Hang on. Okay. Not moving quite so fast. Okay. So, uh, it’s been moved by councelor Charman, seconded by councelor Bentovenia that we approve the agenda as amended. Seeing no further questions or comments, I’ll turn it to the clerk for the recorded vote.

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Councelor Greath, >> support. >> Councelor Karns, >> support. >> Councelor Nissan support. >> Councelor Stoalty is absent. Councelor Sherman >> support. >> Councelor Bentania >> support. >> Mayor me >> support. >> That is six in favor, zero against. And that does carry. Turning now to declarations of interest.

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Are there any declarations from members of council in the business before us? All right, seeing none, uh, turning now to proclamations. We have five proclamations. Black, African, and Caribbean Canadian Appreciation Month is August 2026. Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is September 2026. National Coaches Week, September 14 to 20, 2026.

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Terry Fox Day, September 20th, 2026. And National British Home Children Day is September 28, 2026. We do have a number of peer lightings uh in uh on September 3rd, it will be lit yellow for fight with lights. On the 5th of September, lit gold and yellow for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. September 7, lit red for World Duchain Awareness Day. Excuse me.

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On uh September 9, lit red for International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day. September 11, lit magenta for World Sepsis Day. September 12, lit blue for Hiocytosis Awareness Month. On the 13th, lit green for Living Donation Week. On the 14th, lit blue, yellow, and red for National Coaches Week.

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15th lit red, yellow, red, white, and black for Terry Fox run. On the 19th, lit green for Light Up the World for Maido World Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Month. On the 24th, lit teal for Ovarian Cancer Canada Walk of Hope in Halton. The 25th, lit green and white for Franco Ontarian Day, Lejour de Franco Antaren. September 26th, lit green for Walk to the Lighthouse Mental Health on both the 26th and 27th.

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On the 28th, lit red, white, and blue for National British Home Child Day. And on September 30th, lit orange for Orange Shirt Day, Every Child Matters. Turning now to recognitions and achievements. We do have two today. Sorry, three today. Uh first we have a recognition for Skyway Community Center and Park was the recipient of the 2026 Pro Award of Excellence for Facility Design.

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And we have the honor of recognizing the wonderful achievement uh for not only the opening of the new center and park, but the fact that it did win the Parks and Recreation Ontario Award of Excellence for Design. This award recognizes projects that demonstrate outstanding achievement in the design of public buildings. And Skyway is receiving this award for its innovation, creative and unique design, for meeting community needs, and for meaningfully engaging the community in this process.

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And this was uh several years in the making. I recall uh councelor Charing Charman having a community meeting uh many years ago uh >> two 2014 so uh it’s been a long time coming and I believe there are about 300 residents uh that attended that meeting and gave feedback uh and that has been built into literally the design of this building from uh the pickle ball courts to the larger arena to the warming center to the walking track to the uh porc uh naturalized um playground out front and the geothermal lighting.

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So, it is a really a model of how we are going to design our community centers going forward. So, it does have a fully accessible walking track. It is open every day from 6:00 a.m. to 1000 p.m. NHL-sized arena which is safer for our uh larger and faster kids. uh two pickle ball courts uh and a stunning public art installation out front.

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It’s also energy efficient, geothermal heating and I think our our first and only so far electric Zamboni. So that’s uh that’s great. I didn’t know they came in an electric model, but they do and we have one. Uh so for all those that were involved in the design, engagement, construction and educa e execution of this center, well done and congratulations.

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Uh and I would like to recognize the following staff, but maybe I’ll pause for a moment. Uh councelor Charman, you don’t know I’m doing this, but I thought you might want to say a few words uh about this. So go ahead. >> Oh my goodness. Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak. Uh and welcome everybody into the room here.

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We appreciate your presence. Um just to put this in the perspective of the history of the city of Burlington. Um we had spent many years with not investing sufficient in infrastructure and it was aging and would need to be replaced. Um in fact we got to the point where uh Sky Skyway Arena um as we were approaching the 2014 election uh was creating havoc because a lot of the members in the public going you’re just going to rip it down and we’re going to end of it.

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We’re going to put houses there. And we said that’s nonsense. And it was nonsense. We committed to having a brand new arena there uh that was going to be state-of-the-art that was going to be uh climate friendly. In other words, low energy consumption, which we’ve accomplished. Uh it was going to be a significantly bigger uh property than than we had at the time, up to date and an absolute wonder.

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We’ve accomplished that. That’s what you can do with council when you do good work. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. >> You’re very welcome. So, what uh what we’re going to do, I’m going to read the names of the staff. I do have a certificate for each of you up here. Uh please come uh uh once I finish reading. So, there’s 14 of you.

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I think you’re all here. Once I finish reading uh the last name, we will all join together in the horseshoe with members of council and uh staff to take a photo for our records. So Emily Cotay, Aaron Browers, Jennifer Spence, Nazia White, Victor Luer, Jennifer Johnson, Becky Ellis, Adam Shaw, Tom Peddler, Rich Trella, James Zorntos, Mandy Kerr, Chris Seawwick, and Dave Thompson.

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It takes uh truly a team to accomplish great things, and we want to say thank you for your efforts. And please join me in the horseshoe and feel free to applause. It’s It’s worth that. All right, folks. We have one more

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recognition and uh I’m very thrilled to share that Denise Beard, a staff member um with the city of Burlington, has also received an award from Parks and Recreation Ontario called the Glenn Arthur Community Impact Award. Denise is now retired from the city, having dedicated 23 years of her career to the city of Burlington.

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Most recently, she was the senior manager of community development services and was influential in successful pro programs like community hubs, love my neighborhood, major events such as hometown hockey and burlesic park when we invited people to watch the Raptors win right outside uh Civic Square.

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And I can recall uh Denise bringing the idea of Love My Neighborhood to the city where we wanted to provide uh small amounts of funding for micro opportunities for our residents to get together. And there are now dozens and dozens that happen every year across this city. uh as I’m out and about in community and occasionally get invited to some of these that residents are uh so thrilled with the opportunity that this provides to bring their residents together and their communities together.

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Uh throughout her career, Denise advanced a model of community development that empowered residents to take an active role in shaping their neighborhoods. And her work fostered collaboration, community building, and local pride that continues to strengthen Burlington as a whole. Denise is receiving this prestigious award for her exceptional contributions to recreation and culture in Burlington and for consistently championing community focused initiatives for our residents.

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And even though she’s retired, I see her still being very active bringing these uh initiatives and her passion and principles for community development forward in many different forums. So Denise, thank you so much for the service that you provided to the city of Burlington, to all of our residents.

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We are better for it and we’re thrilled that others have recognized this uh as well and given you this award. So uh we’ll do what we just did again and invite council and Denise to come up. I know she’s got lots of friends and supporters here. And please join me in the horseshoe. If my family wants to come up, this is Elizabeth

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Amy. All right, let’s balance out a little bit. Okay, here we go. >> Okay. Okay. All right. Yeah, sure. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, that’s great. >> All right, folks. Uh we always like to start the start the day with something

00:39:30
positive uh and continue that spirit throughout our whole meeting. So, as a result of our changes, we are going to deal with the uh time-sensitive items that staff have asked us to deal with just before we get to delegations. So, uh that is the official plan and zoning bylaw amendments for 21105 Heden Road is uh actually sorry, let me back up a bit.

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Um, we have a motion to approve the council minutes from councelor Galrath and Charman for the regular, sorry, regular council meeting minute of June 23rd, 2026 and the special council shareholder meeting minutes of council June 23rd, 2026. And this just requires a show of hands. All those in favor? Any opposed? Okay, seeing none, that does carry.

00:40:26
Sorry, we’ve taken the vote on the item. Was there a point of Okay. No. Uh, all right. So, dealing now with the time-sensitive items on the agenda. Uh, councelor Karns. >> Sorry, Mayor. I did want to comment um but you moved too quickly. My hand was up on the board and I just wanted to comment.

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You can decide how you want to do this, but I just wanted to comment on my absence for the minutes of June 23rd and that I would have voted in favor of the majority for all um in case any of my constituents are curious about uh where I would have landed on any of the items. Okay, thank you. Uh moving now to the first item, the official plan and zoning bylaw amendment for 21105.

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And uh we do that we do have a petition on that item. Uh, do we need to read that into the record before we deal with this? Uh, clerk. >> Sure. Uh, that would be up to council. I think we could do petitions after that. It’s on the agenda. Uh, excuse me, as it’s ordered currently in the agenda. But, um, if council prefers to move it forward right now, that that’s possible.

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Okay. Well, we’re going to move it forward. So, Councelor Charman and Councelor Nissan have moved and seconded that we hear the language of the petition before we deal with this item. So, I will turn it to the clerk to read that petition into the record. Go ahead. >> Okay.

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Uh, we do need a twothirds to move it forward. Okay. Another change to the agenda. This is good. Hold on, folks. It gets like this sometimes. So, all those in favor, uh, we do need a recorded vote, I believe. Yes. Go ahead. >> Councelor Greath, >> support. >> Councelor Karns, >> support. >> Council Nissan, >> support. >> Councelor Stoalty is absent.

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Councelor Charman >> support. >> Councelor Benvania >> support. >> Mayor Maidward >> support. >> That’s six in favor. >> And that does carry. So we will now deal uh with the petition to oppose the town houses at 21105 Heden and that is in your package. So over to the clerk to read that into the record. >> Perfect. Thank you.

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So I will, as the mayor noted, a petition has been received for this item. Uh I’ll just read the statement of the petition. We the undersigned residents and stakeholders of the Heden Forest community respectfully submit that this petition to formally oppose planning application file number 505-08 uh slash26 and 520-08/26.

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The application proposes the development of a of a block of eight three-story four-bedroom townous at 21105 Hen Road. Our opposition is based on the serious concerns regarding the impacts the project will have to our neighborhood and we urge council to deny this application. >> Okay. Thank you.

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And if anyone has questions or comments, they can uh deal with in their statements uh or questions when we get to the item which is now. So uh we have uh the official plan and zoning bylaw amendments for 21105 Hen Road. So, I’ll open the board first to see if there are any questions. Councelor Nissan. >> Thank you, Chair.

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I just uh would like to confirm the number of uh signatorries on the petition. Thank you. >> Okay. Uh we’ll just turn that to the clerk. Apologies. Um, mayor, I don’t have the number of signitories on the on the information before council, but I’ll get that as we um discuss as council discuss the item. I’ll make that clear.

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Okay. I will go then to councelor Bentovenia for uh I assume a question first. Councelor Bentovenia, go ahead. >> And thank you, uh, Mayor. Um actually this question is for staff and um we discussed earlier that this is a time-sensitive uh issue. Um what would happen if if council u does not approve this project, this development today? >> Uh Jamie, you want to take that? So Jamie Tellier, our director of community planning, and if you want to send that to your staff, you can do so, but I’ll I’ll go to you first. >> Doesn’t matter, Bill. Okay. And just for folks gathered, your uh name and title would be great. We know who you are, but let’s make sure everyone does. Go ahead. >> Uh thank you, mayor. Uh Bill Wallace, supervisor of the development review team uh with the city of Burlington. Uh through you, chair uh to the council. Uh the implications of not approving um the

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recommendations before you today are essentially that we would uh extend beyond the legislative timelines that are provided to us in the planning act in order to put a recommendation to council and ultimately for council to make a decision on the applications uh which would essentially um put the application into uh non-decision appeal territory as soon as you go beyond the 120 days afforded through the planning act.

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the opportunity for the applicant to appeal uh is available to them. >> And just to follow up on that question is um what would be the consequences going to the OOLT in terms of decision making moving forward if the OOLT approves the development? >> Uh through you chair to uh the counselor. uh the the the hearing is essentially a denovo hearing and so the applicant can come to the table with uh anything they may wish to bring forward uh in terms of the the proposal or adjustments to the proposal at that time. Uh and essentially um everybody would be in a position to table evidence to move through that to that process on whether or not uh whatever changes if any uh may have been made uh are appropriate and then ultimately the tribunal making a decision. So, um there’s a chance that

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uh a number of the changes that were made throughout the pre-conultation process and adjustments and revisions uh to the application could return back to a much earlier state and a number of the um improvements I think that staff have acknowledged in the report may not necessarily be uh considered by the tribunal or achieved.

00:46:55

Thank you for that clarification. And my second question has to be with our staff um if we move forward with this development still communicating with the developer to make the changes that are required from from the planning department >> uh through you chair. The applicant has already reached out to us after committee to ask what next steps look like uh particularly as it pertains to the considerations around the holding provision as well as site plan.

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Uh so we’ve provided the response in terms of what the process needs to look like and the things that need to be addressed through that process and so they are they are interested in working through what they have heard and working through the formal process >> and just a quick followup please. Uh so they are cooperative cooperating with staff >> uh through you chair to the counselor I would say that they that it has been as collaborative a process as it possibly can be from the very beginning uh back in the original request for the pre-conultation in 2024 throughout the year and a half or two years of work that we’ve done to try and bring the application forward. Uh I I think we went as far as we possibly could to achieve as many of the changes as we could. uh to get to a place where staff were supportive of the application from a a standpoint of good planning. Um I would see no reason why the level of collaboration that we’ve had to date would change as we move through the next

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steps in the process. >> Thank you, >> Councelor Charman. Question. >> Thank you, Mayor. Thank you very much. The opportunity to ask the questions. Um your your your description of the OLT and the implications, potential implications of kind of legal ease. Can I turn can we turn that into straight talk for the folks who who signed the petition and listening with respect to is it possible then that we could see a significantly bigger development than was currently planned if they go denovo back to the OT and that is approved >> through you chair to the councelor uh I don’t want to speculate too much but what I would expect is that they would at least be looking to recover the costs of the time effort energy and resources that would need to go into fighting at the tribunal to get to some form form of an an approval and I would anticipate that the way to recapture that cost would be to reconsider what they’re potentially looking to build on site. >> Does that mean yes? >> Yes. >> Thank you. Um so so my second question

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is with respect to the staff report that was brought that was relative to the questions that that we asked. Uh and and there’s two parts to this but you can answer them both at the same time. The first one was with respect to the traffic quantity and the capacity of the road versus the actual number of vehicles because there was concern that the roads were intensely um constrained.

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And the second part was with respect to the uh construction sorry the number of cars coming in and out of that particular uh development. Just leave it there for the moment. So you just recap the uh the findings of of that particular quest line of questioning. >> Uh through you chair to uh councelor Charman.

00:50:02
Um the in in response to the questions that you tabled at committee, uh we received information from our transportation team that essentially indicated that um the peak number of vehicle trips that we would anticipate sort of in the in the morning and the afternoon uh was five vehicle additional vehicle trips per peak hour.

00:50:21
uh and that the uh at at peak times uh 270 vehicle trips were anticipated per hour on head and road. Head and road is designed for a,000 vehicle trips per hour and so we are seeing the addition of five on average five additional vehicle trips per hour uh associated with the development. So that did not cause transportation staff any concern.

00:50:47
We posed the question back in the coincidental instance of everybody that could potentially have two cars on site leaving at the same time and contributing 16 cars uh at once even during that peak travel time uh or peak travel hour. It’s not in a minute or 5 minutes or 10 minutes over the course of an hour.

00:51:10
Would those 16 additional vehicle trips cause concern? And the answer was no. >> Thank you for the facts. Any other questions? Okay, thank you very much. Uh, any comments before I call the vote? Okay, I’ll just uh say a few words. I do want to say uh thank you to the residents who uh have signed the petition, to the residents who wrote to us, who came forward uh at the committee meeting.

00:51:41
We did have quite a discussion and uh the concerns that have been raised uh were addressed by the staff. You heard uh some of that even this morning. So I just want folks to know that even though uh they may uh wish for a different outcome here. I want people to to know for sure that we have heard the concerns.

00:52:01
they have been taken into consideration and um they the applicant has actually made some adjustments through the course of this application in respect of the concerns that they have heard uh and where it is situated is uh is well back from the road uh in uh in an area where there was a single family home.

00:52:22
So this is the kind of uh infill that is rare in Burlington. We don’t have a lot of land. uh it is um uh four bedrooms which we also don’t see a lot of the familyoriented missing middle type of development. So, uh I hope folks will feel uh will feel heard. Notwithstanding, there are some that will not um uh depending on on how the go vote goes, may not agree with uh with the final decision, but I do want people to feel that they have uh that we have heard and considered and our staff have heard and considered all of the feedback uh that you’ve provided and it did make the project uh change and evolve and get better over time and we don’t want to risk that if this goes to a tribunal. So with that, seeing no further comments, I’ll ask the clerk to take the recorded vote on this item. >> Councelor Gre >> support. >> Councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nissan >> support. >> Councelor Stoalty is absent. Councelor Sherman >> support.

00:53:21

Councelor Bentonia >> support. >> Mayor me >> support. >> That’s six in favor, zero against. >> And that does carry. Turning now to the official plan and zoning bylaw amendments for 198 and 206 Plains Road East, DGM4526. Are there any remaining questions from members of council? All right.

00:53:45
Are there any comments from members of council? Okay. Uh seeing none, we did have quite a discussion at committee for folks watching. Uh, I’ll turn it to the clerk for the recorded vote. Go ahead. >> Council Greath >> support. >> Councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nissan >> support. >> Councelor Stoalty is absent.

00:54:06
Councelor Sherman >> support. >> Councelor Bentmania >> support. >> Mayor me Ward >> support. >> That’s six in favor. >> And that does carry. Uh, turning now to the official plan and zoning bylaw amendments for 1200 King Road, DGM2826 and items 20.2 2 and 20.4 in your package provide additional supplemental information from our staff and there is a revised recommendation contained uh in that package and revised bylaws for this item.

00:54:39
So we will vote first on the new recommendations uh and the recommendation which has been moved by councelor Charman, seconded by councelor Galbrath uh to approve the applications as modified by planning staff for official plan amendment and zoning bylaw amendments submitted by Bowfields Inc. on behalf of Alenia for the lands known as 12200 King Road and approve the official plan amendment number nine to the city of Burlington official plan 2020 as modified by planning staff and provided in appendix D of the memo to development growth management report DGM 2826 to amend the designation for the lands located at 1200 King Road. Okay. Um I don’t need to read the rest. It’s on your screen. So I will I will not read the rest but it is there. It is in your package and uh I will open the

00:55:37
floor to um do you have a question counselor or you want to >> I have a question staff. >> Okay go ahead. >> Thank you very much. With respect to the amendments I I see that the way it was set up there was a request from the uh from the applicant. There was some analysis done.

00:55:52
There was some comments on whether it was viable or not. uh and then subject uh to finalization. Uh my question to staff is you you have this situation where the applicant’s asking for something. In some cases, they’re not getting it. In some cases, they’re getting a bit of it. So, how has that gone with the applicant? Are we all in agreement on this? >> Uh through you, chair to the council.

00:56:17
Yes. My understanding is that we are all in agreement with this. >> Okay. So, I’m I’m trying to see some eyeballs, but I’m hoping it’s okay. We got thumbs up. Thank you very much. >> All right. Any other questions on this item? Any comments on this item? Councelor Kurts. >> Thank you, Mayor.

00:56:38
Um, I had held my comments at committee because we were running out of time, but I want to continue to express my support for this project at 1200 King Road. It’s ushering in an opportunity to take underutilized lands and truly deliver something for our community that will be exceptional. The culmination of an entertainment complex of which the same holdings group has just been able to uh create one of the best things in Canada uh is on its way hopefully here to Burlington.

00:57:04
I have heard concerns and considerations around traffic and I will expect that as this process unfolds that we will continue to uh enter mitigation opportunities as well as uh being an exemplary uh example of where uh transit and transportation can be embedded in this in a way that reflects our modal split commitments.

00:57:23
Um we will also be having amenities which we are incredibly short on including and hopefully uh recreation ice surfacing as well as pool and recreation aquatic facilities. So um we will also be welcoming in new housing opportunities for people uh to now call Burlington home. So with the great economic benefits, the construction activity uh and the welcoming of this new um quality design and appropriate infrastructure improvements, I do believe that this is going to be something that Burlington will be proud of over the next decade and beyond. So thank you to the holdings group to everyone who has collaborated and brought forward a unified vision. uh we haven’t done this process in a way that has been as mature as this in the past and I think that this is setting the bar to the way in which we can create uh great opportunities here in our city of Burlington. So thank you for that >> councelor Charman. >> Yeah, I’m going to start off with saying uh what she said. Um

00:58:23
so thank you uh with respect to the work that’s been done by staff. I think this is phenomenal. What you’ve done is you’ve worked diligently with the commu uh with the applicant um and and they and you have taken a future view of of the needs of the community for the for for many years to come.

00:58:36
Uh as well as thinking about the the relationship with the with Hamilton uh as well as the opportunity to have a significant sports uh activity in the city of Burlington that is going to contribute to our quality of life and and for the future quality of life of Burlingtonians. So, thank you very much for the work and I am completely in support of this project.

00:58:59

Councelor Nissan, >> thank you. Yes, I would uh also express my support here for the official plan and zoning bylaw amendments for 1200 King Road. uh the due diligence has been done and there’s been a lot of uh dialogue uh over several years to uh make this a project that uh I’m hopeful will be um leading edge and uh someday um planning staff and counselors will come from other municipalities to see what we’ve uh achieved here uh maybe from outside of Canada as well.

00:59:29
I just want to note that uh the prospect of the event center is very exciting. I like the opportunity and I’m hopeful that it will all go well. But uh the stage that we’re at now is to do uh due diligence in in the development of a business plan and that business plan has to work out for us to go ahead at least in my mind.

00:59:49
Um so uh I’m looking forward to the next steps on the business plan to make sure that this uh provides uh the correct uh value for residents for any dollar spent. Thank you, >> Councelor Bentania. >> Thank you, Mayor. I’ll be brief. If I echo all my colleagues uh comments uh right now I just also want to say that we haven’t talked about this is uh a huge project for the city of Burlington.

01:00:16
What we haven’t talked about is the impact the positive impact tax wise. There are going to be 9,000 people in that area, businesses and so on that will certainly contribute to our tax program which is badly needed. Um and uh I want to thank uh everyone involved to uh get this project going. Thank you.

01:00:42

All right. I’m not seeing any other hands on the board. I will just echo the uh excellent comments of all my colleagues. This is really a model for how we want to see development around our GO stations. Uh this is not just housing. It is community amenities. It’s job.

01:01:01
It’s education, it’s entertainment, it’s all of the things that a community needs. And if uh if we don’t build it this way, we will simply get vertical suburbs. We need complete communities around our GO stations. And this is coming. It’s also been a model of uh community input and and collaboration and partnerships. And I want to acknowledge uh Paul Pletto who is here from Alineia Group.

01:01:26
This is the way we want to see developments coming forward where an applicant approaches us to ask what the community needs, what the community wants. There is significant uh input and conversation with uh residence groups not only in the immediate area for example partnering aldershot the business improvement area uh that have contributed to uh to providing their feedback.

01:01:51
And when this came to committee, uh we had people coming and speaking in support and this is a major significant application and we don’t always see that either. So uh this is how we want to do things going forward. This will have a mix of housing from town homes up to highrises. Uh and again we want to see that as well uh for people of all ages to be able to stay right here in our community that we love.

01:02:19
All right. So with that I will ask the clerk to call the vote. Go ahead. >> Councelor Gre >> support. >> Councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nissan >> support. >> Councelor Stoalty is absent. Council councelor Sherman >> support. >> Councelor Bentomania >> support. >> Mayor meward >> support. >> That’s six in favor zero against.

01:02:40

That does carry. So that is the new recommendation. So we will vote on the item as amended. And I will uh go back to councelor Charman and Galbra to move and second that again. No, we don’t. We don’t need to do that. Okay. >> Excellent. Uh but we have some bylaws that we do need to approve.

01:02:59
So I have a motion to approve the following enabling bylaws for those items that we brought forward. That has been moved by councelor Karns, seconded by councelor Nissan. Uh the bylaw relative to 21105 Hen Road. There are two. the bylaw relative to uh Plains Road East, the bylaw relative to um King Road.

01:03:19
There’s another one for Heden. Uh there are there is another one for Plains and there’s a final one for King Road to enable all of that to take place. So, uh I will turn it now to the clerk for the recorded vote on those items. Go ahead, >> Councelor Gre. Sorry. Support. >> Councelor Karns. >> Support. >> Council Nissan >> support. Councelor Stoalty is absent.

01:03:51
Councelor Sherman >> support. >> Councilor Bentomania >> support. >> Mayor me >> support. >> Six in favor, zero against. >> And that does carry. All right folks, we are turning now to our delegations. Thank you everyone for being patient and waiting while we dealt with some uh urgent business.

01:04:08
So a reminder to uh delegates uh most of you I believe are on the data center item. We have moved that up. So once we hear from all 16 of you uh we will uh we will then go straight into dealing with that. If we don’t get through uh we will probably take a break around 11 and again at noon for lunch uh and then we will reconvene uh after that time.

01:04:32
So you are free to stay, you are free to leave once you’ve spoken if you need to uh if you need to go and uh you can follow along online after. So uh we do have uh rules of engagement here in terms of wanting to create a respectful, inclusive, welcoming environment here in council chambers.

01:04:53
We welcome all perspectives to be heard. So, we would ask attendees to maintain order and not engage in behavior that may be considered disruptive uh and to listen to folks as you would want to be listened to. Uh each delegate will have five minutes and there is a time clock. You can see it there.

01:05:11
Uh I’ll let you know when you are out of time and stick around. There may be some questions from members of council for you. So uh and for for us on this side questions are only for clarification and not to engage in debate or uh or dialogue with with uh delegates. The other item for those of you who are new and I know there are a number of you um this is not the form to ask questions of this group.

01:05:41
However, if you do have a question you can raise it and one of us uh on council when we get to the item can ask that on your behalf. So, this is really for us to hear your input on these items. So, with that, uh we’re really thrilled to have you here and to hear from some folks uh in the community.

01:06:04
So, the first delegate uh and there was no order here. It was just whoever registered uh in whatever order we received it. So, Tim Caddy of the Green Party will speak in person regarding motion memo item 18.1. Come on up, Tim. Uh if you need to adjust the podium, you can. There’s a little uh item on the right that you can raise it if you would like to do that.

01:06:28

Okay. Yeah. >> Uh and just hang on. Uh let’s get the microphone on for you. >> Okay. And you have five minutes. Go ahead and get started, Tim. >> Hello, I’m uh Tim Caddy. Um these data centers um they will be like destructive like in terms of like noise. Um you will find like all kinds of like um um noise um complaints basically uh yeah the data centers will be like uh they will cause basically environmental um destruction basically um it will be like um those um hearing those like um screaming um pigs at the at the Applebee go station you hear from Fearman’s Pork Slaughterhouse. you’ll you’ll be basically um like uh that you’ll hear a lot of that noise from um the data centers. And if you picture like um what Hamilton residents

01:07:27
have had to go through with like the loud noise from like um the data center being proposed on like um gauge like the top of gauge, you know what I’m saying? with all those like pollution spewing like industries there um these data centers will add to the problem for like um Burlington.

01:07:46
So basically what I’m saying is um there needs to be a motion forward in like rejecting these um data centers because these data centers um they just want to build like more data and cause basically more harm to like um the residents basically because right now Premier like Ford is like planning to like build all a lot of these data centers across the province and they’re going to add like more like harm basically all across like um this province.

01:08:30
That’s basically what’s um going on now. Just last um month we had like Hamilton reject um their like basically plan for like the data center and we’ve also unfortunately had some approvals like elsewhere. Do you know what happens when there’s like a data center? It won’t be like good for like residents, especially like vulnerable um residents who have to put up with all this um kind of stuff.

01:09:03
So, um yeah, thank you. >> Thank you very much, Tim. Hold on. Don’t go away, Tim. Tim, u you do have a question. Sorry. Um from councelor Nissan. Thank you for your delegation. Go ahead, counselor. Hi, Tim. Thank you for uh coming in this morning and uh for waiting out the rest of the session. >> Yeah. >> Uh Tim, I just wanted to know you’re uh for whatever reason it says you’re Green Party here.

01:09:30
So, are are you um are you a candidate of record or and are you is it the Burlington Greens or >> Burlington Greens? Yes, I’m a member of the Burlington Greens. >> Okay. So, you’re a member. That’s >> Are you speaking on behalf of the party or just yourself? >> Um just myself as like an environmentalist. I’m a I’m an environmentalist as a I’m a major environmentalist basically.

01:09:52

Okay. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Tim. >> Okay. Thank you. Not seeing any other questions. Thank you so much uh Tim for joining us. Our next delegate is Martin Karsten uh who is speaking virtually. So we will bring uh Martin in from the virtual room. and speaking regarding uh the two motion memo items 18.1 and 18.2.

01:10:15
Welcome Martin. We see you. And whenever you are ready, go ahead and get started. And you have a a presentation. It is up on the board now. We can see that. Go ahead. >> Perfect. Good morning, mayor and counselors. So, Council Nissan asked me to uh to delegate here, give a short presentation, and be available for questions after I’ve given a similar presentation last week at Hamilton City Council.

01:10:42
Um, I’m primarily speaking about data centers and trying to shed a bit of light on on some of the uh some of the issues here. I think I’m qualified to speak to that matter. And I want to point out that there isn’t really a there isn’t really a well-defined term data centers. Um, data centers could be many things ranging from a single computer that sitting somewhere remotely.

01:11:06
Some of the old mainframes would nowadays be considered data centers and they can range to from from really small to really large. Data centers are primarily deliver delivering any sort of internet- based services. Um, many of you are using all the time from your streaming, your office applications, um, supporting our institutions, every everything of that sort.

01:11:29
uh data centers are essentially computers, networking infrastructure, um uh cooling systems, power supply, physical protection systems. So there isn’t really any sort of black magic going on, right? This is this is uh this is well understood technology. It’s very important when it comes to data centers to understand the different types of data centers.

01:11:52
We roughly distinguish between three of them. There are enterprise data centers which is essentially a corporation running their own business and needing computing power and operating a data center. There are collocation data centers uh which are sort of like hotels like housing for other people’s servers.

01:12:12
And then there are these well-known cloud data centers run by big companies like Amazon, um, Google, Microsoft that rent out virtual machines for others to build their services. Uh, aside from size, and I’m going to come back to size in a moment, I think it’s very important to understand what kind of services are delivered by these data centers and assess them that way.

01:12:35
What are the customers and what are the ultimate end users? And last not least, I always want to make a distinction between profit and nonprofit enterprises because there is a huge scale between say your hospital needing a data center, research needing data centers and and maybe large scale profitable operations.

01:12:53
Um there’s two metrics that we typically use to measure the environmental impact, power consumption and water usage. power consumption uh gives a very good sort of understanding of the massive scale differences. If you are looking at a small IT data center of a small corporation, you might be looking at a power consumption of about a tenth of a megawatt.

01:13:17
Um another interesting data point is the top 500 fastest supercomputers in the world. The average of those top 10 lands at about 21 megawatt watt. The fastest supercomputer in the world currently located in China consumes about 42 megawatts. And then you have these data centers that we call hypers scale data centers mostly cloud services but some of them are also enterprise services say delivering your Instagram delivering your Facebook.

01:13:44
And here we now see a massive jump in scale going all the way up to gigabytes uh gigawatts of um of power consumption and um and it is very important to keep that scale in mind. Common concerns around data centers are noise and vibration and I can assure you these are non-issues. Um noise m computer servers are loud.

01:14:09
I mean I occasionally have one in my office when I need to work on it. you wouldn’t want that but the noise is usually very well uh contained. Vibration cannot be an issue because the electronics are way too sensitive to deal with any vibration. So most likely and I we have offices at the University of Wateroo right next to uh server rooms and data centers and there simply isn’t isn’t an issue.

01:14:32
There is a legitimate concern about water. So that why why it’s very important to look at the actual cooling technology. Uh now modern closed loop systems do not evaporate or actually consume water. They just use water to circulate within the data center transporting the heat from the servers to cooling aggregates and back.

01:14:48
So these kind of technologies are not wasting water in any meaningful uh in any meaningful way. Um when it comes to power supplies in Ontario, I understand most of our power is actually coming from hydro and nuclear. So in that sense um um I think things are as good as they can be and hopefully will improve over time.

01:15:10
So as long as data centers are hooked up to the grid, the power supply should be relatively green. The backup generators are only needed if there is a power loss. So only once in a blue moon. I also want to point out that data centers are critical infrastructure. Um and um another issue here that’s often overlooked is Canadian IT sovereignty.

01:15:31
We’re all very concerned about our data. uh while having a data center under our jurisdiction will not guarantee sovereignty by itself, it is an essential building block. If you don’t have the data center under your jurisdiction, you can’t really build sovereign IT services. I also want to point out that Ontario is doing some uh some has has come up with some regulations and Ontario draw the line draws a line at about 50 megawatt between sort of handling a data center application in in a simpler way versus taking a closer look. In my opinion, if you look at if you want to establish meaningful regulation around data centers, you want to look at power and water consumption. You want to enforce hard limits on those and not have sort of open-ended contracts where things can change over time. You want to look at the actual cooling technology and you also want to look at the purpose of the data center and the services that it delivers and whether it’s a profit or a

01:16:29
nonfor-profit enterprise. Thank you very much. >> All right. Thank you. I’ll just look to the board to see if there are any questions. Councelor Karns, go ahead. Thank you very much, Martin, for joining us and uh presenting the same uh deck that was presented at Hamilton special meeting of council on July 14th.

01:16:47
I attended that and listened diligently as well as to the questions of those local counselors. Uh the one issue that I continue to struggle with and I’m looking for your insight in terms of policy framework is the fact that uh we haven’t deliated between notfor-profit and for-profit use of this type of technology.

01:17:07
um and its draw on our resources. And I’m just wondering if you can point us to any frameworks or legislations that can help us get closer. And you will note, of course, on July 15th, uh that line of conversation weighed heavily into the decision of council in Hamilton about implementing an interim control bylaw.

01:17:25
So um how can you guide us to untangle the uses that are not for profit or for research and for other uh forprofit and other uses? >> Well, thank you. Thank you for the question and through the chair. Um um I mean I’m not a policy expert. Um but just pointing out these differences and and to me profit versus nonprofit is one one aspect of all of those.

01:17:50
um at the end of the day you I don’t know is there is there is there any such regulation for under other big industrial sort of developments between uh between profit or nonprofit maybe that’s an area where one could look for policy in sort of policy ideas right I don’t really I don’t really have policy ideas of that sort um you can look at who’s building the data center who’s operating the data center and you can weigh off the the social utility and the and the public good versus the uh versus the resources and and size and scale in combination with profit versus nonprofit to me makes a huge difference. >> Okay. Thank you very much. And and I do see that uh in here. Now my next question to you is related to the differences in the um circulations uh regarding closed loop water use or air. in the closed use water loop. Um there

01:18:49
is opportunity to share in um heating opportunities with adjacent developments etc. Also taking pressure off of our grid. Can you share with us any uh tools or approaches that can be used to do that in the absence of a policy because what we’re looking at today is standalone which is fine.

01:19:07
We’re not looking at one file. Um but there is certainly closed you loose loop opportunities that can be available to us. How might we use those? Right. >> So, thank you for the question through the chair. I’m um I’m not an HR HR expert. Um as I kept saying in Hamilton, um uh what I understand is that if you have a district energy heating system, it is relatively efficient to capture the heat that is emitted by the computing equipment and redirect it into the district energy heating system.

01:19:39
uh we do that in one instance on our campus in Wateroo and we plan to do to do this in the second instance um in the data center that we are about to uh put together in the next couple of years. Um so I know in principle that this works and and we have uh we have a running example here in water that it works.

01:19:58
I couldn’t give you the technical details around that because that is ultimately HRA technology. I’ve also been told, someone approached me that there is in fact technology for the other way around where you could even take the heat and use the heat to drive chillers. So that would uh make it possible to even uh reuse the uh the uh the excessive heat during the summer.

01:20:24
Um but I kind of understand that this technology is still in its experimental phase and and and probably needs a few more years to mature. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. I’ll go back into Q. >> Councelor Nissan. >> Thank you, Chair, and uh thank you Dr. Carson for uh coming in today. Um you mentioned uh sort of different scales now at the um 20 or 17 megawatt uh scale.

01:20:52
Um in your experience, have you seen any health concerns arising from that uh that people should be aware of? Cuz you mentioned noise and vibration. And you said those are not major concerns. How long have the have data centers and computers been around at that scale? So do we have enough to go on to say uh that we are okay and that this is not going to hurt our community including neighbors who live uh less than a kilometer away.

01:21:23

Thank you for the question through the chair. I think at the at 17 megawatts the answer is unequivocally you don’t have to worry about a thing. Um, if someone was proposing a gigawatt data center in the vicinity of a large city, that would be a totally different problem and challenge.

01:21:38
But, uh, I think Ontario got the numbers reasonably right with the 50 megawatts boundary between sort of using a more simplified regulation approach versus using a more individualistic regulation approach. >> Thank you. So in terms of uh regulations and that being a sort of a uh a w a mark there at 50 uh megawws are you uh in as far as you know into and to the limits of your expertise do you believe that the current regulations are sufficient to keep the community safe below 50 and above 50 megawws? >> So the question through the chair I I again I’m not a policy expert. I tend to generally trust in uh have trust in governments and and councils and I believe everybody has everybody’s best interest at heart. So so while while I I cannot speak affirmatively simply by not knowing all the related details, I am personally not worried.

01:22:37

Okay. Thank you. And I’ll be sure to ask that of our staff team as well. >> Councelor Sherman, >> thank you very much Dr. C. This is fabulous, very helpful to have a factual perspective well studied. Um, I guess the question that I’ve heard a lot of is or the term AI data center used all the time about what is being proposed for Burlington.

01:22:56
Um, is this something that you’re familiar with? Is there a difference between an AI data center versus not and is what we’re getting? Do you see that as a an AI data center in Burlington? >> So, thank you for the question through the chair. I only have a limited insight into the actual application before Burlington.

01:23:17
Um I I I don’t want to venture guesses as to what this data center will ultimately host. Um clearly there is a difference between AI just in terms of sheer power consumption versus uh services rendered. So sort of a rule of thumb for example is that if you start a Google query and get your normal traditional Google search results and compare that with maybe an AI query that the AI query might be about 20 times more expensive in terms of resource consumption.

01:23:48
um this is just inherent in the way these services are built and based on the on the math that’s under the hood and and based on the GPUs the spe special computing units that can be used to deliver these services. So, so, so on on one end, yes, AI is a lot more expensive. That’s why there are a lot of economic cons concerns around that as well, right? Will people actually be able to build a a profitable business model around that? That’s not clear yet.

01:24:19
Um, given and I understand that people are extremely concerned about AI. That makes perfect sense to me, right? and then also question sort of the value of value proposition of some of these services that are being delivered. Right? Um, again, in my in my opinion, if you’re looking at say a 17 or 20 megawatts data center, this would either be most likely not AI on a massive scale because it would be too small for that to deliver AI services on the scale of Open AI or Chat GPT, you’ be closer to the multiund megawatts, gigawatt scale. So it would either be a smaller data center delivering smaller services or delivering nonAI services and more traditional IT IT services. That would be my best guess. >> Thank you for that. Maybe ask a follow-up question on that with respect to linking the economics of the business to the usage. What I understand you

01:25:18
saying that a small center like the one that’s being propo proposed would not be economically viable in an AI application. Um, thanks for the question through the chair and I don’t want to be saying that. I mean um um I said two things sort of in the grand scheme of things if you see large companies plunking billions of dollars into AI infrastructure.

01:25:42
To me it is not clear that there will be an a business model that that that that will work. It’s just not clear at this point. Um I’m also saying that a a small data center of the site that you’re talking about here is most likely not one of those large scale uh infrastructures. Right? So in that sense um it might not be an AI data center in the first place.

01:26:04
It might very well be economically viable. It might be a small scale AI data data center with a much narrower focus and as such deliver services that might very well be economically viable. I I can’t I can’t say it one way or another for sure. No, that’s very helpful. Thank you. I do have a second question and that is with respect to the delegation, the first delegation we had talking about environmental um issues.

01:26:26
Uh we know this is not or we’ve been told this is not water cooled but it is aircooled and I’ve heard people saying oh my goodness it’s going to put pollution out into the air and we’re going to uh risk the community around it. Uh is can you talk to that please? >> Uh sure I can try. Thank you for the question through the chair.

01:26:44
Um so so air cooled is less efficient than water cooled. Air cold air air cooled is sort of as best as as bad as all our air conditioning at home really right. Um other than I mean in terms of environmental pollution it arises it would arise through similar to our air conditioning at home. It would arise through the energy consumption if it arises from there.

01:27:09
um it would arise in form of the gray energy spent to build those chillers just again like your apparatus next to your house. Um other than that there is no pollution in the sense that there would be some active sort of air being blown out of the building or any of that sort that simply doesn’t exist.

01:27:26
Um I suspect so the the the the challenges with water cooling is that after you build the data center with water cooling you have a much harder time say exchanging servers if anything breaks or anything needs to be upgraded an air cooled system remains a lot more flexible for making changes bringing in new hardware taking out older hardware I believe air cooling might speak to some of the things that might ultimately happen in the data center um and again it would rather in from that perspective it would speak against that being a significant AI data center uh just because the extra flexibility maybe means that they’re looking at at bringing in new customers all the time and and making updates and changes and whatnot. So that’s the trade-off with the air cooling. It’s clearly a little less efficient. Um but it it gives the operator a lot more flexibility to make changes. >> So I I do have a clarification question.

01:28:24
So you’ve made the linkage to the scale and speed of the equipment and the need for cooling relative to the use for AI as to more traditional lower level kind of data applications. Is that what I understand you to be saying? >> Yes. Yes. >> Thank you. >> Uh before we go to second time question Oh, councelor Bentinia, go ahead.

01:28:50

Thank you, mayor. Uh thanks for being here, doctor. Um my question is let’s assume that this development say proceeds and it’s built and so on and 5 years from now they would like to expand. How does that work and does it have to go through the procedure of development like everything else goes? >> Thanks for the question through the chair. I cannot answer that question.

01:29:18
That’s a policy question. That’s a regulation question. that whether it whe it it’ll be back before council then I I I have no idea. I mean I mean I I understand that so that’s what I said in my presentation. You want to establish hard limits for now. You want to establish hard limits on power consumption and water consumption, right? You want to write the contracts in a way that nobody can turn around and come back in three years and all of a sudden suck twice as much power or twice as much water as they originally agreed. I think that’s the important part. and then but how a process for changes would would would play out I couldn’t possibly tell you that. >> Okay. My second question and you may not answer. I’ll ask staff that question as well. Um if this project proceeds and it’s air cooled as we’re all under the assumption that it is, can it be converted to water cool internally? >> Um thank you for the question. uh

01:30:17
through the chair. I would believe yes, in principle it can. Um we have done that in the past. You could even you could even make half of it water cooled and half of it air cooled of sorts with with some limits. Um so so in principle, yes, I mean the um there’s two types of water cooling.

01:30:38
One is where the water is running sort of is brought very close to the service. It’s it’s a fairly intricate technology. It’s something that you don’t want to touch ideally once you deployed it. Um, and then there is then there is immersion cooling where the servers themselves without any cover or anything just the raw bare metal servers go into a into a liquid into a special liquid of course and and and are completely immersed in that liquid and that liquid it’s sort of oil of sort of just like uh just like your cooking oil essentially and and that that is used to transport the heat away from the equipment. Um the air chilling in some sense you might think of air chilling as you’re chilling an entire room but even that is not necessary anymore. You can build special sort of dedicated compartments within a larger room and then run the air chiller just for those compartments. So yes in principle I see no problems to to even gradually convert a data center from air cooling to uh to

01:31:37
closed loop cooling. >> Thank you for that. >> Thank you. Uh before we go to second time speakers, I do have a question for you. Uh Martin, thank you so much for being here. Um the uh the city did uh to provide uh maximum information to the community create a project page. Uh there are roughly 20 different documents there including uh noise, environmental impacts, um and and so forth.

01:32:05
It’s there’s quite a lot. One of them is a detailed letter of use. And so I wanted to ask you in your experience, Martin, uh what this description of use says to you around the concerns that have been raised uh very legitimately uh regarding whether this is an AI facility or a facility that will uh some people have mentioned surveillance.

01:32:30
They, you know, privacy issues or there are many very legitimate concerns. So uh I’ll just uh read you what it says. um that the facility is designed to provide secure collocation cloud computing data storage network infrastructure and data processing services for commercial and institutional uses. >> Thank you for the question.

01:32:52
Um uh so I think the term collocation and air in the in combination with air with air cooling that makes perfect sense. So this is probably a provider that will rent out Rackspace and operate servers on behalf of customers and these customers could be anyone right could be again could be your police could be your hospital could be could be a small and medium enterprise could be could be anything um that’s what I read from there and and again given the overall size I wouldn’t be too too worried about sort of mass scale AI Okay. Uh, councelor Nissan, back to you. >> Thank you, mayor. Uh, most of my questions have now been uh been answered and uh I just wanted to ask this one again because I kind of buried it in my other question. How long have uh data centers, supercomputers

01:33:50
around 17 megawws uh been around for us to have studied and known what the uh any uh consequences would be of those data centers? Thank you, Martin. >> Thanks for the question to the chair. I want to respond. I I’ve heard the question and I forgot to respond to it last time around.

01:34:06
Um um I couldn’t give you the exact timing. Um I mean data centers have been around since the since the dawn of computers because if you recall these old school computers were not sort of desktop computers, right? They were housed in special facilities in those days because the computers were a lot less dense themselves.

01:34:25
cooling was not that much of not that much of a problem, right? As computers became denser and denser and denser and more and more powerful, that led to more heat generation um in the available space and and and that has uh that has led to the cooling challenges. As for the precise number, I could venture a guess probably I would say at least 20 to 25 years, but I I I can’t really vouch for a precise answer. I’m sorry about that.

01:34:54

No, that’s uh that’s fine. Uh, all right. That’s those are my questions. Thank you, >> Councelor Kron. >> Thank you so much. And my final two questions. One, um, can you share if you are part of the digital research alliance of Canada? Um, are you part of that group? >> Uh, thanks for the question through the chair. No, I’m not.

01:35:15

You’re not? Okay. And then my next question is this. If we were to have uh one opportunity based on capacity for energy resources to implement between you know 20 plus uh megawatt facility, what use would you recommend it for? Would it be for research and um you know analyzing things that could contribute to our community or would it be similar to the use that you’ve just defined uh colllocation which is basically rack space? Um um thanks for the question through the chair. I cannot make such a recommendation. I mean there’s only I mean there’s pros and cons. It’s in the eye of the beholder, right? If you have a collocation space and enables 50 of your small enterprises in in the local in the local to become successful, right? That to me is a great use as well. Um of course I’m fond of research. That’s my bread and butter. But then again, there’s only so much research you can do, right? So, so I I

01:36:14
mean I mean it’s hard to imagine where in in a even if you had a scenario where you had just one personal land and one plug and now you have two proposals on the table right now you can choose even then I would find it really really hard to choose and I wouldn’t want to make a blanket assessment without knowing more of the details um obviously if you don’t have that binary choice if you just say just have one proposal and you could say I agree to it or I wait for something better to come along two years down the road. That’s that’s yet even another and even more complicated choice. >> Thank you very much. That is actually very helpful response. Thank you. >> All right. Uh one final question from me, Martin. We do have three uh motions that we will be dealing with on today’s agenda. Uh and I’m just interested in your thoughts. uh particularly um uh in your summary you’re talking about meaningful regulations. So uh one of the

01:37:14
motions is about federal and provincial uh standards. The other is around report back on tools uh that might be available uh to deal with these things at a municipal level and another one related to um our official plan uh and prioritizing work around that. So, uh, do you have any thoughts for us on, uh, any or all of those that we will be dealing with in in today’s agenda? >> Yeah, thank you.

01:37:41
Um, um, thank you for the question. I I mean, the way I read the motions to me, they seem reasonable. Um, asking I mean asking asking to find out what can be done locally, what can be regulated locally, how that plays out is very reasonable. Um, you want to make sure that staff reaches out to experts to understand what’s going on inside and around these data centers.

01:38:01
I think asking the provincial and the federal government for regulation also makes a lot of sense. Um, the third motion, it just appeared late on the agenda, so I haven’t really read it or don’t really know what it says, so don’t want to speak to that. >> Totally fair. Okay. All right. I am not seeing any other questions.

01:38:18
So, uh, thank you so much for joining us. Uh Martin, you will return to the virtual room where you can continue to watch or uh get on with your day. So, >> all right. Thank you. All the best. Take care. >> All righty. Our next delegation is Amy Schner from Burlington Green Environmental Association is speaking in person on the uh motion the two motion uh memos.

01:38:42
So Amy, whenever you are ready, you have five minutes. Go ahead. Can you We’ll just get them there. Okay, your mic’s on. Go ahead. Good morning, Mayor Me Ward, members of council, city staff, and the Burlington community. On behalf of Burlington Green Environmental Association, thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on items 18.1 and 18.2.

01:39:06
I’m unaware of a third motion. I previously shared with all of you an excellent timely article uh titled the future of data centers in the GTA and Ontario project um authored by Mars and mantle climate study which was funded by the atmospheric fund. The article highlighted that Canada ranks fifth globally in data center density with the GTA as the epicenter of this growth and that the authors emphasized a defining question.

01:39:42
Can we build this infrastructure to strengthen our energy system and communities or will it work against them? The report indicated yes but only if we design for lowcarbon outcomes and build trust from day one. Some facts. Climate impact data centers could drive triple the emissions by 2035. That’s 7.

01:40:06
3% of Ontario’s electric electricity generation emissions with the GTA hit hardest about 10% of regional emissions. Secondly, community costs, strain on local grids, air quality, housing affordability, and energy bills for residents and backlash, growing scrutiny understandable from communities. So, this is a moment and an opportunity to get it right.

01:40:36
Obviously, from the discussion we’ve already had, it’s not uh sustainable to invite experts and community input on every single application that comes forward to the city of Burlington on data centers. So the report the analysis and outcomes captured in this comprehensive and timely report highlight that in fact as a governance tool sustainable development is not an add-on.

01:40:58
It is actually a practical tool for prioritization, productivity and risk management in a capacity constrained system that we’re dealing with with energy uses. Decisions made in the next three to five years will therefore um well before major new clean generation comes online will determine whether AI infrastructure growth strengthens or strains Ontario’s energy systems and communities.

01:41:27
I’ve read the many thoughtful letters submitted to the city on this issue, including those authored by Burlington Hydro, the project owner, Honorable MP Gold, Mayor of Hamilton, the Chamber of Commerce, and um really thoughtful uh insightful, intelligent uh uh correspondents from the members of the community as well.

01:41:46
One community member said, quote, “Burlington should not allow its first AI data center application to become the precedent simply because the city has not yet created the rules required to regulate it.” I’ve certainly heard members of this council state many times the importance of precedent when it comes to approvals on new projects, whether it’s high-rise developments in the downtown or other issues, and how regardless of the scale, it’s important to get it right and set that precedent and have that scrutiny uh from the start. Without rules, data centers could lock in fossil fuel dependence and strain our grids, making it harder to hit the established net zero targets. On behalf of Burlington Green, I’ve also read the two motions, 18.1 and 18.2, and would just like to offer a few specific comments on those. Words matter for the 18.1 motion for a September staff report on the option to pass an interim control

01:42:45
bylaw motion imposing a one-year moratorum on new commercial data center development citywide. It’s unclear if the motion pertains to the project underway in the planning process for the South Service Road location. Does it include this one? Will it be paused? Additionally, for the outcomes sought in the motion memo for the list of items for staff to report on, environmental impact is missing.

01:43:12
While it references infrastructure considerations including servicing, energy and water requirements, considerations is not impact. Additionally noting that the reference quote prepare an impact assessment framework that weighs economic, social, and community implications is missing environment and climate as well.

01:43:36
So hopefully that was just an oversight. If the goal of the fall staff report is to provide council with a foundational understanding of data center impacts, then Burlington Green suggests it’s essential you specify impact to city’s ability to meet its established Burlington climate plan goal to be a net carbon neutral community by 2020 by 2050 applying accurate reliable forecasting.

01:44:02

You unfortunately I’m out of time. >> You are out of time. Yes, you do have a question. Councelor Charman, over to you. >> Amy, always a pleasure to hear your inspiring comments with respect to the uh the climate change and and the environment. I agree with what you’ve said here.

01:44:26
The question for me is the notion of precedent verse and tipping point. So, at what point do you need to take do you take steps when you don’t know about it or as soon as you find out about it? uh you need to take steps as soon as possible. Um I do comment on that in the rest of my notes, but uh >> you can comment now. So go ahead.

01:44:49
Well, one of the recommendations I was going to provide is whether it be from updating Burlington’s climate action plans, your 20 your outdated 2021 sustainable development guidelines, including data center specific policies, setting clear emission reduction targets for data centers, creating a pre-application checklist to requiring renewable energy sourcing, waste heat use, energy efficient standards.

01:45:14
These are all examples of um actions that the city can take um just like Toronto is doing where they’re scrutinizing um each application that comes in while you which I brine concurs with look at your other motion which is getting that regulation in place um and standardized so it’s not peace meal and one-offs uh from the provincial and federal governments.

01:45:42
So what you’re going to do now? So answering your question, there are actions that the city can and should be doing right now. >> Thank you for that. And now I’m just looking at the that we don’t have a copy of your presentation or your comment. You send that, give it to the clerk, please. Thank you very much. >> Councelor Kron.

01:46:01

Uh thank you very much through the chair. So of course I’ll add environment in as many places as I possibly can and climate. Maybe we can meet on the break to make sure it’s accurate. I’ll ask for those amendments. My question is this. So my understanding is that we have to report back on options to do an interim control bylaw to pause the application that’s in play right now, which would go straight to site plan absent any council conversation.

01:46:29
Um would you be supportive of that pause so we can understand uh what the best use of this limited opportunity might look like? >> 100%. >> 100%. Okay. Okay. Thank you very much. >> Okay. Uh I have one question for you Amy and I really uh appreciate your focus on words matter and you had mentioned artificial intelligence and I know you uh were here for the conversation earlier uh around um you know what that might or might not mean for this application that it is not referenced in the uh letter of use. uh is unlikely but we’ll certainly get that clarification from our staff. So do you have an indication yourself uh that this is artificial intelligence um uh this particular data center? >> No. And my assessment um for today’s

01:47:27
delegation was very much uh focused on the general topic and the motions at play and not specific to the South Service Road application. >> That’s very helpful clarification. Thank you. Thank you so much, Amy. Always great to see you. Uh, councelor Currins, go ahead. >> Thank you through the mayor.

01:47:44
So, sec my uh question is around this. So, I’m interested in what the district energy heating systems might look like to take pressure off our grids and reduce emissions. Do you feel that that is something that should be explored in the city’s policy context before approving any? we don’t even have definitions of AI versus not AI versus information processing versus laboratory research.

01:48:10
So do you think we should be um putting some policy frameworks around the systems that would support or deny before we move through um you know initiating those precedent setting processes I’ll call it. >> Absolutely. I saw I read one of the um submissions about process. Um it’s critical that the process be relooked at before approvals take place reminding um council that uh the city has at least three climate plans, climate action plan, resiliency plan, and corporate energy plan.

01:48:47
And to my understanding, and also sustainable development guidelines. To my understanding, none of all of those were authored pre this evolution of intense epicenters with AI data centers. So, it’s imperative that those go back and be revisited and not start to continue. So, we’re in a different process game now.

01:49:08
So, just to say, well, we already have a process, let’s continue. The variables have changed significantly and the taxing impact on our energy systems and potential environmental and community implications warrant that due diligence that those key pieces need to be looked at and those don’t rely on provincial and federal approvals uh entirely.

01:49:31
they are key processes that the city should be looking at and revisiting and also when advocating I would argue to the province and to the federal government is to leverage that opportunity to do the right thing I guess and push the envelope on how their like bill 40 etc their policies around data centers how are they reconciled with the provincial and federal climate policies.

01:50:03
So instead of isolating those and speaking to those, leverage the opportunity to do that. And that’s in part why I suggested the outcomes that you’re looking from city staff for this September in a report. If they don’t include how is the city going to meet its targets, uh whether it’s on sustainable development or the climate action plans, then you’re missing a key component.

01:50:26

Thanks. And my last question to you is this through the chair. Um, we’ll probably hear about balancing economic growth and innovation with the environmental stewardship piece. Do you believe that there is a path where both can be satisfied or is this an eitheror option before us today? It’s never either or.

01:50:43
This is where leadership comes in. A lot of people believe you have to compromise the economy in order to safeguard the uh human health and environmental health of an environment and they’re interconnected. So, in order to have a healthy economy, you need healthy communities, healthy people, a healthy environment. >> Okay. Thank you for joining us.

01:51:02

Okay. Thank you, >> councelor. Oh, hang on, Amy. You got what? One more question on the board uh so far. Councelor Charman, go ahead. >> Well, thanks for stimulating the conversation about the u that our our environmental plan, which you referred to, was uh something we accomplished when we changed all that and brought it in.

01:51:21
In fact, I brought up in 2015 in the strategic plan. I don’t see it to the in the way that you’re describing in the new strategic plan that’s in the process of being drafted. So, are you suggesting we should start there? >> Uh, I think timing is key. So, I think um I think the president’s piece is important. Meaning, I do feel that if you let if you let one go, it could it could really be a problem.

01:51:47
So meaning you may not have time to shift and change your entire strategic priority and all of those different pieces that I mentioned, right? The different plans and be pressured legally or whatever it is to move forward on a specific file. So I think you’re going to have to respectfully maybe triage and look at um what are those key strategic steps that you need to do whether it’s motions to the governments as well as in-house what’s happening.

01:52:15
But I think regardless, I’ll just point out that whether it’s data centers, I think it’s always an opportune time to be looking as we’re intensifying in Burlington, the biggest threat to climate is urban development, period. And so I think it’s always an opportunity, not just for an environmental lens, but a but a responsibility, a communitywide lens to revisit are is the city of Burlington doing enough, doing sufficient through a rigorous planning process when we’re looking at any projects. And one case in point I will say is when I look at the uh you know the planning department all I I went on the website and I looked at every single area of the planning department and maybe I missed it but I could not find the sustainable development guidelines. So that’s just your your checklist if you will to to whether it’s a data center owner or a development project saying these are this is the type of developments we want

01:53:13
built in Burlington. And that’s a really good starting point. While we deal with things like Bill 98, which are hamstring the bill, the the municipality’s ability to regulate some of this stuff, there’s still communication and engagement and things you can do with great businesses here in Burlington and potential developers to say, “Okay, this might not be enforcable, but we still want you to do this, right?” And having those conversations.

01:53:37
So, I think you don’t need Burlington Green Environmental Group to step forward hopefully and reinforced that. um uh people profit plan a focus, but I really hope that that’s maybe a message that’s a takeaway from this AI uh or any data center issue. >> Yeah. Well, I’ll be talking to our our uh strategic planning people about putting something in the new strategic plan.

01:54:01
But my second question is with respect to the notion of colllocation. So 20 years 22 years ago I was running a corporation in the United States which had an insight on-site data center significant one and we chose to move it all to a collocation uh facility uh in New Jersey uh which was significantly greater I think than what we’re looking at here.

01:54:25
So my question for you is um should we be leaping to conclusions that this is a terrible thing uh when in fact it’s similar to what has been going on for the last 20 years? >> No, I think I think the point is is there shouldn’t be any conclusions to be looked at at this point. I think if the conversation begins and ends with a specific file, you’re missing an opportunity and collocation is a key piece.

01:54:51
Um I’d be happy to uh forward you or I think I already shared but just to emphasize that in that larger article um that’s called sharing the load there’s some good information on um collocation and what that means for municipalities. >> Thank you very much. >> Okay. Thank you so much Amy. There’s no further questions and we will take a brief recess for a bio break.

01:55:15
Uh if everyone can return at 20 after 11 we will pick up again. Thanks everyone. Okay.

02:02:36

All right. Welcome back everyone. We are going to pick up with the balance of our meeting. Uh I don’t want to interrupt any of the conversations, but if you are uh interested in continuing your conversation, I would ask you just to step outside council chambers. We’re picking up with our meeting again.

02:02:50
Uh so we are moving on to our next delegate that is Owen Davies speaking in person regarding motion memo 18.1 and two. Owen welcome. You have five minutes and there may be questions. You are able to move that up. Uh on the right there’s a a lever of There you go. All right. Whenever you are ready, go ahead and get started.

02:03:14

Hello everyone. Good morning. Uh so I’m coming at this from the perspective of a concerned citizen. I’ve lived in Burlington for 5 years and in the Halton region for most of my life. Um, at the end of the day, a lot of what’s been said has been on my docket list of concerns. Uh, I I have to agree with Dr.

02:03:34
uh Martin on we need to keep contracts for this data center should it pass airtight because what’s to say couple years down the line lot next door opens. Let’s take this 20 megawatt data center 50 60 70 and so on so forth. Um that being said 20 megawatts is a lot of power.

02:03:56
Uh for average North American homes that can power upwards of 10,000. So think of that for developing neighborhoods that are now losing out on this access to power. That being said, Burlington Hydro seems to know what they’re doing most of the time, but who knows sometimes. Um, additionally, uh, I know the com, uh, topic of conversation has moved from AI data center just to a regular data center.

02:04:22
If it were to be an AI, whole different ballpark, but the fact that we’re keeping it as a, uh, commercial uh, open-end rack space data center, that’s great. Um, the main concern is with AI and generally the profitability of AI as a whole. Um, they’ve yet to make a profit. Most of these AI companies are losing money, bleeding money, and generally it’s the manufacturers that are making the money.

02:04:49
So your Nvidia, AMD, TMSC, uh they’re making all the money. And we have uh companies like OpenAI that last year lost $ 38.5 billion of a net loss. Uh on top of that uh they claim in their proposal that I read uh that they are working directly with Burlington Hydro and I would like to see access to these reports that are being made uh the environmental the hydro impact and all the sort of conversation points and regulations that we’re putting towards uh the data center to be public and not hidden behind 12 pages of government websites which in researching this data center, I had to go through a ton of pages and it frankly I didn’t get a lot of information. That’s why I’m here. Um, that’s for the most part all I have to say. Uh, and thank you for hearing me out as a concerned citizen of Burlington. >> We’re delighted you’re here. Uh,

02:05:49
Councelor Nissan, go ahead. >> Uh, sorry. Uh, want to make sure it’s it’s Owen. >> Yeah, >> Owen. Thank you very much. I was trying to get your last name. Oh, and thank you very much for uh for coming in. Uh I know it’s not easy and you’re here sharing your point of view and I also notice an openness in what and listening to what you’re hearing.

02:06:08
So I appreciate that. If I understand your concerns, could you please confirm? It’s really to make sure this is airtight. >> Yeah. >> That you know the actual building is airtight and then that the contracts are airtight. Right. >> Absolutely. Yeah. uh because again I understand the need for uh data centers in the long-term technological advancements of business um infrastructure and all that stuff.

02:06:33
Ideally I don’t want to see it happen in Burlington. I think it would be better in other locations, but that’s my two cents on the matter. Uh but if we are to do it, it needs to be uh taken into account. They can’t have any loopholes. They can’t just push for uh increased power.

02:06:48
what’s what kind of fines or regulations do we have in place should they go over that limit of 20 megawws? >> So yeah, so that’s really important to you that we um maintain around the 20 megawatts um and that you also mentioned housing. So that’s also important that we have enough room for housing. Is that right? >> Uh more so that we’re not experiencing brownouts like this past couple weeks.

02:07:12
Uh we had all those storms that happened. I have a close friend of mine who was without power for 4 days. So just to follow up, you want to make sure that it’s not a capacity issue those burnouts, right? You know, if a line gets cut, obviously that’s another story. >> If a line gets cut, that’s one thing, but also what kind of resources are being put towards this data center.

02:07:29
If it’s using so much power of 20 megawatts, they’re probably going to be allocated a certain amount of resources from uh Burlington Hydro. What’s to say they don’t just focus on that data center because it is such a large uh use of energy? >> Okay. Well, we will discuss that further. Thank you.

02:07:46
Thanks, >> Councelor Karns. >> Thank you so much for your um being here. So, one of the portions within my motion is about in simple language, the last one is to request a report back on how to ensure compliance uh with a cascade of resolutions or existing and emerging regulations. So uh that’s something that’s also important to me because we haven’t discussed clustering where if one is right here what happens the commulative impact of another one next door.

02:08:15
Uh what if in this scenario which we’re not focusing on but it could the context can be parlayed to any of the many uh zones where this is permitted essentially as of right or straight to site plan. Um it we could end up in a position of patterning that’s not being um regulated or monitored at this point. So just some thoughts around um how important is that to you? And then I’ll ask my second question about transparency and information from the city.

02:08:42

Uh like if you’re looking at it from like Burlington’s not a massive city. We shouldn’t I don’t see with the corporations that we have locally specifically. I can’t see a world where we need multiple massive data centers sitting around like every other block. So I I can’t see why we would need more than like one if anything.

02:09:07

Okay. So my question my second question is about uh because you mentioned the commentary around digging through reports, right? >> Um this wouldn’t have become public if I didn’t ask for it to become public or if the community didn’t get so vocal. >> So because of the process that this is handled under for future ones, if we create precedent today, you would never see that.

02:09:28
The community would never see that. Do you want something in place where um there’s public information and a and a landing page for any future um applications of this size or this use? And again, I’m trying to use my words carefully because it’s all undefined right now. >> Absolutely. Cuz like I’ve spoken to colleagues, friends, uh other citizens in Burlington, they didn’t even know this was happening.

02:09:52
Uh when you look at the headlines, the headlines are giving misinformation constantly. Um, granted the idea of this being an AI data center versus a regular data center has been kind of lost in the weeds a little bit, but um, all you could really find were one or two articles on it. And then even through the, uh, Burlington City of Burlington website, the Q&A forms didn’t answer many of the questions.

02:10:18
They were vague, open-ended, uh, not giving a lot of details. And frankly before coming here the only person who had answered said questions was Dr. Martin when he spoke. So I I would imagine uh the city of Burlington maybe consult with someone in the profession before just posting redundant uh articles just saying oh yeah it’s happening.

02:10:43
What of it? >> Right. Thank you for some good reflection for us. >> Yeah. Uh before you go, I I have a question and thank you so much for uh highlighting the need for public information and uh our staff did proactively um put information online as so you found the F FAQ which is great. Uh and um I can tell you many many more questions came uh through to me and other counselors u once that information was was uh put on the public record.

02:11:17
And so uh we can certainly add to that. The the staff did also proactively uh and this is not usual practice. This is above and beyond what is required in the planning act, but they opened a project page. So it’s burlington.ca 310 3110 South Service Road. Um if you email any one of us or my office or clerks, uh we can send you the link directly.

02:11:43
But there are um my my question for you is you asked about uh studies being made public. There’s about 20 plus document studies, noise, vibration, environmental posted there. So would that I assume you haven’t seen those, but is that the kind of thing that you’re looking for? Um yeah, pretty much like uh I I don’t believe just from my own personal research that again noise is going to be much of a issue with the size of this data center, but um it it’s more so the impact like on our electrical grid >> that would be most important for citizens to know like are our electrical bills going to be going up like we see in the states where these data centers are being built and now they’re footing the bill of like 30% or something like that on onto their hydro bills. Okay. Um the uh there is I don’t know if you’ve seen it. Uh the question is around uh the letter from Burlington

02:12:42
Hydro that speaks directly to capacity. It is posted uh in the package. Um uh that is on our agenda today. So I don’t know. I guess my question is have you seen that? Uh I wanted to make sure you knew it was there. I’ll >> take a look. >> Okay, that’s great. Uh, councelor Karns, >> thank you very much.

02:13:03
Uh, you know, I just have to pop in and ask the community as yourself being a member of it. Are you aware and do you realize that none of this would have been made public for anybody at all if >> we didn’t kind of throw the flag up? >> Absolutely. And I’m trying to keep it civil on that matter. So, >> I’m just trying to uh see if I’m in an alternate reality or not.

02:13:25
Appreciate that. It was it was made public like less than a week ago almost. And I I would believe that if it was made public a little further down the or previous, we’d have more people here, more people concerned. >> Uh, councelor Nissan. >> Yes. Sorry. Ow. And just one more question.

02:13:45
Does this feel like a a rushed process to you? Would you >> I would believe so personally. >> Would you want us to take like the necessary time to get this right? Well, I I think the the halt, the one-year uh period would be very much appreciated in this regard because it does seem rushed. It seems like there’s not enough time to get community feedback.

02:14:09

Okay. >> Like, yeah, if we’ve only heard about it for a week, we can’t really form our own educated opinions in a week, especially with people with lives and stuff. You can’t spend 20 hours a day looking over articles. Would you also like to see us go to our staff and our experts, Burlington Hydro as well, and ensure that all of our ducks in a row before we make uh any rash decisions? >> Yes.

02:14:33

Okay. Thank you. >> Okay, not seeing any other questions. Thank you so much for being here and we will go to our next delegation and that is >> that is Samantha Prada speaking in person regarding the motion memos 18.1 and 18.2. Samantha, come on up. Somebody is tall. Good morning, mayor, counselors, and members of the public.

02:15:15
My name is Samantha Prada, and I live in Ward 4. Last week is when I first heard that a data center was being proposed in my ward, and I had a lot of questions. I wanted to know who’s going to operate it, how much electricity will it use, could it expand after getting approval, and would the city have the mechanism to restrict future expansion? How will the people living nearby be impacted by it? Then I learned that this application could move through this the site plan process without a public meeting or consultation with residents. And because I wanted to know what the people living closest to the proposed data center thought about it, I decided to go there myself on Sunday. Yes, I did this. I went to a neighborhood about 900 meters from the site and I spoke with the people living there. Most had no idea

02:16:15
that this was happening. Some asked what a data center was. Good question. Others wanted to know why no one talked to them about this. Some wondered how a data center might impact their health. And a lot of people said they really miss mother Tucker’s buffet. Agreement on that last point was oddly universal.

02:16:39
Much like the rest of these conversations, 10 residents from that neighborhood signed this handwritten petition supporting item 18.1. An online petition was launched on Friday afternoon and in that very short time it received more than 240 signatures. Now I don’t present these findings formally but I think they point to some things that are very clearly true.

02:17:05
People are surprised this is happening and they don’t feel they have enough say in it. Residents should not have to find out about a major development through Facebook or from a stranger knocking on their door on a Sunday. They should not need expertise in planning before being entitled to know what is coming to their neighborhoods.

02:17:28
Supporting a transparent process around AI data centers in Burlington is simply good governance. It is reasonable. People should know what is being proposed and they should understand how impacts are being assessed. They should also have a chance to weigh in before the process is already well underway.

02:17:51
The current application has exposed a gap. Burlington does not yet have a clear binding rules for AI data centers or a public process that explains how electricity demand, infrastructure requirements, noise, environmental effects, and community impacts will be dealt with. And while some counselors have said that they understand the impacts of the facility being considered, it is much less clear what rapid growth in this sector could mean for Burlington over time, especially as more applications come forward. And that is exactly why the city needs to plan now. I know that council is also considering a motion asking the provincial and federal governments to develop broader standards. I support that equally and I recognize this that this issue is bigger than Burlington. But asking other governments to act cannot become a reason for us not to. Provincial and

02:18:51
federal frameworks could take years, but applications are arriving now. Residents are asking questions now and irreversible land use decisions are being made now. And so I am asking council to approve item 18.1 in full. I am also asking that the September September report include a clear recommendation and if legally possible a draft interim control bylaw that council can act on.

02:19:20
September should put council in a position to decide whether a one-year pause is needed while Burlington develops its data center framework. Please also provide a plain language public summary or summaries of the September report and the final framework. Residents should not need planning or legal expertise to understand what is being proposed, what council is deciding, and how they can participate.

02:19:49
We are going to see more of these applications. You have a rare chance to put rules in place before development gets ahead of policy. Good projects have nothing to fear from good rules. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. You do have uh one question so far coming from councelor Nissan. >> Thank you very much.

02:20:17
That was a that was I really agree with your last point about how important good regulations are. And uh I wanted to know um based on what you’ve heard today about the scale and the safety risks so far, what you’ve heard so far and understanding that this is a very rushed uh process uh or feels that way certainly.

02:20:36
Um what is your uh is your main concern right now about what would what could come next? >> I agree that it’s a rush process. Can I clarify what your question is? Yes, you’re concerned that uh uh more about future uh data center or data centers that would be AI data centers, so hypers scale, larger scale versus the uh the the Tucker Marketplace 17 megaww uh like I I’m trying to understand if your concerns are outstanding about that application or if they are primarily about what might happen uh going forward >> in future ones. >> Sorry, I’m just confirming. Thank you for your question. So you want to know whether my concern is with the current application or with future applications. Is that correct? >> Uh yeah. >> Yeah. So I would say that my concern with the current application and I will say I don’t frame myself as an expert. Um my concern with the current application is that we are just finding

02:21:36
out about this now. Um and I see that there’s been public information made available. I think that’s great. I think what’s available online is really helpful. Um, but I think especially when I think about the residents that I met with on Sunday, a lot of these folks are seniors.

02:21:52
A lot of them are new Canadians. A lot of them don’t have access to computers. Um, in the same way that I’m really lucky to in terms of computer lit literacy as well. I don’t intend to be agist, but I think somebody that is not grown up with computers may not be able to access them in the same way that I can.

02:22:09
Um, and so I think it’s really great to have online resources, but I think even me going out there as a neighbor saying like, “Hey, did you know about this?” Um, really resonated with them because they didn’t have, uh, the ability, some of them, um, or the time, I think, to review this in advance. So, that’s my concern with the present application.

02:22:29
And then in terms of the future application, my concern is that I think it’s better to act now and to create regulations before you have to walk things back when it’s much more difficult to do so. And in terms of investment, I know I’ve heard some some comments about uh economic concerns. And I think that that’s valid.

02:22:49
Um, but I also think that investments that are made under frameworks that are thoughtful, that engage the community and that are respected, um, are much le like likely to do better, especially because regulations can change um, over time. So, if an investment is being made now before we have clear rules, I wonder if it would be viable down the line when regulations start coming through also from other levels of government.

02:23:15
Thank you for your question. I didn’t mean to to go on for so long but thank you. >> No, that’s no no no problem at all. Um if you felt that the current uh process has been uh feels rushed. >> Um would you want to ensure that any any decisions that we take are take into account you know sort of all aspects and get you get that uh get the next steps correct and do you want us to make sure that we do this correctly going forward and and that we don’t have any unintended consequences? I want to see a really careful framework put forward, a full report and for 18.1 to be approved in full. Yeah. Okay. >> Thank you, >> Councelor Sherman. >> It was a great pleasure to talk to you last night. Thank you for your time then for calling me. Um my first question is uh you made the statement that there are crit there are more applications arriving now. Do you know that for a

02:24:12
fact? So, my statement was there. Sorry, it was nice to chat with you the other day, too. My statement was, and I’m looking back at my notes, applications are arriving now. I’m speaking to the fact that we have a current application. You’re right that I can’t speak to the status of ongoing applications with the city, but applications are coming in across the province, across the province, and this is an issue for many municipalities outside of Burlington.

02:24:42
So >> okay, thank you for that clarification. So are you aware that under the current regulations, government regulations that anybody can buy any property they want and they can imagine whatever they want and they have and that is and that discussion with the planning process uh on our planning departments is kept private until the moment we have something to to talk about which is what we’ve just experienced >> as far as I understand and that’s my concern.

02:25:12
Oh, for clarification, are you aware of all the other applications we get for houses and factories and everything else and should they also be given uh exposure the minute we see them? >> It’s not something that I can speak on today because I haven’t had much time to think about that, but I think that’s an important question.

02:25:27

Thank you. >> Thank you, councelor. >> Councelor Karns, >> thank you so much for joining us. Um, your petition indicates that it does not oppose technology, artificial intelligence, or responsible development. and it asks for a careful and transparent approach that allows Burlington to understand the implications of data center development before major approvals proceed.

02:25:46
Would you like council to look to the clerks to wave the procedure to accept this petition by the end of the day because we did understand it was received late, but we’ve also had motions coming in as late as yesterday. So, would you like us to take that procedural step on your behalf? I would appreciate that and also for the handwritten signatures to be included as well.

02:26:10

Okay. So, we’ll ask the clerks to do that when we get to the appropriate um point. And then my second question is this. Um how close to as drafted would you like to see 18.1 carried by with the assumption that there will probably be a lot of amendments to it or reiterations of it? It will probably get diluted.

02:26:29
Um how specific do you want it to stay? I’d like September to put council in a position to decide whether a one-year pause is needed while Burlington develops its data center framework. >> Okay, I will uh keep that in mind. Thank you. >> Thank you, Lisa. >> Councelor Bentovenia. >> Thank you, Mayor.

02:26:49
And uh thank you for the conversation yesterday as well. I guess maybe you made your rounds. >> Yeah. Yeah, I did. >> Um I just want to talk about time frame. We all talk about the year. We all talk about we’ve we’ve talked about in control bylaws. >> Um, and personally I’m not sure how what the implications of that is.

02:27:10
That’s what we’re going to ask staff later on. >> Um, and when it comes to the report in September. >> Um, and I don’t know if we’re going to get the comments from all these other agencies that still have to comment internally, >> right? Um, and then we’ll have a whole bunch of other. My question is, >> right, >> what if we get all the responses in two months or three months rather than a year? If we if we’re putting emphasis on long-term versus let’s get the right answers and then we can move forward so we can so the business world can move on too. I mean, there’s there’s another side to this as well. What do you think about that? Sorry, I just want to clarify your question, counselor. So, you’re asking why the one-year time frame, and is it possible to do it faster? >> If it is possible, >> if it is possible, would you be okay with that?

02:28:09

I think that’s a good question. I’m citing the one year because I think it’s a reasonable time frame given the scale and the amount of data that’s available and the amount of information that we don’t know even from experts because there’s experts that don’t know the answers to every question that people have at this stage to my knowledge um in this context.

02:28:27
Um in terms of doing it faster, I think that’s something for you all to to chat about. Um, but I just wouldn’t want to see this being another rushed process like we’ve seen. >> Yeah, thank you for your question. >> I agree with you and I just want to make sure that we do the right thing, but when we start putting time frames, sometimes we uh we just extend it for the sake of extending. So, thank you.

02:28:52

Makes sense. Thank you. >> Uh, thank you. One final question from me and uh thank you also for uh calling me and for taking some time to talk. You have done your homework. uh on this and I really appreciate you uh being an engaged resident and uh trying to find out as much as you can. So, I’m just wondering if you uh were able to find the two pages that the city has.

02:29:17
ones the I’ll call it the FAQ on data centers uh which touches on a little bit of this application but then there’s the uh pro I’ll call it the project page uh the 3110 uh south service road that has all the studies and documents related to uh to this were you able to find those >> I did find the project page in terms of the specific document I’m not recalling it in this moment at the top of mind and I will also say that I only became aware of of things on Thursday and since then I’ve been actively trying to talk to residents, get on the phone with you all. Thanks for taking my calls. Um, so there may be some information that I didn’t see since my time on Thursday. I may have read it. I’m not recalling in this moment. And I really appreciate that you all put those put that information up online as well. >> Yeah, >> that’s great. Great to hear from you. And you you did great as a first time speaker here. So, thank you as many have

02:30:15
been today. Thank you very much. Thank you everyone. Yeah. >> All right. Moving. I think we can. Thanks everyone. Uh try one more before our lunch break. Uh Nathaniel Arin is speaking in person to items 181 and two. Uh Nate, are you here? Okay. Um, if Nathan arrives, we will tuck him in.

02:30:46
Our next delegation then is Rowan Fraser speaking to items one and two. Come on up, Rowan. You have five minutes when you’re ready. And, uh, we’ll get the, uh, microphone on for you. >> All righty. Uh, first of all, thank you everyone for having me here. I’m going to be very brief with my introductory statement since I have very little time.

02:31:10
Okay, moving on. proposed data center that we’re looking at right now is a 20 megawatt facility. It’s about 5,000 square feet for the facility and uh to my understanding with my communications with PAL Planning and Associates in Quadro Arch, it is planned to be a enterprise and collocation facility.

02:31:25
So no AI features are presently planned to exist there. Um, next I’m going to move on to the regulations that uh we should be examining to have in place. Now, it does uh concern me that there’s uh not an open planning system here in Burlington, whereas if someone applies to build something, uh we keep those plans private until I guess professionals determine whether or not we need to discuss those plans.

02:31:58
If there were some sort of database, that would be very nice. It would allow citizens to uh be able to peruse it at their leisure and find projects that they may or may not want to move forward. Um the next thing I’ll state is that uh I I think there’s four major concerns about modern data centers and they’re going to be the noise impact uh the cooling methods the uh electrical demand and then uh potential runoff as well.

02:32:30
So luckily Halton region has some bylaws in place that will prevent uh prevent some of the more egregious practices that we see in data centers such as bylaw number 7119 section 9.4 uh on once through cooling systems. So currently right now the most harmful form of uh cooling evaporative cooling uh environmentally speaking anyway is prohibited within Halton region.

02:32:54
So that’s nice to know. And uh as well closed loop cooling systems um do have to change coolant um roughly every 2 years. So they’re mostly uh also covered by bylaw to 03 the wastewater bylaw. You can’t just dump that down the drain. And I know that’s some of the uh mega scale AI centers that we see in the United States have had issues with that in the past.

02:33:23
The other thing is uh the current project that’s uh slated right now is uh going through many different approvals. I actually did get a chance to read the geological survey. I didn’t get through everything cuz it’s quite a quite a bit of reading to do, but uh they have to have a site plan.

02:33:39
They have to confirm with Halton Region. They have to negotiate with Burlington Hydro. They have to talk to Conservation Halton. They have to follow the Ontario building code. They have to uh make sure there are provisions in place for storm water management, traffic and transportation surveys, landscape and buffer surveys, environmental review, and uh finally this uh facility is also going to be going through an acoustic study.

02:34:05
Now, I’ve taken the liberty of just uh pulling some numbers here for you. So, inside a facility like this, you’re looking at between 80 and 105 dB. So, that is hearing damage range. So inside the facility, you will be required to have hearing protection. Outside the facility at the property line, you’re looking at 55 to 65 dB, which is roughly the sound of a single car passing by.

02:34:28
Uh now, this facility is right next to the 403. So we’re also going to see uh a lot of multi-lane traffic, and that’s around 70 to 80 dB. So I I don’t think there’s any major acoustic concerns for this facility. What I would like to see in terms of the moratorum that’s being discussed is a uh as Mr.

02:34:49
Benia pointed out um maybe a re more realistic expectations around the time frame. One year is a very long time and uh just look at the information we’ve all managed to collect in under a week. I think that uh there’s definitely a provision for a more acceptable time frame for the examination of potential regulations.

02:35:14
And the last thing I’ll say is to energy um consumption. Now under Ontario Energy Board’s distribution system code, if a local distributor such as Burlington Hydro must expand or reinforce its system to connect a customer, it must run an economic evaluation. And uh what they’ll do is they’ll uh evaluate basically the uh capital contribution uh and whether or not it equals the present value shortfall between expansion costs and the forecast distribution revenue.

02:35:46
And then basically what that means is if there’s any cost to expanding the grid to uh make good on this project that it will be incurred by the developer of that project. Anyway, I’ve run out of time. Questions? Thank you very much. Just looking to the board and uh councelor Karns go ahead. >> Thank you very much for joining us today through the chair.

02:36:10
So in regards to your commentary around the moratorium discussed for realistic expectations on the time frame uh for the examination of the studies that are required are you aware that the section 38 of the planning act allows the approver of the ICB to dissolve that uh at which point they’ve completed their studies. It’s not a required one year and it’s optional up to two years to continue those studies.

02:36:36
Are you aware of that uh mechanics within that section of the planning act? I was not aware of that provision but uh like two years gez >> sorry just so I can say with clarity if a interim control bylaw is implemented it can be dissolved or removed or lifted any which language you choose at the discretion of the person the municipality that has enacted it when they feel they’ve completed the examination of the studies uh to prepare the appropriate policy and that can be under one year the minimum first trunch of time in which a moratorium is in effect is one year >> eligible up to two years. Does that clarify your understanding? >> That clarifies my understanding specifically surrounding the moratorum >> and timelines. >> Yes. >> Okay. Thank you, councelor Charman. >> Thank you very much for your delegation. I thought the information was really helpful. So if you talk about one week

02:37:35
since we heard about this, the alarm was rung and everybody since then has been very anxious about it. Do you think that come September, which is maybe 8 weeks, nine weeks, that that may be enough time for us to have everything we need to make a properly informed choice? I think that uh if a concentrated effort were put forward that’s certainly enough time to at least make a um an initial framework that we could work from.

02:38:03
I think that a lot of the questions could be answered in that time frame. There might be some nuances that require further work but uh I think that’s a reasonable time frame. And if second question, if that then addressed the viability and the reasonability of the proposal that currently is being dealt with by staff, not council, um do you think that should be that could therefore be resolved completely? >> I absolutely think that there’s a potential to resolve that completely.

02:38:28
It would really depend on the work that’s done over the next 8 to nine weeks. >> Perfect. Thank you, >> Councelor Karns. >> Thank you very much. Second question. And so you referenced the OEM that um if a customer wants to expand or or reinforce utility supply, they would have to run an economic analysis.

02:38:49
Would you agree that an economic analysis should be included in the deliberation of this type of a land use under the municipal framework? >> 100% absolutely every single time. >> And did you happen to come across any economic analysis related to anything that’s currently on file or in the FAQs or anything on the city’s websites? Uh to my understanding uh uh Purlington Hydro will will be forced to do that on this project.

02:39:20

Okay. Thank you. >> All right. Not seeing any other questions. Thank you very much for joining us today. We will All right, folks. I’ll just uh we do have let me see one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine delegations. I assume uh we want a break now for lunch or do you want to carry on and take a break at 1? >> Let’s take lunch.

02:39:46

Okay, we’ll take we will take our lunch break now. Uh I welcome you all to uh I wouldn’t come back at 1. We will be uh resolving into closed at 1. Uh just hang on a sec. All right. Uh, so I’ll just make sure nobody else wants to go into closed on any of the items. We had one new one and councelor Nissan says he does not want to go into closed at this point. Okay.

02:40:14
So we will not need to go back into closed at 1. So please come back and join us at 1. If you are unable to come back, you can follow this discussion online at burlington.ca. Uh there is a link from the homepage and if you have any trouble, clerks burlington.ca. Mike will direct you to the appropriate.

02:40:31
Mike and his team will direct you to how you can continue uh to watch this online. And for the delegates, if you need to leave, you are um able to join virtually uh for your for your time. So again, uh contacting clerks at burlington.ca and they’ll help you uh get set up for that. So we’re going to take a break and we will be back here in an hour. Thanks everyone.

03:42:40
Welcome back everyone. We are back from our uh recess for lunch and we are picking up with a continued uh hearing of our delegations on a variety of matters. So our next delegation is Megan Hannah who will speak virtually regarding motion item uh 18.1 and two. So we will just uh we see you uh Megan, you are in the virtual room and you can get started whenever you would like.

03:43:09
You’ve got five minutes and there may be questions. Go ahead. >> Thank you and good afternoon everybody and apologies um I couldn’t continue to be there in person. Um, so good afternoon, mayor, meboard, esteemed city council members, and members of the public, uh, who are in person and watching live today.

03:43:26
My name is Megan Hannah. Uh, I’m a constituent of Ward 4. I was born and raised in Missaga, but I’ve called Burlington home for the last six years. I’m here today to voice my support for the two motions being put forward, item 18.1 and 18.2. My concern is that a data center of this scale can move through a municipal approval process with no public meeting, no notice to neighbors, and no council decisions.

03:43:52
This matters to me regardless of how big the facility is, as I believe it could set a dangerous precedent for other proposed data centers moving forward. I appreciate that city council has handled the site proposal in the correct manner by posting the information on a dedicated web page with questions answered publicly.

03:44:09
However, it is my understanding that the city is not required to do this. The municipality should not have to rely on its own goodwill to give residents information about a project of this size. Burlington’s vision 2040, the city’s key strategic plan, outlines four key pillars that will shape our city for the next 14 years.

03:44:28
A city that grows, a city that moves, a healthy and greener city, and an engaging city. I believe that allowing data centers to be put up in Burlington goes against everything the city envisions for itself by 2040. Looking specifically at a healthy and greener city, I don’t believe potential data centers contribute to, as the report puts it, better environmental outcomes to combat climate change and better physical and mental health of residents.

03:44:57
Uh my understanding is this proposed data center would be air cooled which may be a better option compared to water cooling but the heat given off by generators needs to go somewhere and that’s going back into the community. A study by the University of Cambridge found that the land surface temperatures around data centers increase an average of 2° C with the most extreme cases increasing by 9° C.

03:45:17
We’ve already seen record heat this summer, combined with orange skies and poor air quality that was aptly featured as the backdrop in the informational Instagram videos posted by the mayor and the W3 counselor. These data centers do not create, in my opinion, enough jobs that are worth the potential environmental impacts that we’re seeing across the country as well as the US.

03:45:38
We should we should ensure the city and its residents get direct oversight to these proposals or we risk environmental disaster. A dedicated framework will ensure that the city of Burlington is not exploited or lied to in the ways we’ve seen other data centers do to other municipalities. I have three asks of city council.

03:45:55
One, reconsider the timing of ADM0526. The technical reviews for the site are already happening and council should consider directing staff to report on what options exist in the meantime and be clear with Burlington residents on which applications the eventual framework would apply to. two, update the dedicated web page to reflect the exact company that owns this facility uh for this current application and all applications going forward.

03:46:24
Currently, the web page for the self-service road application only lists the planning consultant. The council has the authority to do this without waiting for provincial direction and residents deserve to know who is setting up shop in their neighborhood. And three, I support that the September reporting be made public and updated in a timely manner.

03:46:42
Right now, the dedicated web page says it will be updated at the appropriate time if available, and I believe Burlington residents uh deserve to know when the technical review concludes. [snorts] The city of Burlington has the potential to be a leader on the national stage by issuing an uh an moratorum on data center construction and developing an environmentally sound framework for which these facilities will be considered.

03:47:04
I hope that this council will take the necessary first step to ensure a viable future for all Burlington residents. Thank you. Thank you very much. I’ll just look to the board to see if there are questions. Councelor Nissan, >> thank you. May I just slow finding my hand there. Um, thank you very much, Megan, for for delegating today, first of all, and uh I I can appreciate your concerns. So, thank you.

03:47:34
The question about heat uh heat release are the uh the evidence that you’re bringing forward. What is the area around the data center where a twoderee increase would be experienced or up to 9° and what was the size of the data center uh at play here? >> I don’t have it off the top of my head. I do have the stat uh the study with me so I could send that to you um at a later time.

03:48:01
Uh yeah, it’d be great if you could send that to me. But you’re bringing forward information that there’s a twoderee increase. So could you tell us where that where that would be? Like just outside of it or are you you’re saying it’s going to impact the community, I assume, right? Like that’s your concern.

03:48:17
Is that right? >> Yeah, that’s my concern. Again, I’m I’m not an expert on this uh by trade. I’m a writer. So um this is off of information that I’ve gathered in this short time. Um, so my understanding is that the heat generated by these facilities, it doesn’t just disappear. It has to go somewhere.

03:48:33
So it goes out into the air and into the community. What that range looks like, I’m not sure if it’s, you know, a kilometer or 10 km. Um, I’d have to double check what the study said. Uh, but my understanding is that it does go back into the community. Um, and that report is indicating that those temperatures have risen a little bit.

03:48:51

Okay. Thank you. if you could send us that uh to tell us where that hot air is going, that would be great. Thank you, >> councelor Curren. Thank you, Megan, for joining us. So, from what I deduced from your delegation, if there was a framework in place that allowed uh the answers to some of those questions that you that the community is looking for, would that give you better peace of mind around how this new innovation and technology would be incorporated into our community? >> Yes, absolutely. I think having that framework in place um you know as soon as possible I think will be helpful my understanding is that there are no regulations and rules and so these things can go up pretty quickly um and while I understand it does take time to do the research and gather the findings to develop these frameworks um I don’t want it to come at the cost of uh you know applications just like being quickly slipped in to get under the radar so to speak um just to get them over with. >> Okay, we’ll get that clarity from staff shortly too. Thank you.

03:49:50

Thank you, >> Councelor Sharman. >> Thank you very much, Mayor. Thank you very much for speaking uh this afternoon. Um Megan, listen. The question I have I have is right the same as yours. We have no ability to um demand that people share information. But if we asked them for it and they gave it to us, would that at least help a bit? >> Yes, definitely.

03:50:13
And like I said, like I know that there, you know, no one’s required to share this information. Um so I am very appreciative of the council especially um councelor from war two for making this information public for you know without that we wouldn’t know what was going on. Um so I think if the council is able to obtain that from you know the planning committees and the owners of these facilities and making them public I think that would create a lot of trust between the residents um and be at these facilities.

03:50:41

So if we got that information correct information soon it would be really helpful in terms of resolving this matter. Thank you. Yes, I think so. >> All right. Uh I have some questions for you, Megan. Thank you so much for uh being here. So, um uh we have talked earlier in the meeting about the uh the project specific reports and studies.

03:51:02
So there are uh regulations that are that apply to industrial uses which this is noise environmental air quality um the region’s regulations around cooling systems which require uh air not water and so forth and what are what are your thoughts around the the existing regulations that we have to manage this particular uh application? Um they’re also required as as we know to consult with uh external agencies like hydro and confirm power and and those are some of the very legitimate concerns we’ve heard uh from residents and staff are dealing with it in that manner. >> Um I think a lot of what I’ve read again I’m I’m not an expert so I’m sort of pouring through these with um you know what I can understand. um the regulations regarding the noise, you know, I’ve seen the things that say that it’s not going to be, you know, super

03:52:00
loud. So, that’s not as big as a concern, which is good in, you know, from what I’m reading. But my understanding is, um, you know, I’ve heard about cases where, uh, the generators, you know, backup generators that are used in emergencies can be quite loud. And while they’re meant to be used in emergencies, there are cases where they have ended up running 24/7.

03:52:20
So I’m hoping that by having these types of frameworks that it will allow sort of or it will prevent any sort of overstepping um of what we currently have. That makes sense. >> Yeah. No, that’s great. That that’s very helpful. Thank you. Uh and my second question is around the process which is in front of us which is um uh prescribed by the province.

03:52:40
It’s a site plan process and the staff are required to make a decision within a certain time frame. Uh it’s it doesn’t go to council for a decision. However, given the what you have said to us around wanting to see uh information before anything is decided, would it be helpful uh for me to call a special counsel meeting prior to that to for us to have a town hall for us to find a way to engage with a community to provide that information before any decision is made? >> Absolutely.

03:53:13
Um, and I think as one of the delegates noted, um, obviously a lot of the people who are present or who are speaking today have been made aware of this because of the information that’s been presented online to us. Um, whether through the city website or through Instagram or Facebook or ways that we’re finding out about this.

03:53:28
Um, but I think it’s important to engage people who may not have that, you know, digital literacy to engage in those ways. So, I think things like town halls, um, engaging, you know, folks doortodoor or even by mail, making sure that everybody has a chance to be aware of this, um, and come, you know, hear these decisions and potentially speak their piece.

03:53:49

That’s great. Thank you so much. I’m not seeing any other questions, so uh, we will release you back to the virtual room and you’re free to to watch online. Thank you so much, Megan. >> Thanks very much. All right, our next delegate is Terry Kado from the Burlington Chamber of Commerce to speak regarding items 18.1 and two.

03:54:06
Uh Terry’s joining us in person. Welcome. Uh whenever you are ready, go ahead and get started. >> Thank you. >> We’ll just put your Yep, your mic’s on. Okay, go ahead. >> Thank you for the opportunity to speak today on behalf of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce regarding the proposed application.

03:54:23
The Burlington Chamber of Commerce represents over 900 businesses employing over 10,000 people across our community. Our role is not to advocate for every application that comes before council. Rather, our responsibility is to advocate for a strong competitive local co economy and for decision-m that is evidence-based, transparent, and consistent.

03:54:43
In this case, we support the proposed data center application and oppose council interpreting interrupting the established planning process by unregulating and undelegating the review for this application. Our position aligns with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, which recognizes data centers as critical infrastructure that will underpin Canada’s future economic competitiveness.

03:55:07
Canada’s data center market is expected to exceed $9 billion by 2029 and driven by artificial intelligence. The Toronto Waterlue Innovation Corridor, which includes Burlington, is emerging as one of Canada’s premier destinations for this investment. Position positioning our region to attract new capital, strengthen critical infrastructure, support innovation across every sector of the economy, and raise local taxes for council to do what you’re here to do.

03:55:36
This application should be evaluated on its facts. It complies with the city’s employment lit land policies. Burlington Hydro has confirmed it can provide the required electrical capacity. The proponent, not Burlington taxpayers, will fund all required infrastructure upgrade. Those upgrades will strengthen Burlington’s electrical capacity for future business expansion.

03:56:00
The facility is air cooled, not water cooled, which significantly reduces concerns about municipal water consumption. As we and as we learned earlier today, there are no legitimate concerns regarding sound. in a broader context is also important. The government of Canada has identified sovereign AI as a national priority because Canadian business researchers and governance require secure computing infrastructure located in Canada.

03:56:27
Without sufficient domestic data centers, Canada risks becoming dependent on foreign infrastructure and losing its competitive its position in the competitive global AI economy. There’s one additional consideration from the perspective of the business community. Ontario and Canada benefit from consistent regulatory uh rules if individual municipalities begin creating their own unique policies, standards or approval framework for data centers beyond existing provincial planning requirements. The business will face greater uncertainty, longer approval timelines, and increased costs when deciding where to invest. Companies making significant capital investment will look for communities where the rules are clear, predictable, and consistent, and would most likely avoid Burlington. For Burlington, this is about more than this application. It’s about how our community wants to be perceived. The issue before council today is about process. Council is not being asked to approve this application. Council is being asked whether the

03:57:26
established planning planning process should be delayed. The Burlington Chamber respectfully submits that the application satisfies the city planning requirements. Burlington Hydro has confirmed servicing capacity and the proponent um is funding the infrastructure. Public input is essential part of the process and should always be respectful respected.

03:57:45
However, planning decisions should ultimately be guided by professional analysis and objective evidence. Businesses consistently tell us that certainty and predictability matters. If applications that satisfy the established planning and technical requirements are delayed for reasons beyond those requirements, Burlington risks creating uncertainty for every future investor, not just this one.

03:58:10
The chamber is is not asking council to approve this application. We are asking council not to interrupt the established planning process and allow the application to continue through the normal review process based on its planning merits. Burlington has earned a reputation as a city where business understands the rules, trust the planning process, and know the application will be evaluated fairly, consistently, and based on evidence.

03:58:38
Protecting that reputation is one of the city’s greatest competitive advantages. Businesses will consider investment in future uh in Burlington. We’ll look at today’s decision and how this issue is handled. There are a number of industries that are looking at come Burlington that could have o individual opposition but we could could create unintended [snorts] consequences with the decisions that are taken today.

03:59:02
Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. You do have a couple of questions. First from councelor Nissan. >> Yeah. Thank you uh through the chair uh Mr. Kado for being here. uh [clears throat] you uh your comments about unintended consequences. Do you are you suggesting that we’re going to create an environment where people don’t want to invest in Burlington large? And do you support having regulations at all for these data centers? >> We I support the chamber supports the existing rules that exist around employment lands. City Council has determined what employment lands are, the requirements that go into employment land. Uh it seems that what this application when it’s completed will probably have a less impact on noise and traffic than the current restaurant that’s even there. Um and do attract

04:00:02
other businesses. You know, one of the biggest industries that’s going to be coming to across Canada is national defense. Canada’s looking to become the home of the World Defense Bank. There’s going to be defense companies that are coming across this area. If it’s not acceptable to certain residents, is are they going to be come in front of this council to have 60-day, 90-day, one-year delays? And if they are, why would a company want to come through that scrutiny in Burlington when they can go to 10 other different communities that would be willing to accept them without making them go through this uh process? And that’s what I mean by unintended consequences. >> Okay. Um, could you actually you know what I think that’s good for now. Um, thank you >> councelor Karns. >> Thank you very much through the chair. I’m picking up on your comment around clear, predictable and consistent guidelines and um my interpretation of what we’re asking for today is exactly that. So, what we’ve been learning is

04:01:00
that uh there’s a whole host of different inputs that go into this type of a use uh that is widely uh permitted right now across our whole city. There’s a map that’s been provided by our staff. Um would you say that it would be more helpful to potential investors to have a framework so that they’re not uh butdding up against a circumstance where you know it could be out of bounds whether where you know there’s there’s 100 megawws left.

04:01:28
What if one applicant comes in and asks for all of that left? Um what what would you say could be the benefit of a framework going into those clear predictable and consistent standards? >> So I think there’s two two answers to that. one, there’s experts that look after our utility that can determine whether there’s capacity for that type of use.

04:01:48
Um, but more importantly, we we have a framework. The city council can always will every council will always amend future guidelines, amend processes, but you don’t go back and freeze something. You know, we have very clear, concise, transparent guidelines for economic development. In this case, this applicant followed it and now we’re asking them to put it on hold potentially because they followed every single rule, every single guideline that exists.

04:02:19
So, I’m very supportive of clear, concise, transparent guidelines, but you have to respect the ones that exist today. >> Thank you. My second question is this, and and I’ll confirm the same with staff later on today. Um my understanding is that staff doesn’t have the capacity to bring forward uh even draft guidelines by September and it could be into Q1 2027. It could be the end of the year.

04:02:50
What support could economic development deliver in terms of helping the policy around data centers uh within our municipal framework from a planning perspective whether it’s zoning bylaw or official plan in those employment areas? >> So thank you for the question. Um I don’t speak for economic development.

04:03:11
going to speak for the business community and I think it’s again unintended consequences if we look to create guidelines for every specific industry. You know, we have industries here that are producing uh vaccines. We have antivaxers in the community. Would love to come in front of council and say, “Oh, hold on.

04:03:29
Let’s back up and not do vaccines.” There’s all kinds of different opportunities. There should always be review of economic lands but uh targeting one specific industry is more what are the guidelines how much power should they use what what are we have rules around um sound limits all these rules exist I’m very concerned about targeting one specific industry as opposed to how does Burlington grow economically >> that’s the end of my question.

04:03:59
Councelor Bentia, >> thank you, Mayor. Thank you [clears throat] for being here, Terry. Um, you mentioned a couple times evidencebased and [clears throat] what we’re hearing from the public is they want some of that evidence to feel comfortable moving forward. So, our process, whether it be for data centers or whether it be for high-rise staff get an application, they have 120 days.

04:04:30
I’ll get to my question in just a second to complete it and then come to council with a recommendation, three different kinds. Accept, not accept, or continue to evaluate. Is that something you want to see? As I mentioned, you know, we want to be evidence-based and the planning department and the building department, you know, we have world-class professionals working for us at Burlington.

04:04:57
We’re very fortunate to have such a great staff team. And I’m I’m assuming that this application follows the guidelines that any other business in the employment zone should follow. And that’s that’s the proper process. have it factualbased, have it evidence-based, and have the professionals on our staff look at it through a non-political factual lens.

04:05:20
[clears throat] Thank you. Uh the reason why I asked that question because right now that’s not the issue with data centers staff make, take the application, go through it, and don’t necessarily have to come with a proposal unless there’s an issue that that they’re concerned with. Should we be thinking that way? I’m just f trying to frame my thought.

04:05:45
Um, it’s important to follow the process that exists. Our applicant has followed the process that exists. Businesses that looking to come to Burlington want to follow the guidelines that exist. I would hope that I’m assuming that staff are also following the guidelines that exist.

04:06:00
Um, I’m not as deep in the file as the staff are or council, nor should I be. It’s about are we following the process and staff can probably answer that. >> Okay. Thanks. I’ll go through that with staff. Thank you. >> Councelor Sherman. >> Thank you, Mayor. Thank you for your delegation, Terry. Um so, if I understand you correctly, what you’re saying is um that we should just follow the process that and the regulations that we have presently.

04:06:28
Uh is that enhanced by the information we’ve re received this morning about the nature of what is being applied for? Certainly it’s always good to learn more factual evidence-based and and is great to have an expert be able to do some presentation would been allowed great to hear more than 5 minutes but process uh doesn’t allow us that.

04:06:47
Um but the slowing down the any potential of slowing down any application uh and breaking from guidelines is not good in the eyes of business. We want predictability. We want standards. We want rules that businesses can follow and we want every community in Ontario to follow the guidelines. Um cuz if we start doing oneoffs, uh it will put us behind.

04:07:13
In this case, we have a business that could potentially be hosting servers for 30 or 40 or 50 enterprises in a community helping small business grow. Why would we want to delay that? >> Well, thank you. That leads to my second question which is um given that the ex the rules are there uh the staff are working on it the the the application is legal completely um the site plan has to be gone through um what would you have a concern about the timing of this particular interest suddenly arising um relative to the election coming up and that maybe we should some of these things should be dealt with by a future council. Well, I think that’s um I wasn’t here previous council talked about undelegating or not allowing council to undelegate in that we have experts on staff. We have a planning committee. We have a building committee. We have an economic development community that [snorts] are not um bound by upcoming elections or outcomes of

04:08:11
upcoming elections. Their job is to do the work in a timely manner. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Terry. Uh before we go to second time questioners, uh I have one for sure, maybe maybe a couple. Um so uh you’ve expressed very clearly your concern about interrupting the planning process and I wanted to uh and you touched on the undelegation piece and I wanted to understand um if if you know that in this specific case of a site plan council cannot undelegate that the province has changed their uh rules and this is exclusively a matter for staff. Does that does that change your um your submission to us in any way? >> I I think I’m speaking about the overall process and delaying of applications. Always good to learn more and and again

04:09:08
I’m not the as deep as an expert. Um and I try to speak to as many counselors as possible and staff and and experts at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce because this is not a unique situation to Burlington. This is a situation that’s unique across the province and across the country and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce are working with their counterparts to to do this as well.

04:09:30
But it is important for Canada to have sovereign AI. It’s important for our businesses to be able to grow uh especially with the economic uncertainty that we’re facing as a country, as a province, as a region, as a city right now. It doesn’t behoove anybody to delay businesses having the opportunity to grow and be successful.

04:09:55

Okay. And and we’ll certainly get clarity from staff what what our role is on this specific one. Uh you didn’t touch on the uh second motion that is here and I’m I’m interested although your delegation did uh say that you might. So I’m just interested in the motion around getting uh some coordinated regulations at the federal and provincial level given the province is working on bill 40.

04:10:18
As you mentioned the federal government has got an AI strategy. Uh this is not uh at least as we understand now an AI data center here in Burlington but it’s all part of that um digital infrastructure. So, do you support the notion of having some um uh provincewide and countrywide uh regulations, guidelines, whatever you want to call it, given that our power grid is not exclusively in Burlington, we know it’s also part of uh the GTA West region and uh and beyond.

04:10:49
I >> I think it’s always good to collaborate and look for clarity. I I’ll be sharing my notes with our local MPPs and MPs. Um it it’s an important enough subject that recently the Burlington Chamber of Commerce hosted the Bay Area Economic Summit with Minister Evan Solomon, the Minister responsible for AI uh federally and Minister Crawford who is responsible for AI proincially.

04:11:14
So it’s an issue that needs all level of government to regul regulate moving forward and be supportive because it’s important for our country. Again, as said earlier, I don’t want to be repetitive. It’s important for all levels of business to uh be able to compete on a fair playing field with sovereign AI across the globe.

04:11:34

Thank you, Terry. You have a couple of more questions. Uh back to councelor Nissan. Go ahead. >> Yeah, thank you. Just uh two more questions, Terry. Uh first is are you aware of any business value to having a data center here in Burlington for Burlington businesses like having it close to close to home? >> It’s a bit of a technical question.

04:11:52
Yeah. And I’m not a technical expert, but it sounds like there are going to be a co-hosting location. And the the the less the more we can Burlington businesses can support Burlington businesses, the better off. And there’s lots of, you know, we have 900 members. There’s over 6,000 businesses in in Burlington that want to grow.

04:12:12
And we all know we need data. We need data access to grow businesses no matter how small or how how large. Um, and you know, we talked about offline generators. I’m sure the hospital has offline generators. I’m sure city hall has offline generators. I’m sure hundreds of businesses in Burlington have offline generators.

04:12:32
So, it’s >> Sorry, I’m going off your question. That’s okay. But, but yes, small businesses would be benefit would benefit from this. >> Okay. I’ll um I’ll ask it to the delegates further down the list as well. Last question. If Burlington goes ahead with the quote unquote moratorum, which is language the community is using, but the interimm control bylaw, if we take major steps towards that today, uh would that in and of itself of us being the first ones? Right. Hamilton said no.

04:12:59
So if we’re the first ones, will that have a particular impact on Burlington’s reputation in the business community? It would have a huge impact. It would be a great big stop sign for anybody that wants to go to Burlington. Why? If you’re trying to put a business in, you want to be able to negotiate with city staff.

04:13:20
Um, talk about what the opportunities are. Any business would be negotiating with 5, 8, 10 communities about bringing their business into the community. It’s a competitive bidding process and Burlington and economic de development are very good at doing it. If we put this up, any other business that wants to come to Burlington, uh, say, “Well, here are the guidelines now, but you, they might not apply.

04:13:41
If you’re an industry that people don’t like, it’s a political football. We could be delayed.” It’d be a horrible precedence set for Burlington. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. I’m going to go back to first time speaker. So, Kelvin, you’re up. Go ahead. >> Thank you, Mayor. And, uh, thank you, Terry, uh, for your, uh, business perspective. Always appreciated.

04:14:02
Um, councelor Nissan just asked one of my questions. I I so I’m hearing you’re not supporting any kind of a moratorum or freeze on uh on the planning process. And it’s my understanding that you feel that the planners and the planning process uh is already there and set up to support uh businesses such as this data center.

04:14:26
Is that is that my understanding that you feel that it’s you know the guidelines are already in place and the parameters are already in place to protect the public? >> That’s correct. >> Okay. Uh really uh great uh presentation Terry. Thanks for your input. >> Thank you Councelor Karns. >> Thank you so much again for being here Terry.

04:14:49
My question is related to how close we are together than how far we are apart. So what if um we were able to put in a framework that would almost fasttrack the types of use that we’re talking about today which is colllocating air cooled 20 megs maybe it’s under 50 megs of megawws um it’s creating jobs it’s supporting local businesses and then we were able to put in guard rails around the ones that are causing concern across many communities like 100 megs you know different types of cooling methodology techies um you know not creating local jobs that type of a thing. Is there a place where where you would be able to put some comments towards you know what should come in as fasttracked as of right and what you think would be helpful to not preclude other economic opportunities by being so obtuse that we should have a second look at it. >> So thank you for the question. I I I

04:15:47
disagree with with your concept. Um and again go back to unintended consequences. You know we have uh couple of companies that are doing vaccine research here that are doing um you know cellular agriculture with people have concerns with. We have defense contractors here. Today’s conversation who knows what the new technology is going to be. We have guidelines.

04:16:09
We have rules. This applicant has followed them all. um any delay and any more review other know the province has guidelines the region has guidelines this is this is a political conversation um un you know unfortunately our our United States we’re not going to say friends from United States have done this wrong as a whole and there’s big data centers that have caused problems that’s not what uh this is and the province the country and the region have guidelines to ensure that doesn’t happen the guidelines exist currently. >> Okay, thanks. >> All right, I’m not seeing any other questions. Thank you so much for being here. Our next delegation uh is Sean Campbell uh in person. So, come on up, Sean. And you have five minutes as well. Go ahead. >> Thank you all so much for having me here today. Council, mayor, fellow delegates,

04:17:07
and the general public. Um, I’m not a a person who thinks about nimiism. I’m just I’m not that individual. What I’m concerned with here today, and I think what many of us are concerned with here today are the unintended consequences as as Mr. Kat is uh is um displayed. Um, what I’ve been hearing from neighbors uh when I’ve been canvasing the neighborhood is um they’re not sure as to it AI, is it is it is it a data center? um how is this going to affect this? Is this going to affect my my uh hydro bill? Um these are things that are just many questions that are unanswered and we just don’t have the answers at this present time to fully understand how this is going to impact our communities that are close to this uh data center. I personally am about 600 meters away from this data center. So I have many concerns. one on, you know,

04:18:05
the noise popul. Um, and also, are we setting precedent here? If we were to approve this data center and have it move forward, what’s the what’s stopping another data center from going just down the road? Why? My my my question is were there not other uh locations in the Burlington area that would be away from residential neighborhoods considered for this data center so that we would resolve our issues here today and now really have to have this discussion.

04:18:34
Um but that’s uh that’s really all I I had to uh to bring to the table today. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. I’ll just pause to see if there are any questions for you. I’m not seeing any. Thank you so much for being here this morning. We really kindly have a good day. >> Okay. Our next delegate is Alex Vafinci who will be speaking in person regarding the two motions. Welcome, Alex.

04:18:59
And you have five minutes. We’ll get the mic on. Yeah. Okay. Go ahead. >> Thanks, Mayor. Good morning. My name is Alex Fidfini. I’m a Burlington citizen or resident and I love Burlington. I appreciate the opportunity to come here today to talk to you. It’s the first time I’ve ever been in front of uh the council members.

04:19:20
I met Lisa Karns on the phone last week and this is all very new to me. Uh saw it online. Thought I’d give her a call. End up calling the mayor’s office and it was great uh that he reached out back to me. My background is uh law enforcement, regulatory compliance and banking. and I’m hoping that some of the concerns that I have myself, my family, my friends can be addressed today in regards to data centers.

04:19:48
I’ve conducted some minor due diligence uh over the last couple of days, not as much as I’d like to, and most of the stuff was covered by the other delegates. So, u if I repeat some of the things uh please bear with me. Um there are some good things, some potential benefits for a data center here in Burlington and that uh would be tax revenue, economic development, etc.

04:20:12
There’s a variety of different things I’m sure that are out there that I I I haven’t touched on. However, there does not appear to be much clarity regarding potential environmental, electrical, noise pollution, heat generation, environmental, and other concerns. I when I was doing my due diligence, I really didn’t see that much stuff out there that was addressing or much information that I could I could bring today.

04:20:35
So, my concerns are um I understand that this data center is relatively small compared to what it was going to be in Hamilton and other jurisdictions. Uh however, data centers do require substantial electricity because they continuously power uh run a power high performance processors. And my question is, can the current grid handle this increase? Will our electrical bills increase? If generation capacity does not keep pace with demand if the grid is overburdened and there is a blackout or a brown out or uh the system goes down, who is the priority to get their power back? Is the data center the first ones to get their power back or is it me, the resident uh here in Burlington? I’m assuming the data centers will have a uh backup generators in the event of a disruption. Where will that fuel be uh located to power those generators? Where will it be stored? How will the air emissions be monitored? And how will the residents in the vicinity

04:21:34
of the data center as one of my delegates lives 600 meters away be affected by the continuous emissions during this disruption? So if there’s a disruption runs for four or five days and you got all these generators running, how’s that going to affect uh the guy behind me? What happens when the data center is built and they decide to increase the capacity? So you start small, you get that footprint in the neighborhood, everybody kind of falls in line and then they decide they want to have another one and another one and another one. Uh does the city now have to upgrade electrical infrastructure and who’ll be paying for this? Will this investment be primarily to benefit the single private company or the community or the broader community at large? Uh I know we’ve already touched on noise pollution heat generation. They do operate continuously which causes noise pollution from cooling fans, rooftop chillers, generators, transformers, and air handling equipment. They also generate an enormous amount of heat. I

04:22:33
can hear the QEW. I just live a couple blocks away here and I can hear the QEW from where I live. So, how will the residents that are close to the data center handle this low uh frequency noise pollution, nighttime disturbance, heat generation, and reduced quality of life? Lastly, let’s not forget the environmental footprint of a data center could have in Burlington.

04:22:53
How will this affect our residents and in particular our seniors? I have a senior mom here in Burlington. uh she has uh problem breathing so forth and so increased greenhouse emissions, electronic waste from evolving hardware and critical minerals used in AI processors. And lastly, uh how will this affect the resell of our homes in the event that this uh becomes a real issue with our community? No one wants to move to Burlington.

04:23:20
In conclusion, I don’t know who will who will own the data center, who will manage it and ensure all the citizens concerns are mitigated. If there is good planning, excellent safeguards as a well-designed facility in an industrial zone and strict adherence to municipal, provincial, and federal bylaws, acts or other current or future regulatory obligations, there may be less public interest in concern with moving forward with this project.

04:23:48
Thank you. [applause] >> Thank you, Alex. You do have a question coming from councelor Sherman. Go ahead. >> Thank you very much. That’s a very complete list. Can you send it to us, please? And we’ll get the answers. >> Sure. That’d be great. >> All right. We’ll get them in the next two weeks. Thank you. >> Thanks. I appreciate that.

04:24:09

Uh, councelor Karns, >> thank you so much um for your delegation. Just for what I’m hearing from you, tell me if this is correct or not. This could be a welcomed use innovative innovation and technology if the appropriate guardrails are in place to make sure that the public has asurances and trust that it’s done safely.

04:24:28
Is that what we’re looking for today? >> Absolutely. >> Okay, that helps. Thanks. >> All right, not seeing any other questions. Thank you so much. Really appreciate you being here. Our next delegate is Dee Davies from the Green [snorts] Party of Burlington to speak virtually regarding items uh 18.1 and two. So Dee um we’ll see if we can bring you in from the virtual room.

04:24:56
Is she there? Uh we’re going to move forward but if Dee does come we will fit her back into the schedule. Uh Mara Shodeller has withdrawn her um request to speak. So our next is Pauline Lamers who is going to speak regarding items 18.1 and two. Pauline, welcome. Uh well, I think the mic’s on.

04:25:20
Yep, you are ready to go and you have five minutes. >> Hi there. I’m Pauline Lomers. Um I’ll try to be quick. I have never been to city council before, so thank you very much for the opportunity to speak. I come as a concerned resident. I was born and raised in Burlington. I worked for years uh at the park and wreck department when I was in university.

04:25:38
I recognized some of the faces that I saw this morning and worked closely with them. Um and I love this city. So I want to say first of all, thank you very much to Lisa Karns for bringing forward the motion. I am in support of the motion um that we need more time. One thing that’s been very clear as I’ve listened uh carefully to everything this morning is that there’s a lot more questions respectfully than answers at this time.

04:26:05
And so it seems from an outside perspective of an informed citizen that there does need to be more time. Uh most of the information that I have researched I will give credit is from Dr. Jacobe Wilson. He is an environmental health scientist and professor at the University of Maryland. Um, my job, my typical job is in education and I try to be well informed and for my students to be well informed as well and to think critically.

04:26:36
The report, if anyone’s interested in this topic, can be found at cejh.org, a gap analysis of data center infrastructure in Prince George’s County, Maryland. There is a blueprint and other places municipal governments have had to deal with this and they’ve discovered solutions and some of those solutions have been that it’s very important to have the opportunity um for citizens to engage in these particular proposals.

04:27:06
So one of the questions that this professor recommends is in fact to have a moratorum on data centers. This is best practice data center ordinance that covers the type, size, use of renewables, um ensuring that we’re not adding to heat, pollution, uh climate, and that they’re not getting additional tax subsidy and then what he calls uh double subsidy if the electrical bills in the area go up and then residents are partly funding the data centers.

04:27:37
So, that can be problematic as you can imagine. So, it seems this data center takes 17 megawws of power. I’m certainly not an expert, but I researched that that is enough to uh provide energy for approximately 12,223 homes. So, it’s just kind of interesting when you frame it in that perspective. It seems a little bit more concerning.

04:28:03
And we have I think a lot of my fellow delegates have asked really um valid questions about can our power grid support that and would our electrical bills go up and that’s important. So there must be accountability and accountability must be enforcable. Commitment should be publicly disclosed with transparent data on energy consumption emissions um and legally binding standards to ensure precious resources are not depleted.

04:28:33
I agree with the previous delegate that this should be done at a municipal, provincial and federal government. But simply because there is a gap in this currently does not mean we should just forge ahead and not think about the consequences. The report concludes the community should have the final say if a data center should be built at all.

04:28:56
If there is any development of data data centers, the council should mandate codes and practices for climate ready green buildings encouraging data centers to adopt advanced filtration to ensure zero emissions even if a generator is being run. This includes strip caps and public reporting on emergency runtime when it is in effect.

04:29:18
High efficiency filtration must capture the ultrafine particles such as UFPs and PM1s that we were moms like myself were checking air quality last week to see if we could go outside. Zero emission backup power is essential to eliminate air pollution, mitigate noise and heat issues while boosting grid resilience.

04:29:41
Thank you. Thank you. [applause] Thank you very much Pauline. You do have one question so far from councelor Karns. >> Thank you very much and through the chair. So we also heard from uh a delegation from economic development as well as yours citing some additional research.

04:30:00
Do you think that there is a space with the appropriate regulation where both things can exist where data centers can continue to contribute to modernization with the appropriate safeguards for the community and enforcement and reporting mechanisms? Absolutely. I actually feel that Burlington has the opportunity, which is why I was happy to be here today.

04:30:18
If it was during the school year, I would not have had the time. Uh, so I’m sure there’s more people that would have wanted to speak today. But I feel we have an opportunity to set an important precedent for communities and act as a positive leadership and I think you all, you know, you’re fortunate to be voted in.

04:30:35
I think you all have an opportunity to set a good standard. >> Thank you so much. So, I had an earlier conversation today about a carrot and a stick. And some of the timelines that I’m starting to see are, you can put the timer on if you want. Uh, some of the timelines that I’m starting to see are concerning uh where we would review this later into 2027. It could be peace meal.

04:30:57
It could be part of a bigger employment conversation. Um are you aware that the purpose of the moratorium interim control bylaw the pause would be to ensure that this work to sort of differentiate how wide the interpretation of this use is in an immediate way and just bring in that very specific policy to assure the community that you know we would be supporting and fasttracking things that are demonstrating you know community responsibility and that we would be giving pause and review to things that would be maybe um you know requiring some additional studies and things of that nature. >> Exactly. I think it’s just really important to be specific, to be responsible like with any legality and we don’t want companies, outside companies specifically coming in and walking all over our beautiful community. Thank you for being here. Thank you. >> Before you go, uh I I do have one question for you and uh thank you so much for all the research that you’ve

04:31:55
done and and so many of the delegates have done. and it’s really bring bringing uh a lot of additional information to the table. Um and I’ve been doing uh some work around uh looking up moratoriums as well. I’m sure you have uh the the ones that I’m familiar with uh in and around us uh not only in Canada but the US are dealing with it it varies but data centers that are 40 megawws or greater 50 megawws or greater in some cases 20 megawws or greater this one is below that.

04:32:26
So, um, are you suggesting we should follow those, uh, guidelines or just a a blanket regardless of size? >> I think what I think you’re sort of answering your own question with your with your question respectfully, which is that that information should be outlined in whatever is developed >> that that it would be.

04:32:48
So, you’re okay with it being based on size. >> I think I think you have to specify the size. The recommendations that I quoted from this professor uh very specifically was that it covers data centers ordinance covers the type size. I just found it very interesting respectfully listening to everyone this morning. There’s a lot of unanswered questions.

04:33:10
So respectfully those questions need to be answered and not by myself. >> Yeah. No, that’s great. Just wanting your input on on this not to answer the questions. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Uh councelor Sherman. >> Thank you very much. Actually, thank you very much. Excuse me. >> Sorry. >> Come on back.

04:33:25

One more. >> Well, now you got me fascinated about >> finish my coffee. [laughter] Okay. Yes. >> It’s going to get cold back there. Okay. Yes. >> Sorry. Um, actually, since you read the report, do you recall what the size was that you said for the uh >> So, the report that I read was very comprehensive.

04:33:41
They did a lot of studies on various data centers in the area and they were up to 50. These were data centers that were up to 50. So, it could be more than that. And again, I’m happy to send you the report that I read. Um, so yeah, so that’s again what they’re recommending. It was really fascinating. Also, there’s some great TED talks out there people should listen to with these professors.

04:34:03
But, uh, they’re they’re doing a lot of work developing and having certain counties are, you know, pushing back on data centers or some have had them and they’ve had sort of consequences that they weren’t anticipating. And part of what they’ve learned from those mistakes is that it’s important to just be specific in the guidelines to prevent those mistakes from happening.

04:34:24

Oh, I I fully understood your point and I think we need to get those. But that really wasn’t my question. Yeah. >> My question was what was the limit? >> It was up to 50. So >> that was acceptable >> that not know that it was studying um effects that have happened unfortunately where there have been data centers that are up to 50.

04:34:42

Okay. So Okay. So we don’t you didn’t get there was no answer in that report. >> No, the answer is what I have specified which is to develop guidelines. So that’s the recommendation. I mean there’s not to be to be candid there doesn’t seem to be clear answers at this point.

04:34:57
This is all discussion, right? Like I don’t pretend to have the answers, but it’s just these are questions that need to be asked if we’re being responsible citizens. >> Good. So thank you very much because I agree with that and we’ve already asked for it. Thank you. >> Thank you. You wait. Don’t go yet. [laughter] >> Sorry.

04:35:12
the the more uh the more you ask the more we’re interested. Uh councelor Currens go ahead. >> So I am intrigued by this conversation because it is talking about the wide breadth or the continuum of this particular land use >> and I did want to ask you if you had any information to share with us around I’m seeing that Essex County is looking at a moratorum uh Kingsville Ammersburg.

04:35:31
Um I saw some work happening in Victoria uh last week. We know that the Hamilton one uh didn’t necessarily be enacted, but there were some big investment matters at play. It wasn’t solely based on uh the information of the day. So, do you have any information on other locations we could look at that might be doing something similar as to diffuse some of the uh perspective that we would be anti- business or anti- welcoming investment? >> That’s a good question.

04:36:04
To be honest, I need more time. I need more time to research myself. I’ve done the best I can in a short time. Um so I’m not sure locally what else we could compare it to because like I said, so even though data centers as and I I appreciated listening to that um engineer this morning. My dad is actually a software engineer.

04:36:24
He works for Oracle. So and he knows all about data and the way that data has been used for years. The change that’s happening right now is the way that these centers are now being built a lot more quickly and all of a sudden it’s happening more rapidly uh throughout North America.

04:36:40
So there’s sort of uh examples that we don’t want to follow that we can look to to kind of see we don’t want to make those mistakes and I think it’s just really important that the people making these decisions educate themselves on that. >> Thank you for being here. >> Thank you. All right, we are at the end of our questions there, but we do have Dee Davies back online, so we are going to bring her into the meeting and uh hear her delegation.

04:37:11
All right, Dee, we see that you have joined. You have five minutes and uh we don’t we don’t see you. I don’t know if that’s intentional. Uh which is fine. Uh but Oh, there you are. Okay. Uh hello. You have five minutes. Go ahead. >> Thank you. I’m sitting inside a car parked right now.

04:37:30
Um as the president and CEO for the Green Party of Burlington, representing both the Green Party of Canada and the Green Party of Ontario in Burlington, I’m sharing our support for all the motions of members contained within the agenda item number 18. Now, that was only one and two at the time.

04:37:48
I understand there’s a third one. Now uh I’m also sharing additional information for consideration by planning staff and council members while deliberating on the matter of data centers in Burlington so that they can report back to the committee of the whole for the greater or and for greater coordinated regulatory framework with our municipal, provincial and federal bodies.

04:38:10
The digital infrastructure, particularly data centers, facilitates telecommunications and allows software like artificial intelligence to function, making them incredibly important in modern life. When our various existing zoning bylaws were created, the commercial industrial zoning did not contemplate data centers of the variety being discussed today and even larger facilities.

04:38:33
It is critical that staff and council review what data centers are today and into the future in order to update our laws and policies to reflect the latest knowledge and practices. When preparing to write this delegation, I read from several sources that Canada actually ranks fifth globally in data center density and the GTA is at the center of this growth.

04:38:55
all the more reason for us to get on top of this quickly. Given that data centers fit under the zoning of commercial industrial without requiring zoning adjustments and their approval is dedicated to staff, it is imperative that staff have expertise on the ramifications of these approvals. They need to get the model right from the start so that it works for both the community and the environment.

04:39:21
As an example, while it may seem desirable for a data center to produce on site all the electricity it would require so as not to usurp the electricity required by the community at large. The average person may not realize this locks the proponent into using natural gas generation for its electricity source.

04:39:44
There is no way to produce sufficient renewable energy on site for a data center. Instead, what should be required is for the proponent to enter into a contract with the utility provider to finance X amount of renewable energy capacity like wind and solar to be added to the grid through new production.

04:40:05
The location of the energy production is immaterial so long as it is additional to what is existing within the grid. Another example would be accepting air cooling as a remedy to water cooling. Air cooling a data center would require multiple rooftop units containing compressors, condensers to cool the air, and fans exhausting air heated by a building full of servers.

04:40:29
These generate a lot of noise and if not wellmaintained can also add dissonance to the general level of noise that would be extremely annoying to anyone outside and can can carry for longer distances. Instead, data centers should be using geothermal cooling systems. In a standard commercial geothermal setup, there would be a series of closed underground loops building chilled fluid to the compressor and heat exchanger inside the building to distribute cooled air throughout.

04:40:59
And instead of blowing hot air outside from the building, it transfers it back to the cooler earth loop. A setup, a step up from geothermal would be a district energy system where data centers, energy systems, and local development are planned together. This provides proponents something meaningful to offer to the community in which they want to build shared energy, reduced emissions, and tangible local benefits.

04:41:26
Data centers are needed. How many of them may be where the debate takes place in order to move forward? Development proposals must earn community trusts through openness and collaborative planning. Community community concerns over such things as environmental sustainability, noise, and pollution are shaping how projects are being developed.

04:41:47
We are early enough in their incremental state of growth that we can incorporate best practices and lessons learned into how projects will be planned and delivered. However, this is more than a municipal issue and not every municipality has the expertise or resources to hire the expertise to develop the necessary standards and guard rails.

04:42:07
That’s why it must be a collaborative effort among federal, provincial, regional and municipal governments to develop the best practices, sustainable design measures, collaborative planning mechanisms, consultation mechanisms with indust indigenous groups, municipalities, utilities, community residents so that data center industry earns trust to grow sustainably and be a contributing community partner to provide what Burlingtononians, Ontarians, and Canadians need.

04:42:34
A standard set of practices would make it easier for companies to comply and also around >> jump in. You are out of time. I assumed you were just wrapping up. Are you? >> I was. Yeah. >> Okay. Thank you. We got that last bit uh that you’re supportive of the regulations. Thank you so much. Uh you do have one question so far uh from councelor Charman.

04:42:58

Dei, thank you. I always appreciate your perspective on innovation that somehow seems to be crushed all the time when it comes to uh climate change mitigation. So I really appreciate that and I agree that we need to be thinking about those things. But when you say uh there are no government regulations to guide what we are looking at today.

04:43:15
Is it not true that there is a limit of 50 megawatt um in terms of power supply? Is it not true that that we can not we will not allow water cooling of data centers but rather being air cooled um and and with respect to uh in in spective in in terms of um the power supply um in such a case as the one that’s in front of the city today um that it’s it’s going to be drawing off the grid that is fully stable and able to provide it according to the letter from hydro.

04:43:46
Do you not consider that as being adequate guidance or at least some government guidance? Um I do agree it’s some government guidance but what I’m looking for is best practices and what we have today is not necessarily best practices particularly if you look at um this can be a small project but if this project goes as is then somebody else comes along even largerations and so what I’m looking at is what are the best practices that we can develop and put in place so that all these things are measured. We’re always trying to reduce our environmental footprint. And so if we are developing standards, it’s beneficial to us to make sure that the standards are using the

04:44:45
latest and greatest information and technology so that we can um work on these things that’s moving towards the opportunity energy systems. Um, so that’s the point I’m making is that there may be rules regulations, I’m just going to >> Sorry, I’m just going to stop you there. Your sound is really breaking up right now.

04:45:11
We I think we heard most of what you had to say, but it will be really uh difficult for this the transcription to pick up your words. So, um I’m going to go back to councelor Sherman for his question, but but uh it may be best if it continues to happen for you to turn off your video so we can just get the sound.

04:45:30
But, uh councelor, did you have another >> I I do. Um and it deals with the question that that Dee correctly raised about best practices because we hear that term so frequently in government. Um and what it does is it just means hanging on to what we already have. Um do you think the issue is not so much best but actually next practice that we need to be thinking about the future down the road and asking what is it we really need? >> Absolutely.

04:45:58
Um it is an evolving thing practices um do take into account the um the greatest and knowledge that can move forward to a higher goal. Sorry, I’m going to stop you again, Dee. We’re we’re having real trouble hearing you. Uh yeah, try try again with your video. And if not, we’ll just um uh perhaps uh if you have any of this in writing that you want to send us, that would be helpful.

04:46:29
But uh go ahead and try with your your uh camera off. >> Okay, I’ve turned the camera off. >> Uhhuh. >> Much better. >> What I was Okay, great. [laughter] What I was saying was that it um current pra best practices are not necessarily something that’s set in stone. It’s evolving and it’s looking at the the latest um innovation, knowledge, technology, everything that can move it forward so that we’re looking at getting the best possible solutions and and again not being stagnant, always moving forward.

04:47:10

Thank you very much. We agree right answer for me. >> Thank you, Paul. I’m not seeing any other questions on the board at the moment. So, thank you so much uh for joining Dee. We did hear your full delegation in the first uh couple of questions in the last. So, uh really appreciate you being here.

04:47:26
Um we do have Nate Arin back. So, I’m going to jump back to 11.6 and uh you are here in person, I think, to speak to item 18.1 and two. Come on up. You have five minutes. We’ll get the mic on for you and whenever you’re ready and stick around. There may be questions. Go ahead. Thank you, your worship, members of council.

04:47:48
Um, I am a digital consultant here in Burlington. I have worked for the prime minister’s office. I have worked in advanced digital networking and I have experience in AI deployment for enterprise. I’m really frustrated um that I felt the need to come into council today. A lot of people feel that they don’t have the information and I don’t think that that is their fault.

04:48:18
But I do feel that they were unnecessarily made to panic about a situation that would have been resolved had it gone through the normal channels. Now Burlington staff have had to step up and put out emergency communications in response to um what was public outcry. We have seen an immediate reaction from the business community in opposition to the motions today.

04:48:46
And I’m standing here today in opposition to those motions. We need to understand as a town, as a community, as a province, and as a country the current landscape that we are facing when it comes to compute and when it comes to AI. The United States has already used an export control measure to prevent state-of-the-art models from being used in Canada and elsewhere in the world.

04:49:17
China is discussing raising prices on their open-source models that they serve through inference. The United States is now again talking about preventing companies from processing those Chinese openweight models on their servers. If that happens, the impact to Canadian businesses will be immediate and severe.

04:49:43
We may not understand it. A lot of people here don’t. AI is integrated into our economy already, whether we like it or not. And we need compute. Right now, Canada is last in the G7 for publicly available compute. We need compute now. We have regulations. We have bill 40 at the provincial level which is already setting out to do what uh 181 I believe sets out to do.

04:50:15
They are setting the definitions at the provincial level. It is not something this council should be setting out to do. It is not something staff should be sent out to do. It’s not worth their time. It’s already happening. The federal government has set out on a mission to make Canada AI native. Burlington is part of that.

04:50:38
And I’m frustrated that we are here trying to push back against a business uh as the uh president of the chamber of count uh chamber mentioned um that that has followed all the rules. We have regulations. We have environmental protections. We have noise bylaws. We have the transmission connection regulations that require these businesses to improve the grid, not detract from them.

04:51:08
I don’t know why council is debating this issue. It is not for [snorts] council to debate this issue. This is a business that is coming in to where they are zoned. And there are more businesses that are going to want to come in and that’s a good thing so long as they follow the regulations that are already in place.

04:51:29
If they aren’t good enough, then we revisit them when the time comes. We can’t pause this development. We shouldn’t. Thank you. >> Okay, I’m just going to see if there are any questions for you. Councelor Councelor Karns, go ahead. Thank you so much for being here. And uh I do like to start with where we’re closer together than where we’re farther apart.

04:51:57
And I do agree if the regulations aren’t good enough, that’s when we pause them. And so the conversation is really around the scope and the breadth of this new emerging use and how it’s handled within the municipal framework. So in your expertise, can you give us some of the um sort of the the the binary pieces? you know, we’ve been hearing AI versus data compute versus, you know, collocation.

04:52:24
We’ve been hearing 50 megawws versus 400. Is there anything in that language that can be helpful for us to again balance the needs of the community with the emerging use and modernization as well as welcoming and ushering in economic development and and our chamber priorities? So primarily I’ll say that there’s no difference between AI compute and regular compute.

04:52:49
Compute is compute. They are just chips. They do the exact same thing. Whether it’s AI, whether it’s a zoom call, whether it’s anything else, they are computers in a room that do computing. AI is just part of it. As for the capacity, uh not really. Those regulations are set based on the uh available um capacity, the available power and we already have the regulations in place at the provincial level that if somebody is coming in and building a business here and they want to hook up to the grid, they have to fund the difference. It’s it’s not the council’s responsibility to to intervene on that. It’s just a business. Everything that happens inside of that business is nothing to you. It shouldn’t mean anything to council. What happens inside of there, so long as they are following

04:53:49
the law, so long as they are following the environmental bylaws, so long as they have conformed to the regulations. >> Thanks. And then my second question is this. Can you help me understand a bit better? What does available power mean? Is that surplus power, access to that? is that bringing in your own um you know >> these are provincial statutes >> but >> I I’m not sure why I have to explain a provincial statute on capacity.

04:54:16
No, I I they my understanding of the regulation is that they will have to provide a five-year study on their uh draw over that time. And throughout that period of time, Burlington Hydro has to do a study on the expected growth that they project. And if they see a difference there, then it’s expected that the capital is put up upfront by the developer so that the upgrades are in place before the business starts up.

04:54:51

Perfect answer. Thank you, Councelor Bentania. >> Thank you, Mayor. Um, thank you for that uh delegation. is uh pretty passionate on your [snorts] end of it. Um interesting bill 40. Is this something that perhaps we need to promote more so people understand what what we can do and what we can’t do.

04:55:17

I I I do think that the the town does play a role and council does play a role in educating uh the citizens. Um, and that brings me back to my point that I I’m frustrated by the way this information came to light and by the way it came to the public. It wasn’t through the appropriate channels.

04:55:33
It didn’t take the appropriate path and it included speculation rather than fact. Um, and when we do that, we stir up doubt. We stir up commotion and we have more questions unanswered when we get to the room than we should have uh when we start having public discussions about these things. If there’s a site adjustment, it goes through a typical process and we we get the details beforehand and there’s a a statutory public meeting.

04:56:01
In this case, it doesn’t require a statutory public meeting at this stage because there’s nothing wrong with the building according to our current standards. So, this meeting to me seems more about public outcry than it does about uh actually changing regulations or or meeting standards. We know those standards.

04:56:20
Is the building conforming to them? If so, let’s move on. >> Thank you for that. My second question is, can you, you may not be able to answer it. Can you give us some examples within 20 kilometers of here? Some of these centers that are already out there. >> Uh, yes, there there are a few in Oakville.

04:56:41
Uh, Rogers has a uh has a pop there, a point of presence there. Um, I I’m honestly surprised to learn that Kojico doesn’t already have one in the town. I I only just learned that because it would make sense for them to have a point of presence here and I think we should encourage them to because that would be good for everyone. >> Thank you for that.

04:57:04

Councelor Sherman, >> thanks Nathan. You’ve uh you’ve you’ve you’ve addressed the elephant in the room. Um as I listen to you what I understand you to say as a professional, all of the standards exist. if I understand you further that the the storm that caused this was by by guidance by pronouncements that were poorly informed when they should have had better information and that in fact we have we the information should be there for us.

04:57:34
So my question is who might this council or maybe the staff talk to who actually does know what’s what as against us all guessing and creating alarm. Uh I would imagine that the the developers themselves would have a good amount of information. Um but there are other institutes there there’s the shield institute uh for national infrastructure there there there are organizations that are nonprofit and operate in a nonprofit way to advance information uh for Canadians because this is an emerging technology and and these people aren’t like Pathways Alliance. We’re not talking about like the the cabal of AI, big AI all coming together, but there are public advocacy organizations that are saying Canada needs to move now. We need to have a national and provincial framework. Um, and we need to move faster. >> So certainly the latter. My question was

04:58:33
more about the extent. You said right now what’s coming is already agre is already within the regulations. My question is who would we actually go to? um who might guide a sort of consultant or a nonprofit organization that could take it and say here this is actually the facts instead of us have have to deal with questions that are not based on facts.

04:58:53

I I could do some research into some organizations. There are a couple that I know and I could provide you that information. >> That would be deeply appreciated. Thank you so much, Nathan. >> Absolutely. >> Don’t go away. A few more questions. Uh next up is Kelvin. Go ahead. >> Uh yes. Thank you, Mayor.

04:59:07
Um Nathan, thank you for the delegation today. It was very informative and I appreciate your passion and uh I think you’ve sort of hit the nail on the head of what’s going on here. Um my question is regarding one of the motions which uh advocates for sort of a provincial and federal framework.

04:59:25
Um from what you’re saying uh most of that is in progress already or already exists or so so is your opinion that that motion is redundant at this point? Um, you know, I’m not going to say that for sure. It’s possible there’s some value in talking to our provincial counterparts, but I I don’t I don’t know that it needs to be a matter of counsel.

04:59:53
I think that that’s just a conversation that should happen as a matter of due course. >> Okay. Appreciate your opinion. Thank you very much. >> Thanks. Yeah, I just uh Kelvin uh half answered my or asked [snorts] my question and I did Yeah, I did I did want to pick up on that. There’s three different things with very different intentions.

05:00:12
So, >> um, >> and sorry, I was supposed to be here in the morning at a family thing. I I wasn’t aware of the third portion of the motion. >> It it just arrived uh this morning at 9:30. So, it’s okay. Uh, that you don’t know. We a lot of us didn’t know either until it uh well, it uh we we had some notice uh but not much more than you.

05:00:31
So um the so the question around the uh national and provincial framework which is being uh recommended by uh data center users and and so forth um uh that uh one of the key things that council does is advocate or add our voice for work to be done and continued so it doesn’t kind of go go away or disappear like the pulse panel did.

05:00:57
Uh so uh given given that that is squarely something that councils do is advocate and use our voice to speak to other levels of government. Uh do you think it’s wise for us to uh to pass this resolution to say yeah we want to work with you and we want to get this uh right and we want you to get the work and the framework at those levels done.

05:01:20
Can’t do it all ourselves. I definitely don’t think there’s harm in in doing that and so long as we’re showing a commitment of participation and cooperation. Um, you know, this is one of those situations where I I I don’t want to see the town ending up in court. I don’t want to see us ending up in the OOLT um for what should just be a matter of course.

05:01:44

Right. So that uh that that motion uh doesn’t drag us there. Uh so then on the other uh the other items uh I’m I’m sure you’re aware but we are not making any decision about a control bylaw today. We’re not making any decision about this data center today. We are um that particular motion is is really asking for information.

05:02:04
So, are you okay with getting information uh uh on uh on what a framework would look like, the considerations uh any changes that might be needed to uh bylaws uh as we can can expect that there will be more need and demand for data sers going forward? This may be the first. It’s it’s probably not going to be the last.

05:02:24
Um my concern there is demonstrating as a town and I think uh I think it was well brought by the uh president of the chamber um that we need to demonstrate a willingness and openness to these projects and and an openness to follow the standards that are in place. Um, asking for additional information is always good, but again, I I don’t know why it’s happening through the council chambers.

05:02:57
These are things that can happen through due course. I I’m not sure why there’s immediacy for it. It it’s, you know, it’s we can wait for Bill 40 to be resolved. We can wait for the provincial definition. Um, of course, advocating while we do so. Um but we we shouldn’t be showing that we’re trying to push back against investment and growth especially in this sector especially right now.

05:03:28

Okay. So some perception matters we got to deal with there. Okay. Uh councelor Nissan go ahead. >> Thank you mayor. And uh just in my preamble I want to clarify the uh third motion that was referenced uh was not distributed at 9:30 this morning. It was distributed at 1:52 yesterday uh publicly on the addendum and I put it on the addendum so everyone could uh could see it uh though as noted it may be presented as an amendment so I’m sure we won’t see any surprise uh amendments today uh because I put that forward yesterday. Uh Nathan, thank you very much for your delegation and uh would you uh do you think that there is value in us uh taking into account data centers in any official plan review that we do or um like uh particularly the larger ones, you know, that that are there. Do you do you see any connection there or would you rather refer that question back to our planning staff? I’ll let you decide.

05:04:26

I I I I do think that those kinds of issues should go back to staff. we should take under consideration the externalities of the building that that’s going in. Um that’s what the regulations are about, not what happens inside the building. Um to me, having staff make carveouts based on what the building does will set a bad precedent and does lead to negative consequences down the road.

05:04:58
So in your opinion uh any planning uh review through the through the official plan [snorts] should not target a data center but just update our employment policies taking into account the world as it is when they do the update. >> Yes, exactly. Um we we should absolutely be keeping our standards up to date with the potential harms the potential impacts of any business that comes in.

05:05:27
Um but uh there there is nothing special about data centers. They’re just rooms full of computers. >> All right, thank you very much. >> Okay, we have exhausted the questions for you. Thank you so much for uh being able to join actually. We appreciate hearing all perspectives on this issue. Good good discussion so far.

05:05:46
Uh we still have I think four. So our next up is Michaela Woodward from Gleas AI. I don’t know if I’ve uh pronounced that uh correctly, but you will let us know and you are speaking to the two motions. Uh welcome Michaela. >> Awesome. Thank you everyone for having me today. I am the head of stakeholder engagement, public relations and indigenous relations for the owners and the project team of the proposed data center at 3110 South Service Road.

05:06:16
And I just wanted to come today to kind of ease the mind of not only the public but answer any potential questions that we that are potentially arising throughout this project. I know that there is some controversy and mixed opinions over data center development especially in this day and age and we wanted to say that we are here to listen.

05:06:41
We hear the concerns. We are open to being as humanly transparent and working alongside both the city, provincial and federal governments as we see fit and as you guys see fit. We do not want to come in as we are this giant AI company that it wants to steal all your data. We are training chat GPT.

05:07:03
We are using AI for evil. That is not at all the narrative that we want to push. That is the narrative that we almost want to squash as we see circulating online. I know a lot of information is coming out on the internet at a very very quick rate and spreads a lot of misinformation and we want to come on here and say that set the record straight.

05:07:26
We want to do as best as we can to work with the community and invest back into the community and we want to employ local businesses. We want to better Burlington’s economy. We are working with as many local universities and businesses as possible to start to explore waste heat recovery options. We want to take that waste heat that comes off data centers and invest it back into the community.

05:07:55
And on the topic of how that’s going to affect p our local power rates and things like that, it is all private investment. There is no federal or provincial funding. This is on the shoulders of the owners and the operators and there is not going to be a direct impact onto rateayers at all. [snorts] So we want to ease those concerns as well.

05:08:14
And on the topic of noise, I think we’ve kind of squashed that a bit throughout the conversation today. My speech has changed about like six or seven times as throughout the day has gone and as those questions have come up and we’ve been able to address it. And uh that is pretty much all I wanted to say in my short brief time.

05:08:31
I don’t want to take up my entire five minutes of kind of yabbering at you guys about how that we think the data center is going to be beneficial to the community and how we want to invest into the community. But I really want to take the opportunity to address questions that the council may have and be able to have that open dialogue because we are here to be as transparent as possible and open to working with you all.

05:08:57

Well, thank you very much for being here. I expect there will be many questions. That was my guest. We we appreciate uh the opportunity to ask them. You have two so far. So, councelor Nissan, you’re up first. >> Thank you, mayor. Uh thank you, Michaela, very much for your delegation. Uh the first question is um this issue about uh external heat and you mentioned here how you want to re adaptively reuse the heat that is generated in your uh in your experience with your company.

05:09:22
Have you seen uh heat impacts uh on surrounding areas uh from your projects or other other projects of a similar size? >> I will be completely and transparently honest about this. This is our first project. This is we are not an established company that has been doing data centers for generations.

05:09:41
This is a first of a kind for us as it is a first of a kind for you. And at to this point it’s a air cooled data center. The we are not utilizing municipal water of any of the sorts. In terms of waste heat recovery, many of the environmental studies have been done on that and that is open to the public in those studies that we’ve done and we are exploring what that waste heat is going to look like.

05:10:05
I’ll have to consult our engineering firms for exactly what those numbers exactly look like. But in terms of that, we want to any waste heat that’s coming off of those data centers, we do not want if if any do not want that going into the air, we want to explore the opportunity to utilize that heat to reinvest back into the community.

05:10:26

Okay. Thank you. Uh my second question is uh could you provide as much detail as you have available with respect to economic uplift and jobs created in construction and ongoing operation of your of the center that you’re proposing? >> Burlington Hydro has been doing an economic analysis on that and they are also working with Hydro1 and the IESO on what that economic impact will look like.

05:10:49
They as far as we know we don’t know the exact numbers because that study is still undergoing but once that is finalized we will have the exact numbers of what economic outputs there will be for the community. >> Thank you councelor Charman [snorts] >> Michaela. Thank you very much for being here. Appreciate the uh your position that you want to be um supportive of informing the community properly and my colleagues.

05:11:14
Um, so if there is a list of things that that that people are looking for answers for, can we just send them to you and you’ll give us the answers? >> 100%. >> Good. So I’ll be asking staff to help us get that and some of the delegations. Thank you very much. >> Yes, absolutely. >> So I do have another question. So when it comes to hydro, there’s a whole lot of questions around um, well, what happens if the power goes down? Is this going to cause brownouts? Uh, is there not [snorts] enough power in, you know, Ontario from from nuclear plants and water? Um, are those reasonable concerns or or is it is is the power available around you? >> I wouldn’t say they’re unreasonable concerns. Always reasonable to ask questions. Uh, as far as we know, the we have more than enough power available to how these house these. It’s not this isn’t a closed loop system as where we’re providing our own power. It’s connecting to the grid throughout the province. The ISO delegates how that power is distributed on the loads

05:12:14
throughout the province. So, we don’t really have any control of that. The you guys don’t have any control of that. That’s it’s just how the ISO operates, but the power is available. It’s in terms of brownouts, blackouts. We also will have battery storage on site at the facility in order to support the grid at peak demand times as well.

05:12:35

Perfect. We will get you a list. Thank you. >> Thank you, >> Councelor Karns. >> Thank you so much. Since you’ve been at the forefront of this um you know, initial or inaugural application, what can you share with us to do better for the next applicant from your experience and your learnings? >> Honestly, I would say that we’re kind of treating this project as a first of a kind and it is for the city of Burlington.

05:13:01
However, there are over 60 data centers throughout the GTA area. We have seen lots of data centers built within the country of this scale anywhere ranging from the 1 to 20 megawatt range. I do believe that we have the guidelines in place. I know that we there’s been a lot of dialogue today about the implementation of an additional framework to kind of navigate these waters moving forward and we welcome that in parallel with our project.

05:13:29
We are happy to work alongside the city to kind of ease your guys’ minds as we move through forward through this process. But I think in terms of lessons learned from this project to the next that we do have the guidelines in place and we recognize that there is going to be some public controversy and I think that has caused the majority of these conversations today and the reason that there’s been a little bit of being a little setback on this that there is some public concern.

05:14:01
We’re going to have that. We have to welcome those conversations and be open to having that dialogue within the public as well. Whether that’s through hosting some more info sessions, things like that, posting a little bit more public dialogue. I understand that there’s it appears that this process is moving too fast because there was a little bit of delay in the projects coming online and things like that.

05:14:26
The public feels that pro the project information wasn’t shared quick enough, things of that nature. But we also need to trust that we have the processes in place. A lot of data centers have been built of this nature already. The the guidelines are there, but moving forward into the next project. We need to trust those guidelines, but also maybe things need to be adjusted to fit the city needs as well.

05:14:49
And we are more than welcome and happy to work alongside you with that. >> Thanks so much. So my qu my second question is around um the application for use. We’re understanding it’s a collocation data center. In your opinion, is there a difference between that and an AI data center? Not necessarily. I do this is this is a multi-use facility to set the record straight on that.

05:15:13
There is the option for colllocation to have multiple medium-siz enterprises also having rack space within the um data center. But the thing with AI versus computing, kind of what Nathan had said earlier, there isn’t really a difference. Computers are computers. They’re all this data room is is a bunch of computers sitting on a server.

05:15:37
And a AI I know that there’s a lot of controversy around that topic in terms of good AI, bad AI. This specific data center does not have the capacity to do things like train track GPT. We need me gigawatts in order to do something like that. This is a 20 megawatt facility. We simply do not have the capacity to do that.

05:16:01
But in terms of say for university research a PhD student is doing research that has some AI modeling in it that they would be able to colllocate some of their information at in our data center as Rackspace for for example me I am a secondyear master student at McMaster University in nuclear engineering my research is around computation modeling for nuclear security.

05:16:32
I use AI models for that and there’s I’m doing it to help advance the safeguards in the most highly regulated industry in the world. So I I have a very powerful stance on AI versus computing, but long story short, we’re not training chat GPT. It is a multi-use facility. If a PhD student has some of their AI models that they are renting rack space through the university through that it’s computing is computing.

05:17:05
It’s going to be in the data room. >> Okay. Thank you. And then just for clarity is there a difference between your presentation which is I think it’s DC Galilee versus Gillesie.ai Inc. are those two connected at all? >> Oh sorry I didn’t use my presentation at all. I had one but my speech changed like 15 times throughout today.

05:17:24
um that a the presentation basically just addressed a lot of kind of the public questions that were up earlier today. A lot of it had to do with like the noise and things like that which we’ve kind of already solved so I didn’t really want to touch on that too much but Glee AI is the company and the data center is ran by Glee AI.

05:17:43

Okay, thanks. I’ll go back into Q. >> Okay, thank thank you uh so much. I have some questions too. So, uh, one of the big ones that residents have asked, and I I do like the idea of being able to collect questions, but I also want to be able to ask a couple of the pressing burning ones that people are sitting uh in this room and and at home probably watching and wanting to know.

05:18:04
So, one of them is around who owns this, [snorts] who’s behind this. So, can you tell us a little bit more about Glee and Glee AI? You said you’re a new company. Uh, who who who are you? [laughter] introduce yourselves to us please. >> We are the company we come from a variety of different industries. Uh this is a company that was kind of formed under the basis that we want to do good within the community and we want to advance economic opportunity throughout the greater Toronto area and the province of Ontario. Uh Burlington outside of Burlington everybody. We want to advance the opportunity for economic development. And unfortunately, some people may not be completely on board with the idea, but emerging technology and artificial intelligence is coming whether we like it or not. Um, I know that like for example, my parents

05:19:03
and my grandparents, they’re not super on the AI train, but it is unfortunately something that we kind of need to either you’re going to get on board or you’re going to get left behind. And whether we like it or not, technology is a way that economic opportunity is greatly greatly advancing in this country and others.

05:19:20
And we wanted to be at the forefront of that. We wanted to advance opportunity as best as we could. And that through that became Glee AI. And we plan to work with anybody who’s willing and able. >> Excellent. [snorts] uh and you touched on uh your willingness to uh well even just your willingness to be here and talk with us and um work in parallel and in partnership and you mentioned info sessions or things like that.

05:19:49
So I I wonder if you would be open uh or Gleei uh and your team would be open to having a um public meeting or a public information meeting where as you get closer to um you know this particular project moving forward to answer some of the questions there has been a lot of misinformation.

05:20:14
And I I know we’ve all heard it and seen it and things are getting conflated and it’s it’s been I think a very productive morning [snorts] in setting uh the record straight on some things. So uh would you be willing you don’t have to. I guess that’s why I’m asking the question. Um it’s not a requirement of the planning act.

05:20:31
Council can’t compel you nor can staff. Are you uh willing and interested to work on a community meeting of some sort? >> I am 100%. Hopefully people that are above me will take the same same same approach. But as coming from a public relations perspective, I I think that it is of the utmost importance to work with the community and my background personally is actually in indigenous relations and I want to also be working with Missagas of the Credit First Nation and advancing opportunities there as well. I think that it’s even though it’s not required of us by law or to push this through on a regulatory matter, I think it’s very important to be working with the community and trying to ease the community and also not just that, but understanding where opportunities lie for potential business opportunities for other companies. uh we want to be committed to localizing procurement

05:21:31
opportunities for not just the construction but the entire life cycle of the project. So that means outlining where that those supply chain opportunities lie and how other businesses can benefit from that. So yes more than happy terrific thank you councelor Karns. >> Thank you so much.

05:21:46
So I’m going to go back to my core principle here and I’m really looking for a framework [snorts] maybe not necessarily for you but certainly in a go forward basis. Uh I’m also skeptical and hesitant about having um you know information sessions led by people who are looking to advance an opportunity in our city just as I wouldn’t the people in heavy opposition.

05:22:09
We want a balanced approach to this which has been the perspective the whole time. So what what can your organization, your research, anything of that nature offer in terms of um helping to scope an appropriate framework so that the next application or applications going forward can rely on the good behavior that you’ve been demonstrating as opposed to leaving a very wide interpretation for um what the next folks are going to be be planning to do.

05:22:38

Yeah. No, we’re more than happy to kind of help you guys develop a framework in parallel to our project. Um, as our project moves forward in whichever manner that is. We’re going to have a lot of lessons learned on h what transpires and how we could streamline this process a little bit.

05:22:54
So, I think that if you guys decide to move forward with drafting a framework, then we’re happy to do that alongside you because I think that there is always a way to streamline something and to make it easier for the next guy that comes along. So, we’re more than happy to do that. >> Thank you. And my next question is this.

05:23:13
So, um what is your timeline? And you know, if we’re looking at a potential uh pause to do that type of a framework, I’m unclear on your timeline because it’s been since 2025 from some of the documents I can see and it seems like there’s a real sense of urgency right now.

05:23:32
So, what is in fact the real timeline that we’re looking at? >> There is a sense of urgency. Um the timeline would be as soon as possible. Uh we have invested a considerable amount of money into moving this process along. And the thing about private investment versus federal or provincial investment is that this money is kind of weighted on our shoulders.

05:23:56
And so we are the ones kind of at stake of losing millions of dollars through this investment process. So our timeline is fast, very fast. >> Thanks. And just an a follow up on that around the the finances. When do you think we will see that economic analysis? And I understand Burlington Hydro is doing it and not you.

05:24:19

Yes, that’s correct. Um on terms of timeline, I’ll have to get back to you on that on the exact date. That should be readily available, but it is coming up relatively soon, I believe. >> Okay. Thanks. I’ll ask that question of staff. >> Councelor Nissan. >> Thank you, Chair. Uh yes, thanks.

05:24:33
I just want to be abundantly clear about the choice here and ensure that we have your concerns on the record or any um comments on the record. So there’s a going to be a choice whether to uh proceed to get more information uh on an interim control bylaw to come back in less than 2 months and uh and then in September uh depending on where that goes um or or beyond that uh beyond September to uh potentially proceed with what uh some members of the community are calling a moratorum.

05:25:05
Could you comment on our decision point today where we have an opportunity about whether to to gather more information on an interim control bylaw or we could put a stop to it today? Those that is a choice where we could say no, we’re not going in that direction. We’re going to do it differently. What would be the uh uh you know what would be your [snorts] what would be the consequences or concerns if we start to move in the direction of an interim control bylaw by requesting more information on it? I can’t really speak to the direct consequences of that, but I could kind of put forth my recommendation kind of moving forward or my opinion. I think that we have the regulations and guidelines in place already to move a project of this nature forward. But I do understand that there is concerns in the community of maybe putting a pause to things to gather more information. uh like as the owners I don’t that’s not going

05:26:04
to benefit them financially but I do understand that there is going to be concerns around that and that is a real possibility that we’re going to have to deal with and as those decisions are made we will act accordingly and we want to move forward with you guys and kind of work as collaboratively as possible.

05:26:24
So as that information as our information is made available, it will be made available to you and we would hope vice versa as well. >> So just to be clear uh if we uh if we did go down this path and reach a final conclusion that met the concerns of some members of the community around uh having a moratorum uh that would lead to you not being able to build for one to two years.

05:26:46
Uh what would the con or potentially longer if there’s an appeal? What would be the uh impact on uh on your business of that? What would happen? >> I know there would be quite a bit of negative impacts as to the specifics. I’ll have to consult our economic teams and get back to you. >> Okay. Thank >> All right.

05:27:06
I’m not seeing any other questions. I do have one more for you just on that line of dialogue and I always try to find the common ground where we can uh to recognize the concerns of all uh members of our community uh residents, businesses uh stakeholders, everyone and uh do appreciate your work on indigenous uh relations as well.

05:27:28
So my question is uh and this was actually raised by one of the delegations. So, uh what we uh we’ll talk to staff about this, but what we’ve heard is that there are uh existing regulations in place uh today to deal with potentially this data center that staff need to make a decision on this within a time frame that is legislated or we risk this going to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

05:27:56
Um is there a way forward where um any work done to develop guidelines would apply to uh not retroactively because you applied under a specific set of standards but proactively to uh new uh and emerging data centers which might be different than yours. I think that there is nothing wrong with moving forward with developing guidelines or frameworks of the such like kind of like I’ve kind of sit on my high horse here and preach that to the choir that we are more than willing to work with you guys in developing a set of guidelines or frameworks in parallel to our project. We like I taking off my PR hat. In an ideal world, we don’t want to see our project paused in order to develop guidelines for something that’s already kind of set in place. We understand that there’s concerns, but we’ve also seen that lots of other data

05:28:54
centers have been developed in the area under the guidelines that we applied under. So, we know that those frameworks are in pray in place. But in terms of moving forward for the comfort of your city and future economic plans with emerging technologies and data centers, we want to develop that alongside with you and in the easiest way possible.

05:29:11
So yes, we want to be there with you in order to develop these guidelines. >> Okay. And then um my understanding, but again we’ll get this uh clarified from staff is that site plan decisions are a little different than other types that would come to council and the time frames are quicker because they typically are more simple.

05:29:31
Uh 60 days I believe versus uh let’s say 120 days for an official plan or a zoning bylaw amendment which which is coming up quick. So, uh, would you recommend, uh, to us that we try to do the work, uh, that we’re that we’re looking at in advance of that timeline so it can kind of speak to this specific pro project as well as future ones? uh or uh use the existing policies to deal with this one and then uh make sure that we have a framework going forward particularly as any new ones might come forward that have additional potential to draw much more energy. I think that’s a big part of the concern is uh this is the first but may not be the last. Yes to the latter. But I also believe that

05:30:28
if we wait and use the set guidelines to work through our project and then start to work on guidelines for future projects internally, I think we could potentially miss the opportunity to really utilize the lessons learned from our specific project to propel that forward into future projects.

05:30:45
So yes, I ideally would love to see that use prior guidelines in order to push our project, but we also want to see you guys developing those frameworks at the same time so we can also contribute to where you guys see fit and we want to offer that help as much as we can as we move forward. >> Thank you. Okay, more questions.

05:31:07
Uh, Councelor Charman, go ahead. >> Thank you very much. So as I listen to you, I I’ve come to the conclusion that um it is your belief that you are fully compliant with all the guidelines with respect to um the the the having by right use of the land. >> That is our understanding. Yes. Number two, that you have a you have are now subject to a site plan review process that you have committed to and that the ca the council staff have committed to and that you fully expect that to be completed in the 60 days. >> And in a ideal world, we would love to see that completed >> and you’re willing to work with them to get you to that point. >> Yes. >> So in in in within with so come two months time, you fully expect to be ready to go. >> Yes. >> Thank you. Councelor Karns, >> thanks so much. And I think this is going to be a helpful point of clarity.

05:32:04
So, can you tell me on what date your application was deemed complete in order to start the clock potentially on a 60-day uh review and approval? >> The exact date I can’t recall off the top of my head, but I believe it was a couple weeks ago, >> like maybe July 2nd. >> It could be. Yes. >> Yes. Yes. Okay.

05:32:25
So then technically if we were to look at this, this is my second question. If we were to look at this from a technical perspective, um the request in my motion is to report back on an option around an interim control bylaw in September on what the scope of the studies would require all kinds of things.

05:32:46
Your application would be long gone before that. And this really shouldn’t even concern you. Would would that be right based on the timing? based on the timing. Yes. But we also we want it may not concern our project specifically, but we are offering the opportunity to kind of work on this together.

05:33:06
So it may not concern us, but we want to help for the next proposed data center that could come maybe one day. >> Okay. So then not a concern for you because you’re past the deadline >> ideally. Yes. Okay. Okay, I am not seeing any other questions at the moment, but I’m sure we will be uh working with you offline around uh getting answers and the idea of some additional public input.

05:33:36
So stay tuned for more. >> Awesome. Thank you guys. And yes, we’re we will be in touch. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. All right, we have two delegates left. The next one is Jorge Berto from Alpha Maneta, Inc. if you are here. All right. Um if he arrives, we will fit him in at the end.

05:34:01
But we our next one uh is Kamala Hurley. I know you are here. Come on up. You have five minutes and go ahead and get started. The mic is on. I’d like to thank the mayor, the members of the council, as well as fellow delegates and the public. My name is Camela Hurley and I’m asking for the city to pause the proposed data center at 3110 South Service Road until Burlington has established a comprehensive policy framework specifically governing data centers as it is an emerging business model.

05:34:33
This is a first-of-akind business model as stated by delegate Michaela of Glei AI. I’m not opposed to technology or responsible economic development. I am opposed to approving major resource inensive infrastructures before we fully understand its complete impact on the people who already live here and on the rapidly growing population that Burlington is preparing to accommodate.

05:35:05
Burlington has already has um already has more than 45,000 proposed residential units slated to be built. That doesn’t include the 90,000 90,000 proposed residential units at King Road, which I believe councelor Ward 6 had mentioned as a number today in session. Sorry if I’m wrong on that, but um although not every proposed unit has received final approval, this number demonstrates the extraordinary scale of development being contemplated against our city and across the city.

05:35:37
These future residents will require dependable electricity, water and water waste capacity, transportation, emergency services, health care, schools, and other essential public infrastructure. And in my experience with these intense weather storms that we have re recently encountered, Burlington often experiences hydro and Wi-Fi outages.

05:36:01
Because this data before this data center moves forward, residents deserve clear, independently verified answers to these questions. How much electricity will it require when operating at full capacity? What electrical infrastructure upgrades will be necessary? Who will pay for these upgrades? Could the facility place pressure on electrical capacity or increase costs for residential customers? And what is the total impact when the data center is considered alongside more than 100k proposed residential units and the possibility of additional data center applications in the future. I also want to address the water. The current proposal has been described as air cooled. However, council should not treat the proposed cooling designed as a permanent environmental guarantee. Technology

05:37:00
ownership and operational requirements can change throughout the lifespan of a data center. [snorts] Any future addition of liquid, evapor evaporative or water assisted cooling should require a new approval. Full public disclosure and an assessment of m municipal water and wastewater capacity.

05:37:18
Even cooling systems describes described as closed loop are not necessarily waterfree. They may require initial fillings, replacements or makeup water. Chemical treatment, maintenance, flushing and eventual wastewater discharge. The public therefore needs enforce enforcements uh governing maximum water use, water waste discharge, cooling system changes, and environmental monitoring, not simply asurances about how the facility is expected to operate.

05:37:50
Existing provincial regulations may apply to individual activities, but Burlington does not yet have a comprehensive data center specific policy framework and cooling technology, water use, water waste, noise, backup generators, emissions, emergency planning, or ongoing public reporting. >> [snorts] >> The city has also indicated that this application is proceeding through site plan approval because of the uses already permitted under the current official plan and zoning bylaw.

05:38:20
Um that makes strong public policy even more urgent. So council should not allow development to move faster than regulation is what I’m suggesting here. I also could and would like to speak on the possibility of jobs being created in Burlington. understand that there would be roughly 500 to a,000 workers including electricians, HVAC, tech site contractors to build a 100 megawatt facility.

05:38:49
Obviously, we’re not talking about that scale here. Permanent opera operations once a 100 watt facility is actually created requires a skeleton cruel a crew of 25 to 150 permanent workers. I also would like to address that communication with the community is important. I only heard about this as of this morning off of Instagram.

05:39:13
So, I actually didn’t have enough time to probably organize my thoughts in a more comprehensive matter than what I’ve done right now. I also would like to remind the council that natural resources in this community and in Canada are the biggest assets. So, don’t get caught into a fear of missing out on AI business.

05:39:34
And I hope that the council shifts to long-term thinking for the community and quality of live of living. Thank you. >> Don’t go away. I will. >> Thank you. Thank you very much. Uh you did awesome by the way for writing that this morning. So, well done. Uh let me just see if there are any questions for you, >> Councelor Karns.

05:39:55

Thanks very much. And again, my question will be around balance. And I appreciate you speaking about strong public policy in relation to welcoming innovation and new new uses. Um, if we are to put in a pause on the going forward potentially uh uses which could be scaled up as high as the ones that you’re mentioning, is that something that you would be supportive of? >> Yeah, absolutely. I use AI.

05:40:15
I’m fully transparent about my use of AI. But we can also see the follyies that have happened in America and in other countries when uh communication isn’t shared and when uh structure isn’t adequately provided >> and thanks. And then my second question is this. Do you feel that council should have been more proactive in sharing this um sort of inaugural use uh outside of maybe in Instagram which is problematic for some and we should have been ahead of the the conversation and giving the community a heads up? >> I’d like to again quote the delegate Michaela of the AI company that’s proposing to go into this location. She said that this is a firstofind business model. And so if I go back to what the Ontario Chamber of Commerce delegates said, he is trying to I feel gloss over the fact that this is a firstofind business model. It’s imperative that the first model set

05:41:14
standards and I do believe that technology in 3 to 5 years from now will be better at uh perhaps uh managing the energy that’s used with these data centers. And so just a follow-up question to that then um you’ve mentioned sort of the proponent the advocacy groups council maybe do you feel that there’s supposed to be or not a role for the community? 100% absolutely.

05:41:44
If you want people to stay here, if you want to have successful businesses where people raise families, unless the focus of this city has shifted to a model I’m yet not aware of, which is making this a transitorientated city. Now, I I grew up in Orange County, California. And I will say that I have there are cities in Orange County where people literally they’re called bedroom communities where people literally just sleep there and then they commute and they leave and they’re not actually making community.

05:42:23
To me, it’s important. It’s how you distinguish. I mean, Burlington’s won so many awards for the quality of life here and I I’m concerned about that for the future. Uh, councelor Charman, you’re next. >> Thank you very much for uh your comments. Appreciate it. Um, I’m I’m curious about your your thought that this was the first of the kind data center.

05:42:47
How are you interpreting that ever anywhere in the world or just in Burlington? >> I think I had shared with you that this was a direct comment from one of the other delegates. I don’t believe that this is the first data center in the world. >> Okay. So, so it’s the first century in Burlington just just for thought and I think I wrote remember the delegate saying 60 in Ontario or in the GTA.

05:43:10

That could be true. >> All right. So then the question of of community engagement um I would just say thank you to the 16 or 17 people who’ve been here including yourselves because I think we have had significant community engagement. Is it possible that many of the questions could have been answered and or have been answered today? >> Sorry, will you repeat your question one more time? Is it possible that many of the questions that were asked today have been answered? >> I think I have more questions than ever. >> Okay. Well, good. I hope you’ll send us those questions. >> I certainly will. >> Thank you very much. >> Thanks. Don’t don’t go away yet. >> Thank you. [laughter] >> Okay. Yeah. Um so yeah, just picking up on the desire for community members to get answers uh for a variety of questions and we’ve heard the willingness of the proponent. Certainly our staff uh and uh teams at the city have been more than uh uh willing and uh proactive in delivering communications

05:44:08
to the community. So uh the idea of an information session, a public meeting uh something that would be uh I believe independently moderate moderated but nevertheless the the right people in the room to answer the questions. Uh would that be helpful do you think would you come to something like that? uh would that help you get additional uh information to uh to answer questions to satisfy uh any concerns and and given the time frames um possibly before beginning of September.

05:44:40
Yeah, I just want to say I really feel that the people of this room have the luxury to be here and I think that the timing of this meeting has has not just for myself been challenging to meet here today, but it’s important. But I just wonder about the other voices of the community. I mean, I happen to see your video off of Instagram, which is what brought me here today.

05:45:05
I don’t feel that the website is sufficient. the user interface of the Burlington website for me is terrible and um I think could be greatly in improved so it’s easier to find information. I have not read all of the reports that you had mentioned were available and I think that I would love to see a town hall setting. I feel like it would be very rambunctious because there are a lot of people who simply don’t understand this firstofind business model.

05:45:39
Yeah, we’re not afraid of rambunctious as long as we [laughter] can still get through Yes. get through the meeting. Okay. So, um uh point taken. That that’s very helpful. Uh we’re always trying to improve how we deliver information and um you know, any suggestions that you have in that regard.

05:45:57
I’ve had phone calls, emails, uh community members, uh talking to me. Uh people find a way to uh to get the information. And so this is only one of many ways that people have communicated with us. I’ I’d say I’ve I’ve and I’m sure council have received hundreds of points of connection in community.

05:46:15
Uh so we’re glad that you’re here. Point taken that not everyone can come, but that doesn’t mean and I hope you feel this way. This is my question that uh because there are so many ways for residents to share their thoughts with us that we’ve received uh a considerable amount of community feedback and input. Do you uh do you feel that way given uh given all the other ways that people are able to reach us? >> I’m sorry to interrupt you.

05:46:43
Um, I will say that, um, I think the website’s terrible. >> Just even if I wanted to buy passes to a public pool, it takes it’s like ridiculous. It should be easier to use. And I consider myself somebody that’s tech orientated. I also have had an opportunity to look at some of the platforms that you have online and I find that most of you don’t have a very strong online presence.

05:47:12
And I think it’s integral that you’re part of social media because that’s where the public is where Facebook, Tik Tok, uh Instagram, Reddit, Next Door app, like these are places where people actually communicate. And I think it would serve to facilitate conversations on those platforms, whether it’s going live on Instagram or Tik Tok, as a way to meet people and to answer questions.

05:47:41
Now, I’m not trying to suggest wasting your time live streaming, right? That’s just not practical for the demands that are placed on you, but I think that maybe there needs to be some role in which a person is using social media to leverage information that is concise where questions can be answered.

05:48:03
[snorts] And I think it’s time for this room to evolve. All right. Thank you for your feedback. Councelor Karns, you’re next. Hi, thank you so much. And uh my question is also another kind of technical question, but I love your feedback. Um the reason that we’re in a situation of this air cooled versus water cooled is from like an older bylaw at Halton region and when I look at what’s happening, which could change because bylaws do change.

05:48:29
When I look at what’s happening in other municipalities, the the purpose of my initiative is to kind of get us ahead of that. So um in von Markham Richmond Hill they’re forecasted to consume 22 million liters a day of water because they do water cooling and so there is a counselor councelor Carol Davidson there that is putting forward motions in the same way to put a pause and to understand what the cumulative impact is andor best or better practices.

05:48:57
And so my question is this. Is there a way where we could do a better job at not just relying on what the staff technical pieces are because those could in fact change when we’re relying on external agencies? >> Could you shorten that question? >> Yeah. Should we be uh masters of our own craft and have a stronger municipal voice when it comes to this conversation rather than relying on Burlington Hydro or a Halton region bylaw or bill 40 or any of those things? Should we take this as a municipal initiative? >> I think it’s important that you also get independent experts who are not biased or influenced by [gasps] economic for economic reasons. I think that hopefully answers the question if I’ve received that question correctly. >> Yes. Thanks. >> Yeah. Okay. I think we are at the end. Thank

05:49:55
you so much for being here, Kamla. >> All right. We are uh completed hearing from our delegates. So, we’re going to take a brief break and come back at 3:15. Uh and then uh we will carry on with the rest of our meeting until 4:30. So we’ll just take a brief recess everyone. See you shortly. Welcome back everyone uh from our brief

05:59:26
recess. We will now pick up with the balance of our agenda. Uh we do have a couple of things uh just before we get to the main item that we moved forward. The uh we’ll call them our motions in the 18 section. Uh, but I do want to read the recommendations from standing committees, which we will uh hopefully get to all of them today before 4:30.

05:59:48
Um, and I’ll identify each recommendation um, so council and the community can see it before we proceed with any additional questions or comments. But I did want to read as I do every meeting what we have been up to at previous meetings.

06:00:00
the first time know that um we’ve spent considerable amount of time in committee discussing the business in front of us and we don’t repeat those discussions here but there may be additional questions and comments. So uh committee of the whole meeting of July 6 and 7 was 8 hours and 48 minutes.

06:00:18
The regular committee meeting of June 23rd was 2 hours and 58 minutes. Um uh the committee of the whole had nine delegations and 19 recommendations we’ll be dealing with today. We had a special council shareholder meeting of June 23rd. That was six minutes. It’s quick. Uh one recommendation. So a total of 20 recommendations that we’ll be dealing with and four bylaws.

06:00:41
Uh some of which we’ve dealt with earlier in our agenda. Uh our total time spent discussing the matters that we will again look at today was 11 hours and 36 minutes. uh we had a confidential uh committee of the whole meeting of an hour and 34 minutes, four recommendations and a confidential city council meeting of June 23rd that was seven minutes um with one recommendation arising.

06:01:07
So, uh, we’re going to turn from to, uh, before we get to the recommendations from the standing committee, we are going to turn to the items, uh, that are at the end, the newer items in section 18 of uh, your agenda package. If you are following along, there are three motions uh, two of which um I’m participating in. So uh per our uh practice our our code of uh uh good practice I’m going to pass the gavvel to uh the deputy mayor and that is Angelo Bentania.

06:01:45
He will gavel the next two motions which uh have my name on them and um then we will come back and deal with the other two motions. uh the other motion that relates to the data center uh from councelor Nissan and Golbrath and at that point uh I can resume the gavvel. So with that I will uh actually switch seats with uh councelor Bentania quickly uh so that he can sit next to the clerk and receive instructions as needed as we go through this next part.

06:02:17
I’m sure that there will be questions uh as well as comments before we get into the voting on the various motions and there may be amendments. So, uh, you’ve got the gavl counselor. Come on up. All right.

06:03:41
Okay, I think we’ll continue now with the meeting. I’m just going to make sure this works. Okay, it’s okay. We’re good. Um, so I’m going to go to 18.1. We have a motion memo policy framework for municipal decision making regarding uh deployment of data center in Burlington ADM0526. It’s moved by councelor Karns.

06:04:05
seconded by Mayor Maryanne Midwart. And uh I’ll go to council Karns to see if you’d like to speak to the motion, please. >> Uh yes. Thank you, chair. And I have exactly three minutes of speaking time prepared. >> Go right ahead. >> Thank you, colleagues. This motion is about preparedness. As council, we’re often called upon to make decisions on emerging industries and technology that are evolving much faster than policies that govern them.

06:04:32
Data centers are becoming essential infrastructure in our digital economy and communities around Ontario are already grappling with what they mean for land use, energy, water, infrastructure, and long-term economic development. Burlington is an opportunity to be proactive to what’s ahead.

06:04:47
The motion is about ensuring that when and if more applications are set before us, we have done our homework, that we understand the scales, opportunities, the challenges, and the expectations of our residents who have indisputably shown that they want a voice on the matter. It is about expediting planning documents, evidence-based decision-making, and responsible governance.

06:05:04
Today will undoubtedly become a conversation about balancing economic opportunity with environmental stewardship, ensuring our infrastructure is resilient and protecting the quality of life that Burlington residents value so deeply. My motion policy framework for municipal decision-making regarding the deployment of data centers in Burlington is in four clear parts.

06:05:23
One, verified overview of an emerging use in the municipal context while advocacy is underway. The public facing information page on the city’s website is a start. However, as decision makers, we require a clear set of data and standards to make the right decisions in our defined role at the municipal level.

06:05:39
Two, recognizing that staff initially raised objections to aligning policy and evaluation frameworks with the emerging land use with the same speed as the industry. This part calls for a one-year or less moratorum for staff and council to collaborate and align on strategic use of limited resources, for example, energy capacity, and to consider this unique opportunity while not jeopardizing our community.

06:06:00
Three, calls for a framework with guidelines, potential amendments to planning documents, bylaw updates, public engagement strategy, and advocacy to address this decision-making responsibility. It calls for work to be delivered and not for a process for delivering the work. This parallels a late motion to expedite amendments in both the official plan and zoning bylaw.

06:06:20
However, the timing is as soon as possible and instead of for sometime in 2027. I’m looking for a clearer framework with options by the end of 2026. And four, request a report back on how to ensure compliance with a cascade of resolutions for existing and emerging regulations if and while the site plan approval process remains intact.

06:06:39
When no one else was talking about data centers, I prepared this motion on which two more followed. And my hope is that this motion begins that conversation in a meaningful way. It asks us to build knowledge, engage with experts, learn from municipalities that are already navigating these issues, and to establish a clear framework so that everyone, residents, staff, council, and prospective proponents understands Burlington’s expectations.

06:07:02
I believe that this is exactly the kind of forward-thinking leadership and forward-looking leadership our community expects from us, ensuring Burlington remains a city that is innovative, sustainable, and prepared for the future. I respectfully ask for your support. Thank you, chair. >> Thank you, councelor, and right on time.

06:07:23
Thank you. Okay. Um, Mayor Me Ward, would you like to speak to the motion to the second before we move on? Yeah, certainly. Uh thank you, chair. And I first would like to thank uh uh the community for coming forward and sharing your uh your perspectives and your views on this very important matter.

06:07:46
And I also want to thank our staff uh our communications teams who have been working really hard to try to be proactive uh to be responsive to community and actually working with the applicant. It was nice to meet you. we didn’t know who you were. I know that was something that the community uh was very interested in knowing uh who uh who’s coming to Burlington and what are your interests.

06:08:09
So, uh, I think today was a really important day for hearing, uh, from the community and that built on, uh, over a week, uh, at least of input from, uh, from members of the community and hearing many different perspectives. And our role around this table is to listen to hear uh the variety of views that our community has brought forward uh to make decisions based on facts based on evidence based on answers to the questions and even some of the things that I’ve heard here this morning uh has been very informative and that is how we protect our community. I know without a shadow of a doubt that every single person around this table, uh, our city staff, every single member of our council is deeply concerned about making sure that everything that we do. Our first priority is protecting the health, well-being, and interests of our community and keeping our city the best

06:09:09
city to live, not just in Ontario, but in Canada and the world, and protecting our quality of life. Um, and we do that by listening, by learning, and making decisions based on the best facts available to us. So, uh, I’m open to hearing, uh, from council colleagues around this.

06:09:27
Um, we now know that there is a significant timeline in here. Uh, I believe that the, uh, statutory deadline for staff to, uh, make a decision around site plan is September 4th. uh we will need to get that confirmed and we can certainly do that in questions. Uh so we we may need to uh tweak this motion a little bit to get the information that uh that we want so that that can help to inform this specific um this specific strategy.

06:09:59
We’ll also want to know what our options are given that um we know that uh when applications come in they’re based on these standards at the time. So I want to be really clear with community about what we’re able to do, what we can’t do at this point, and what we uh uh what we will commit to do going forward.

06:10:21
So uh it’s really important at this point to say we are asking for information. We are not passing an interim control bylaw today. We are merely asking for information about options to better manage this information, particularly community input. Thank you for that, mayor. So, um, we’ve we’ve heard all that, so we’re going to go into questions now.

06:10:46
So, um, can you please Oh, I see the board being lit up. Um, councelor Sherman, you first. Go ahead. >> Thank you very much. Well, what started with this was an application that’s currently being processed. all the rest of it is related to things that people don’t understand and uh probably shouldn’t. So the relationship to the application is the the critical matter.

06:11:16
Um and we have I understand already accepted that it is by right usage of the property and that as a result of that we’re moving into site plan control and we have 60 days in which to undertake that complete that project and we cannot un council cannot unlegate that. So what role does council play whether we have council meeting or a committee meeting or if we gather gather in a garage together and have a beer.

06:11:45
Um can we make any difference over influence over the the approval of this particular application at this time? >> Question to staff >> uh through you chair and perhaps I’ll start and my colleagues can weigh in. Certainly. >> Sorry. Point of order. Chair. >> Sorry. Go ahead. Uh, counselor. >> Thank you.

06:12:13
I would just like my colleagues to make note that my motion here does not specifically reference a specific location or an address and that the second motion does specifically refer to the application by the address. So I would just wonder chair if it’s possible to scope questions related to the broad policy framework to this one and site specific questions to the next motion which is 18.

06:12:39
2 >> machine here. >> So if I might respond may I respond? >> Uh yes go ahead councelor. >> Thank you very much. My question is relative to the entire setting for this particular motion. Uh this this motion is not independent of the application. it was triggered by this application. Uh and and and I’m bothered by the timing of this motion.

06:13:00
Um and it then the degree of which we’ve suddenly put uh acceleration into something um that may be better left till the next council. So I’d just like to understand what’s going on here please before we can create an understanding of where we’re going. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you very much for that. So go ahead uh Blake.

06:13:23
Uh thank you and through chair as as I noted uh my colleagues may have something to add to this but perhaps I’ll start and I will be uh in my answers here today to the questions. I’m going to try to stay as much as I can to general process as opposed to providing any particular advice with respect to the application itself because uh ideally be able to do all of this discussion uh in open session.

06:13:48
But if we do need to uh get uh or provide legal advice or get legal advice from staff uh respecting the individual application, then we may need to go into close session for that. So going to try to keep the answers general as much as I can and and I hope you can appreciate uh the reason for that. Uh to answer the counselor’s question with respect to section 41 of the site plan uh of the planning act uh regarding site plan there is no um statutory opportunity for a council to either make a decision nor is there a statutory requirement for there to be a a public meeting uh setting where council provides direct comments to staff for consideration. Uh I think the as you noted the reason that we’re here today is the the motion memos and and uh speaking to the application in that context not in the context of

06:14:46
any statutory requirement or um uh or holding any meeting that’s that’s statutoily required. Um certainly staff has heard all of the uh comments that have been made today by the delegations and uh certainly uh is hearing comments from uh staff uh from council rather. But when staff does make its decision on this, it will be uh through staff’s uh u exercise of their judgment and the requirements under the planning act in making that decision.

06:15:20
Uh that’s that’s all I had and perhaps the others may have anything else. >> I just want to interrupt and I apologize. I should have introduced uh Blake Early as the commissioner of legal and and legislative services uh for us for the city. So >> So thank you. I have a second question. Um >> there might be another staff uh comment.

06:15:42

No, they said no. >> Thank you very much. So that raises the question in my mind with respect to this matter here in front of us. the le the amount of work that we’re asking you to do for September when you will have to be dealing with the application before you and whether in fact this is even necessary or even appropriate.

06:16:06

Who would like to take that one? >> Yeah. through um through you chair. I I I I think we are fully prepared uh to do what we can to come back to council with more information in September. I think u it it provides us an opportunity uh to respond to um many of the comments that we’ve heard today.

06:16:28
I think um you know I think members of council can probably agree that there still is some information that needs to be clarified and confirmed and uh we’ll commit to do that in the timing uh provided uh by this memo. I think uh to the counselor’s question specifically um yeah th this issue um kind of as it’s manifested itself um wasn’t one that was initially in staff’s work plan and so we’re trying to manage uh being responsive to the needs and the queries of of council and the community as as best we can with the resources that we have. Um uh I I I don’t see an issue uh for staff coming back with good information in September. Um I think it’s what does that what comes out of that information? I think we’ll we’ll we’ll need to have that uh further conversation with council in terms of uh how that may impact our work

06:17:28
plans going forward. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Those are my two questions for now. >> Thank you. That was Kurt Benson, our chief administrative officer. Thank you for for that, Kurt. Next on the board, councelor Nissan. Go ahead. >> Thank you, acting chair. Uh, question for uh staff.

06:17:47
Um, I see this as um uh very different from um the uh the motion that uh we have approved to put on the agenda from myself and councelor Galbra. So, um, do you, uh, want to work over the summer on options related to interimm control bylaw, or would you prefer to this to be integrated into the official plan? Um, as per uh, my motion, which was worked on with staff.

06:18:22
So, I probably act to ask uh, Jamie Telier that question. Jamie is our director of community planning. >> Go ahead. Thank you for uh for doing that, council current uh council me Jamie, go ahead. >> Okay. Thank you for the uh introduction as well. Um so we’re we’re doing both. We are already underway on uh the new official plan review.

06:18:44
You you’ve all seen the report that was on the agenda in the last cycle. So that work is underway. Uh but to Curt’s point from uh the previous questions from councelor Charman, we can absolutely um try to respond to all of the questions and and put that information together for September and and and again uh council can make that that in more informed decision of which which path you would like us to take.

06:19:15

Okay. Thank you. Um, chair, I uh I believe that based on uh the discussions I’ve had with uh with staff that the most responsible uh route is the official plan route. So, uh I’ll bring the um I’ll bring what was included as a motion as an amendment to this item. Um I’ve spoken with the with clerk staff about this, but if any counselors have questions about the process, please don’t hesitate to ask.

06:19:40
Um so myself and councelor Galbreth to amend this report to replace what you see in front of you now with the uh motion uh that uh we see as uh 18.3. So I would like to discuss that at this time as an alternative. And if that’s uh not successful, we’ll come back to this uh we’ll come back to this language and uh I can um introduce the uh introduce the item once we’re all set up here for that.

06:20:10
I flagged this for the clerk already. Thank you. >> Okay, we’ll do that now. I have a point of order question actually if if I may. >> Go ahead, Mayor. >> Yeah, I I have um I have no concerns with amending the motion. There are some other things that are not relative to the OP, like doing something as part of the OP review.

06:20:47
So, I’m just Normally a new motion doesn’t supplant another one. amends uh the language or it amends a portion or it adds something. So, um perhaps the cler I mean we’re in your hands. We’ll do it whichever way, but I this is this is highly um odd to have something completely replace something else when there are some matters that are outside of the specific uh idea of whether we do it uh through what’s suggested here or through an official plan review.

06:21:22
So, that would amend one of the clauses for sure, but there’s some other clauses in there and I’m not sure that those can just be taken right off the table. >> And I’ll ask the same question in point of order as well. I’m going to have a chat with the clerk in just a moment. >> Through you through the chair. Uh I apologize councelor Nissan.

06:21:59
I may have um we did talk about this. Absolutely. I may have misunderstood you. I thought it was in addition to the um the amendment or the motion that’s already on the floor not to replace it. Uh so I do think that the there’s there is a point or the point of order movers do have a point in terms of um you know a a complete replacing of the motion versus just an amendment.

06:22:22

Yeah. No, I um here’s the thing. Uh it’s the first two paragraphs that I want to replace. The second two have uh references to the first two, but it’s fundamentally the second two that I want to replace and then we could vote on the third and fourth. So uh hopefully that is uh in accordance then cuz that’s those are the parts that discuss the u you know the next steps.

06:22:45
My issues are with September committee of the whole and with uh interm control bylaw. So hopefully that’s uh sufficient. And I do want to acknowledge that uh we’re all moving making work at council here. So it’s it is it’s a highly unusual situation. Let’s uh make the most of it. Thank you. >> Go ahead. >> Through through the chair. Yes.

06:23:06
So that would be that for me that is more that’s much more in order than um the previous understanding of it. So I think we could that there could be an amendment to replace the first two clauses leaving the last two >> if we Yeah, if we we’ll put that on the screen. should I read that? Okay. So, the amendments’s on the on the

06:24:11
board here. I think everyone uh can go through and read that. Are there any questions here? >> So, maybe I’ll make comments now, chair, if it’s on the if it’s on the floor. Duly moved and seconded. >> Oh, I’m sorry. Yeah. Seconder. >> Second is councelor Galbrath. >> I second the amendment. >> Yeah, I’ll let councelor Nissan speak first.

06:24:40

Okay. Go ahead, counselor. >> All right. Thank you. Uh yeah, so uh listen, would we benefit from having new policies? Sure. um uh from zeroing on in on it and as the world changes so should our official plan and so should our policies. The question is do you think it should be through an interim control bylaw or do you think it should be through amending uh through a new official plan uh process which is already underway and supported by staff.

06:25:09
I don’t think that the interimm control bylaw is the correct path. I think that uh we should take it off the table to provide a secure um economic um uh you know uh you know to economic environment. Thank you to myself. Thank you. Economic environment for the city. Um if we start I don’t want to tiptoe into an ICBL.

06:25:31
I don’t want to take any steps in that direction. I don’t think it is what we uh what we need uh at this time. I think it can lead to further misinformation uh about this uh project uh going forward and setting expectations that aren’t realistic uh about stopping data centers when we know that that’s not realistic.

06:25:52
The federal government and the provincial government are uh entirely um in favor of having these data centers. This is a big investment in the community. Uh jobs were noted uh by the final delegate uh as well. And uh you know listen regulations are important. Uh we have regulations in place now to ensure this will be safe for the community.

06:26:15
Can we continue to improve regulations? Of course it’s an iterative process as time goes by. But fundamentally and I believe if you ask our staff you’ll find that these uh regula that we have regulations in place now. What we need to do as is focus on the future. I want to I want to mention this is critical. Okay.

06:26:35
Um, Burlington Hydro staff have confirmed they have 20 megawatts of space for a data center. They have also confirmed they do not have space for more. So, there is not going to be another data center. There’s not going to be a 100 megawatt data center. You know, that is misinformation if that’s if that’s brought forward.

06:26:54
There’s not a 100 megawws left for this to happen anytime soon. Certainly not before we can amend our official plan. So what we’re talking about is what kind of environment do we want to create uh in the future for business not just in this industry but others as well and I would argue that there is a de facto hydrobased moratorum on future data centers in Burlington for the near-term future near to midterm and we’ve already heard all the facts about hydro um being paid for by the applicant. So we’re good here. There’s no need for us to put in a jobk killing interim control bylaw that will create an environment where people do not want to invest in our community. So let’s not do that. Instead, let’s modify the policies but do it correctly through the official plan expedited early 2027. Thank you. >> Thank you, Councelor Nissan. Um,

06:27:54
councelor Galbreth, would you like to uh say some say something in a secular? Go ahead. Go ahead. >> Absolutely would. Yes. Thank you, uh, councelor. Um, >> yeah, agree with councelor Nissan’s statements. Um, I I am I am dead set against the interimm control bylaw. It did not work out for us the last time we used it, and I don’t believe it’s necessary this time.

06:28:18
uh in speaking with staff, they don’t they’re not uh supportive of using it. Um and the correct process, I believe, would be through the official plan review, which is already underway. Um you know, typically the zoning bylaw follows the official plan review, but we just passed a zoning bylaw uh four months ago that that, you know, onto our knowledge had uh contemplated a data center in it.

06:28:47
They even provided a map of where data centers could be located. So it has been compl uh contemplated in our planning um justifications already and here we are. So you know that staff have the answers. I’m confident in in this process going through the um official plan review. And hey I I mean if if we can get some more questions answered in September um that’s always that’s always a bonus.

06:29:15
I think today was a great learning exercise. Um, we’ve got a lot of things answered already, but uh, yeah, I I definitely think this is the correct process to go through. Thank you. >> Thank you, councelor. Appreciate that. And, um, I guess we’ll go into some questions. I have a bunch of hands up. Um, so we’ll start with, um, councelor Curts. Go ahead.

06:29:39

Thank you very much. Um my first question is this and it relates to a correspondence that was received from Burlington Hydro and that correspondence indicates that in 2025 the system coincidence peak load was 359 megawws which we hit a similar peak this past week which would have been in July. Based on the allocated capacity uh we have Burlington Hydro has approximately 120 megawatts available for capacity above and beyond our current loads across the city.

06:30:06
When you look at the entirety of the system, recognizing that the application, which I’m not addressing as part of this conversation, may have 20 megawws allocated to it, does that not leave a remaining 100 megawws available for particular uses that may or may not be appropriately defined in the zoning bylaw? Can someone answer that for me, please? >> Councelor Nissan, you want to answer that one? Go ahead.

06:30:31

Yes, I can answer that. that uh extra space is uh being uh set aside uh for future development. So it is not available for a data center. >> That’s residential development to be clear. All the units that we’re working on. That’s what I that’s what I’ve been told. So >> okay, we have our CEO wants to uh go ahead.

06:30:53

Yeah, thank you chair. I just want to um let council know that we are joined virtually by Jerry Smallg uh president and CEO of Burlington Hydro. If there are specific questions uh related to the operations and capacity uh Jerry and uh and Paul uh his VP are available to respond to questions of council.

06:31:12
So um I just wanted to make sure council was aware. Thank you. >> Well, thank you for that and uh thank you Jerry for being online. I appreciate that. Okay, next. Uh, >> chair, I I would defer to the CEO since he’s present. I didn’t realize he was. He certainly understands this far better than I do.

06:31:34
I just asked the question, that’s all. Thank you. >> Okay. Any So, we got uh Mayor Meard next questions, please. >> Chair, could we ask uh Jerry to answer the counselor’s question if possible? Thank you. >> Sorry, didn’t I? I want to make sure the expert is here. Go ahead. Um, you’re on. >> Well, thank you everybody.

06:31:56
I, uh, happy to be here. So is Paul. There, um, I think it was actually paraphrased quite well. There is 20 megawatts of space sort of one and done. We’ve got been working with city staff on the cap capacity allocation models around each of the major transit centers and that auction is going to take place this fall into the spring that will take us through to the balance of our capacity.

06:32:31
So that capacity that’s I guess available is um the 100 megawatts is required for the I guess the foreseeable uh residential growth that’s planned. If a second larger um data center was to materialize in a different part of the city, different parts of the city would also have to be studied.

06:32:57
Um but then that proponent would be responsible to create the transformation capacity then additional capacity above and beyond the 120 megawatts to service their uh load. For example, if you did have a large data center, then they would be on the hook not just for the costs of the wires going to their facility and the breakers, but the upstream costs.

06:33:21
Um, right now we have when we’ve done our analysis, we have this 20 megawws that’s basically been paid for by the customer base in the past. So, it’s already in rates. Uh, the a new proponent would need to replace that in order to get a larger portion of the uh I guess a larger facility. So, so I guess councelor Nissan you paraphrased it quite well.

06:33:53
sort of one and done and the rest is already spoken for. >> Thank you for that. You okay with that, counselor? >> Yeah. And chair, I’m not complete my question. So, I’ll >> Sorry. Go ahead. Uh, counselor. >> Um, I’ll do my followup for the the hydro conversation. So um Jerry, what I heard from you was not that future hydro availability would preclude any further um data center deployment, but rather it would shift the expense of running the hydro away from a public utility and onto a private investor.

06:34:30

Yeah, that’s right. So right now in the memo, we talked about how we’re serviced uh across the city by five transformer stations. So that takes us to our our allocated capacity from our provider which is the transmitter which is the provinially owned Hydro 1. They could add more transmission capacity or transformation capacity.

06:34:50
They have additional room on their you know those big tall towers that run through the city. They they actually have some room. They could add a second uh almost like a twinning of of uh the at the Cumberland yard which is the Cumberland transformer station. They could add more space there.

06:35:11
They’re actually contemplating adding more room there because they have to service the electrified rail going into Toronto that project that we’ve been working on. So if you’re interested in sort of the technicalities, Paul Paul could u share kind of how it could be done. But yes, the cost. So a trans transformer station is anywhere from 30 to $50 million depending on the size.

06:35:34
So let’s say this 20 was um set aside for this proponent in two to three years time and then the all the housing starts materialize then a new proponent would need to make sure they’re over that hurdle and then they need the problem is it’s about a 5 to 10 year planning horizon working with uh the province to get more uh transformation capacity into the city and then they don’t just build small ones you need to build one similar in size to a Cumberland or a Burlington TS or Tmaine. So then they’re looking at about 150 megawws. So it’s a it’s a big project. So yes, you’re you’re you’re correct. Council, >> thank you so much. And my second question is this. What communication has Burlington Hydro had with the Chamber of Commerce? Because they were um advocating in their delegation that um

06:36:34
you know future investment would be welcome and that change at this time providing uncertainty to future proponents would be detrimental to the city whereas I find the information that you’ve just shared probably more detrimental to future investment. So what communications have you had with them >> with the chamber of commerce on this particular issue? I haven’t spoken to >> on forward facing capacity for deployment of data centers in Burlington.

06:37:01

Uh we haven’t talked to the chamber about former any data center information. So what we’ve the proponents approached us we view this as a load. Um the province of Ontario expects us to connect loads. you as our shareholder expect us to connect loads, but we also got to do that responsibly because you got to protect your other customers.

06:37:23
So, in our analysis, we can connect this load not to the detriment of anybody in the area. Um, however, if you were to add, depending where it was in the city, other loads, then there might be problems. For instance, in this instance, it’s pretty close to the existing transformer station that has capacity.

06:37:43
it’s within a kilometer, kilometer and a half. This proponent will work with Hyder one, figure out if there’s going to be um any impacts to customers and Hyder one does that customer impact assessment and then they work with the ISO to do an overall system impact and they still have to give their permissions which they haven’t done.

06:38:06
they’ve kind of given the nod that we think this will work, but the the proponent still doesn’t have that permission in place. Once that’s done, then they’ll put the two breakers in place, which basically expands makes room because this facility will require dedicated feeders that just they would use.

06:38:25
And that’s why we can make the argument that this is a dedicated purpose facility. So, this infrastructure is 100% their cost. is not coming from the rest of the tax base or the customer base and they’ve indicated that they’d be prepared to to pay for that expansion. So, um in terms of uh businesses, we we want to connect businesses.

06:38:50
We just make sure I think you guys have said this over and over, it’s got to be the right the right business at the right time in the right place. So you can’t you actually have to do planning and Steve and Kurt hopefully not that’s what you’re talking about good planning your official plan your zoning amendments they that these facilities are zoned for the right space.

06:39:13
So >> I’ll go back in quue. Thanks Jerry. >> Thank you counselor. Uh next on the board um Mayor me. Go ahead. Uh, thank you, chair, and um I apologize. I’m I’m still back on uh procedure as I’ve been mulling. So, just give me a minute here to uh kind of walk you through my thoughts and my questions around uh what is in front of us and uh it will be questions for staff and the clerk.

06:39:41
My understanding of an amendment to a motion is it changes for example the timing of a report back the manner of a report back that really does relate to the third paragraph that’s on here uh that that would be an appropriate place to amend that it’s not coming back to committee of the whole 2026 Q4 that it’s being referred per perhaps to the official plan but what we have in front of us has removed an interim information report entirely ly which uh my understanding uh coming back in September which is not contrary to this um it’s also uh information about an ICB not an ICB so it’s really important for us to be clear once again about what we’re dealing with here and and somehow that has now disappeared as well. So, uh, this doesn’t speak to an ICB. So, I don’t think it’s appropriate to just lose those two paragraphs entirely, uh,

06:40:41
with this amendment. I think this amendment speaks to the third paragraph. Fair enough. It’s on the floor uh, properly. Maybe it even speaks to the last one, but that one’s slightly different as well. So, I think it’s really important for us to uh allow the discussion and the vote on what has been properly put on the floor and that the amendment is proper uh to amend exactly what is in this motion which is already on the floor rather than erase it.

06:41:07
So, um if if the rest of council doesn’t wish to support the other clauses, that is absolutely fine and appropriate. We have a process to vote on that. Uh I just don’t uh I really don’t feel comfortable that uh this process of of just erasing uh something that’s on the floor without properly amending uh what what is there is is the way forward here.

06:41:35
So um so that is my first question of of clerks if we can get uh the first two back. The third paragraph is amended by this and we still have live uh the fourth uh paragraph and that may not be what the mover is looking for but this is really about following Robert’s rules of order appropriately allowing votes and discussion on what is properly on the floor already and not having something uh erase our discussion before we even get to it.

06:42:07
So if you uh think that that is an appropriate uh interpretation, clerk, we have not had a chance to discuss this because none of this was expected uh until now, but sometimes that’s how it works. So I’m in your hands. Uh I will take whatever direction you give, but I did want to uh just share that I’m very uncomfortable with the process that we’re going down and think that we need to vote things up or down and in a proper manner.

06:42:33

Point of order. >> Okay, councelor. Go ahead. Then we’re going to go to the clerk. Thank you. Thank you there. My point of order has been hurt uh given me the mic here. Chair, you already ruled that this was in order. We’ve already started speaking to it. The mayor had the opportunity to seek to appeal uh to a 2/3 if she didn’t want this to be on the floor.

06:42:53
It is now on the floor. It is too late for that discussion. So, I would hope that uh chair you would allow us just to finish this discussion. We’re already halfway through it. And uh if if this is not the way uh one wants to proceed then vote against the uh paragraphs. You can we can vote on them one by one.

06:43:11
But uh chair I think uh Robert’s rules of order or procedure bylaw you’ve already ruled on this. So I’m really hoping we can just uh we can just move on and and uh the mayor certainly knows really well how twothirds appeals work. Thank you. >> Thank you. I’m going to um ask the uh chair to uh give me some guidance here >> uh through the chair.

06:43:35
Um it’s it’s difficult situation. Uh I I think that the the motion as currently is constituted the amendment is in order. I think it it’s such a long motion it’s difficult to um you know amend I think amend you can amend parts of it but not the whole thing. I believe that’s what’s is what is being done here.

06:43:53
I think um it doesn’t change the from the procedure bylaw it says that may amendment may propose separate or distinct disposition of a question provided that such amendment disposition continues to relate to the same issue which the subject matter of the question. So I think under those under that definition the amendment is in order.

06:44:15

So that was my first question. My second question >> second question. >> Thank thank you chair and and thank you for that. Uh I will accept the uh wisdom of the clerk on this matter and I do know that we have the ability to go two amendments out of for a question. So I would then like to bring back what was already on the floor as an amendment.

06:44:39
Councelor Karns and I will do that so that there is discussion on paragraphs one and paragraphs two. Uh clerk, go right ahead. >> Uh through the chair, I don’t I don’t believe replacing the amendment with the original language is an order. >> Okay, I’ll accept that and we’ll move on. >> I’m not I’m not replacing the language.

06:45:05
I’m I see them and this is my point since the beginning. I don’t see this amendment as relating in any way to the paragraphs that were removed. So this amendment can stay. We have the main motion. We have an amendment which removed some things or replaced some things. I’m now amending the original motion to add it back.

06:45:27
We’re two amendments out and the new language doesn’t relate to the official plan review. It doesn’t cancel it. It doesn’t uh it doesn’t replace it. We’re going to take a three minute >> recess right here and we’ll be back at uh >> Excellent. >> Six minutes after. >> Thanks, chair. Okay, guys. Uh, we’re all back. Um,

06:51:18
interesting uh session we’ve had off. So, I’m going to go right to um our clerk um to go through where we’re at. >> Thank you. through the chair. If I’m understanding councelor Nissan’s amendment correctly, which is on the floor, it is to add this language, but it’s also to remove the other language, the first two paragraphs of the original main motion.

06:51:35
Uh, and so those under that, so adding the two paragraphs of the original main motion back in would be contrary to this amendment and therefore not allowed. >> Thank you. And that’s final. I think I can help here. Uh uh chair, I’d be willing to put back in the uh original second paragraph at the bottom of this uh so that we can vote just to have the uh have the vote on that paragraph.

06:52:02
Uh but I would like to have it at the bottom of this >> if that I think that will help to develop consensus on this motion overall. So >> you’ll have to confirm that with uh well I guess someone else can can second it. Maybe councelor Charman. Well, it’s a it’s a it’s actually um not really amendment to the amendment.

06:52:22
It’s a mice friendly onto my own. Yeah. Yeah. An improvement. So, I would add the uh the one that relates to the ICBL. I’ll put that at the bottom of this one. I’m just trying to get us closer to, you know, and less arguing. So, you can put you can put both of them underneath if you want. Okay. So, carry on.

06:52:51
Uh, is that clear? Right. >> So, it the it’s the amendment is now the two paragraphs that are on there in bold plus the second paragraph of the of the original. >> I’ll do the first and second. That’s fine. Yeah. >> Oh. So, all right. >> I want them after after mine. So, >> okay. This is We’re all happy then. All right.

06:53:13

Yeah. Just trying to get to >> get to to an answer. It’s It’s not uh It would be It’s still contrary, but in terms But if it’s friendly, then >> Yeah, it’s friendly. Y >> it’s friendly. We’re good. >> Uh but I would like mine to be voted on. Uh first uh No, it’s friendly to my own. Um >> I would like my my two to be at the top, please.

06:53:30
And then we can vote on the other four and I would like them voted on individually. Uh Chair Bentonia, if that’s okay. I’ll just suggest that we get everything on the screen here and have a look at it before we move forward. Mhm. I’m fine with this.

06:54:31

Okay. The everything’s on the board, so I’ll give everybody uh a little bit of time to read them. Shan, go ahead. >> Yeah, I just want to make sure that we’re going to take each paragraph by itself and vote on each one indiv individually. >> Each paragraph by themselves as I understand it. >> Yep.

06:54:59
Starting with uh the bolded one, please. That’s the uh compromise by which I can support uh this as a friendly uh change. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. Okay, from here we’ll move on. Um, questions. Any any questions? >> Go ahead. >> Thank you so much. I just have a question around the first two paragraphs and we’ve agreed as a council that the best practice here is to uh deliver report back by timelines within our motions.

06:55:34
You can see that demonstrated in in the balance outside of the first two paragraphs. And I’m just wondering if there’s a way for the mover and the secondary to contain that within the language. >> Who would like to start? Go ahead, counselor. >> Thank you, chair. Uh this is uh that those timelines would be contained in the previously approved uh report on the 2027 official plan and the the work uh noted here will be expedited within that uh work and completed as it must be by 2027 but you’ll you’ll be hearing about it very early I think in 2027 um since it’ll be at on the front end. >> Sorry, can I just hear from staff uh that answer around the timeline that it will come to us? you’d like to staff wise. >> I apologize. Can you >> I got you, Jamie. So, um the first two

06:56:33
paragraphs are saying that the response back around particularly the language, the framework, etc. will come to us in the 2027 um official plan review, uh which is in 2027, but I’m looking for a quarter uh Q1, Q2, etc. that we could include in this language for uh purposes of clarity >> through the chair.

06:56:55
Uh we’re looking to begin the uh the engagement process for the the revised or the new official plan uh this fall. So we could we could aim to get something started let’s say in Q4 of this year, but it may also roll into Q1 of of 2027. Sorry, I’m looking for completion, not >> the completion. I apologize. We were talking about the engagement.

06:57:21
The completion will be Q4 2027. >> Okay, that’s so I won’t that’s not what I’m looking for. So that’s great. Thanks. >> Thank you for that. Um question mayor Maryanne, go ahead. >> Thank you very much, chair. So um the first two for me are okay. We can uh we can prioritize data centers. I don’t see it contrary to some of the other items.

06:57:48
Uh but I did want to ask staff about the balance of the four I’ll call it the four originals which are back and thank you to everyone for working together to make that happen. So, uh, the third paragraph then, uh, which is which is the original piece is, um, uh, sorry, actually, I’m going to skip down to the to the, let me see, the third unbolded paragraph.

06:58:12
reporting back at the September committee of the whole with interim information outlining the city’s role in reviewing and evaluating data center development applications, planning and zoning, infrastructure requirements, environmental considerations. We heard a lot from community today about I didn’t know what studies were required.

06:58:32
It doesn’t seem that there are any um uh regulations there in fact are. Uh, does staff have any concern with that paragraph? Um, reporting back with interim information? Is that going to be difficult? Uh, can you do that? Are you okay with that part? >> Yeah. Three, chair. Um, we don’t have concerns with reporting back with that type of information.

06:58:58

Okay. Terrific. Uh, I will support that too then. And then the last paragraph is uh related to information report on the option and here’s where words matter folks uh to pass an interim control bylaw. It doesn’t mean we support an ICB. It doesn’t mean we’re supporting one if we vote for it today.

06:59:18
This is about getting information. Uh we’ve had a bit of a discussion today about uh some of the pros and cons that might be there. Uh, do staff have any concern uh, again from a workload, from a from any standpoint at all in coming back in September with an preliminary information report on options to pass an ICB? >> Yeah. Through you, chair.

06:59:47
Um, I I I I think our report back would would be just that. It would be information. What is an ICB? uh in what circumstances would it be used? Do staff um think that it’s an appropriate tool for the circumstance given what we’re seeing and what we’re hearing? That’s the type of information that we would be reporting back on.

07:00:06
Uh we certainly wouldn’t um you know in that report it, you know, we we wouldn’t be coming back um with information suggesting that we are proceeding. I I think it’s more around describing what that tool is um and how we um um you know a bit of commentary on the merits of that tool um given what we’ve heard. >> Okay, I will have two more questions.

07:00:34
Chair, I’ll get back in line. Thank you. >> Thank you. And um I think I councelor Niss, I think you’re next. >> Okay, so my questions are about the uh relate to the other four paragraphs. Um, could uh could staff remind us all uh how what kind of lame duck situation we’re going to be in uh in September? Are we going to be in any position uh should that decision come forward to potentially um approve an interim control bylaw? Notwithstanding uh the reporting uh discussion we just had, could we do one in September if we uh if we wanted to in theory? >> Yeah. through you, chair. Um, in September, um, council will likely be, uh, in a a lame duck situation and therefore any, um, any dispersement, um, uh, over and

07:01:33
above, I I believe 50,000 um, would not be uh, um, per uh, permitted. uh an ICB in order to carry out an ICB, we’d be looking at um extensive uh studies to support that process. And and so um you know, council would not be in a position to direct staff to proceed with that given some of the the lame duck rules.

07:02:01
Thank you. And uh let’s talk about costs for a second. So what would be the um anticipated costs related to preparing an ICB versus the anticipated costs of um above and beyond already planned for the official plan uh to uh I assume there are no costs at all in in expediting one chapter of the official plan or unemployment areas including data centers.

07:02:26
So I’m going to assume that’s a zero, but please correct me if I’m wrong. And then I would like to know the cost of preparing an interim control bylaw. Um and then cost of the of them of the year afterwards. Whatever you can provide about costs if we go down this path. >> Yeah. Through you chair. I I I I again this is why um staff are comfortable coming back in September because a lot of the um a lot of the areas of focus for an ICB will drive the cost the nature of the studies uh the scope of the ICB will drive some of those things. Uh I think some of the initial conversations that we’re having as a staff team uh we’re probably looking at um you know something in and around 200,000 uh for initiating some of those studies. But again, I think it it it it really is the scope and the nature of the ICB that is going to drive um you know, how we’re approaching the issue,

07:03:24
what what specifically we’re studying um and what specialized expertise we’re going to need uh to support getting the information uh to provide the best recommendations to council on what what change is required, if any, to uh to our planning framework. >> Thank you, counselor. Um, councelor Charman, you’re up.

07:03:48

Thank you very much. So, the second and third um paragraphs underneath the boulders. So, the first one direct staff to report back on options to ensure compliance with resolutions arising blah blah blah and the one beneath that direct staff to report back at the September committee of the whole with the interim.

07:04:07
So first question is what is what is the date for direct staff to report back on options to ensure compliance with resolutions? Does the staff know what that is? >> Well, the Yeah, but I don’t see it. I see it as part I I was wondering if it is part of the first one. >> It is. Do you >> want me to answer? Do you want me to answer that as part of >> They just Well, let’s see if they get it.

07:04:41
Does staff need clarification on that or >> compiance with the framework for approving? >> So this is >> Q4 2026. >> Yes, both of them. >> Go ahead, Kurt. >> Yeah, through through you chair. I’m going to I’m going to try to kind of convey my understanding in an effort to answer the question.

07:05:01
Um when we uh saw the uh original order of the motion memo, uh we kind of took those two last paragraphs. It’s tied together. I think they’ve adjusted the order uh or the order has been adjusted here. So, um, when it when it comes to reporting back to the committee of the whole in 2026 Q4 with a comprehensive framework, I think we have some concerns about that language because, uh, it’s not clear to me what council’s expectation would be on what a comprehensive framework would be.

07:05:37
Um, you know, I I think the paragraph has a whole list of stuff that potentially could come back to council, but um, you know, we’re thinking of it in the context of our work plan, and that looks like a lot of work uh for staff in addition to what uh, you know, we’re going to commit to deliver. uh on on on the following paragraph and I think it was um sorry it’s off the screen now but um the next paragraph talks uh and I think this is where you’re going with your question counselor um you know report back on options to ensure compliance with resolutions arising it doesn’t have a date but I think the other problematic feature that of that paragraph is it talks about prior to permitting approval through uh site plan of any proposed um new facilities and and I think one of the things that you we want to be uh

07:06:36
careful with and caution council is that um that role in permitting or approving a site plan is a role that by statute it’s with staff and it cannot be unddlegated. So that’s the other uh issue that we have with that uh that uh provision. Thank you. >> Well, thank you very much. And so I was confused as I look at the certainly the second one.

07:06:57
Uh so the direct staff report back on options to ensure etc etc. I I was not understanding that and I certainly don’t I I I understand your point about um uh site plans. Um so that was my first question. So that kind of invalidates the uh the second paragraph not bold. The third paragraph direct staff to report back at September committee raises all sorts of concerns in my mind because it because it is the immediately before the election and what we’ve seen is the amazing amount of reaction we got from from the public uh on uh on the matter that was created u so this is all through Instagram. >> Question counselor please. >> Yeah. Um is is simply uh can we just not do that in September? Can we just punt that to the new council? Yeah, through you chair. Um

07:07:53
certainly um should council u um adjust that clause to remove that report back. Um I I I do think this is an issue that staff uh are live to. Uh we’re watching. We were very grateful for um the level of engagement and the input that we heard from the community today on it. um you know I I I don’t know that council will be in a position to actually you know to take meaningful action um um regardless of what we come back with in September.

07:08:24
Um I think uh one of the things that uh I think we can do proactively is based on uh the nature of the commentary uh and the nature of the questions that we’ve heard today um we don’t need uh council direction to go away and start to compile the list of questions and the information um that that we can source out to answer some of those those questions.

07:08:49
So um we can probably do that in a matter of you know a week or two. So we’ll be well ahead of that schedule in September. Um so so um you know I I would be um should council be comfortable with this approach. I would uh I would commit u on behalf of staff to compile that information and and have it ready and available in public um you know should council uh uh choose to uh not move forward with that specific provision.

07:09:21
Thank you. >> Sorry just a clarification. So the first one uh direct staff to report back to committee of the whole 2026 Q4 could be applied to all those three paragraphs with the ex and therefore remove the September of the commit committee of the whole >> make that amendment >> through um through you chair I’m I I’m in council’s hands in terms of the timing of the report back uh I you know I think Q4 um gives us more time.

07:09:48
Thank you. >> Sure. So, I’d like to make that amendment. >> It is u 4:28 almost. And I’m going to ask, is there a hard stop at 4:30? Anybody have a hard stop at 4:30? I don’t know if that was mentioned earlier. >> No. Okay. Well, can carry on. >> What time? >> 4:30. >> Yeah. So, but it we’ll just have to.

07:10:24

So, we’re shutting down now. >> Hey, sorry, I didn’t see council Galbbert at online there. He’s got a heart stop. So, um we’ll uh we’ll carry on. Hi. Okay. So, questions. Um, Council Karns, you’re next. Chair. Um, I heard a uh I heard an amendment that I would consider to be friendly.

07:10:59
So, I’m willing to modify the uh the language um to uh did I understand correctly through the chair to councelor Charman that you want to >> So, what I was suggesting is that we we we bundle the first three together. Uh so it’s all due in 2026 Q4 we remove u at at the September committee of the whole so that it it and the one above it are both also in uh committee the whole 2026 Q4.

07:11:30

So I think all we have to do is change from September to 2026 Q4 >> and then I I consider that friendly >> if that’s allowed cler chair I think so. So, do we have to rewrite that or are we okay? >> It could be December. >> Yeah, >> I would prefer that to be December. >> December.

07:11:48
December. Yeah, December is fine for the new >> I think it should be the new >> Just a note that Q4 starts in September. >> Okay, let’s let’s hold off here for a second. >> September. October. No. >> October. >> Oh, sorry. It starts in October. Oh, even better. Okay. >> Yeah. >> Do we have to uh write this up? >> Do I hear Q1 2027? >> One conversation at a time, please.

07:12:09

Over there. Anybody over there? Q1. I was okay with Q4 2026. >> Uh chair, may may I um talk about the friendly amendment? I think it would be changing September to December. So that would be a friendly amendment to what I’ve brought forward. Thank you. We’ll >> converse with the uh clerk and see what we need to do here.

07:12:46
So September changed to December and um Okay. So we’re going to go back to questions. >> Sorry, just a point of order. >> I want to have a point of order as well. >> Go ahead. So, I’m hearing about the um options around friendly amendments to change timing, and a friendly amendment is most certainly welcomed on uh someone’s own work.

07:13:09
I’ll just remind you this is my work uh seconded by the mayor in the remaining four paragraphs. So, if you’re looking for something friendly, um I would be the friend. Uh and I would just I would just ask that, you know, we kind of stay true to where we’re at and if you want to take votes to drop things and read them, we could do that.

07:13:27
But um as I had suspected, this will be modified to the point where it’s unrecognizable um and it will no longer be my work. Thank you. >> Okay. Um sorry, go ahead. >> Simply uh I recognize that we got a little confused. I’m thinking that since we had what what I understood in the first paragraph direct staff report back to committee of the whole in 2026 Q4 would be November or December which would be after the election.

07:14:00
Um that was really my objective. Um, and that that I was okay with that, but council is suggesting that it be December Q4 and that sorry and then so I’m just saying I I’m okay with either, but we need it on each of the three paragraphs to be clear. Right. So I think we need to put 2026 Q4 on the next paragraph and instead of se instead of September.

07:14:30

So question. >> Okay. Council, councelor, uh, Nissan, go ahead. >> Oh, uh, thank you. I listen, I’m I’m okay with either. I think November is usually actually, uh, is, uh, is not a substantive council meeting. So, I think it is fundamentally December. So, why don’t we be clear with the community about what we’re asking? So, uh, councelor Charman, I would, uh, consider that friendly to my amendment, per possibly not friendly to the original, but that’s not gerine at this time.

07:14:59
So, if it’s okay, uh, if Debbie’s got this, um, I’m asking for a change to my own amendment here to change it from September to December in the two instances. Is that okay, clerk? No, >> that’s what we were doing. Go ahead. >> For me, uh, through the chair, I think that that that material if that that materially changes the original motion and and doesn’t give the and since it’s friendly, it wouldn’t give the right to vote to the original movers of the amendment.

07:15:27
So, I would I think the amendment is fine, but I don’t think it could be friendly. I think it has to be voted upon change. >> Okay, I’m fine with that. We’ll vote on the change date. That’s fine. >> I guess that’s I guess that’s on the floor with councelor Charman and myself and uh and we’re now we would chair just be discussing that date change.

07:15:44
Thank you very much. >> No problem. Thank you. And um we’ll continue on with questions. Council Karns, go ahead. >> Okay. So before I ask my question, are we three amendments out or two? We’re two. >> We’re two. >> I think we’re too I’ll just check in a second here. >> Working overtime. >> Are we two out? >> Yeah, that this amendment makes us two out.

07:16:18
No further amendments before this gets voted on. >> Okay. Thank you very much. Um, so my question to staff will be um what maybe we can go back to it. what what can you reasonably bring forward in September as information reports? So, it’s really clear in the way that this was drafted that this is a uh direction to begin work and then come back.

07:16:41
We often use language uh in chambers saying come back and report on what you heard in the chambers and that becomes the initial starting point for what is the next step that happens. And so I’m just wondering is this something with any kind of small amendments that staff could continue to draft like uh in the third paragraph that I wrote that doesn’t say December um draft a comprehensive framework for review by council.

07:17:09
So it’s not a matter of decision making. It’s a matter of checking if we’re on the right track. >> Go ahead. CEO. >> Yeah. Through um through your chair. Um yeah, I I I I would feel more comfortable if the language was adjusted to uh imply that we would, you know, we’d be looking at um proposing what would be or what would form a part of a comprehensive framework without actually getting to a point of completion because I think that that was my initial uh concern with that phrase that it suggested we’re coming back with, you know, completed work for council endorsement which um would be too difficult I I think in the circ circumstance. Um, I I I do want to reiterate as a part of my last response,

07:18:06
we are still going to be preparing and augmenting the web presence that we have to capture what we heard in the chamber today and coming back. So, that information will be uh will be made available through through that medium. But um you know if there is any suggestion on language that’s that maybe suggests that we’re not coming forward with a completed product for endorsement but rather you know some ideas on on what that could look like.

07:18:33
Uh I think that would be preferred. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you very much. That’s a really helpful answer because it wasn’t my intention for you to come back with a a a fully baked uh approve this right now in September type of a framework. But I do want to acknowledge that we do use frameworks, we use guidelines, we use policies in I have a question.

07:18:53
In conjunction with the work that that we do to uh process site plans, wind and shadow studies, things of that nature, those are all endorsed by council, including uh streetscape guidelines, which would be included as well. So, I’m just wondering if we were to change that to direct staff to report back still in in September with a draft comprehensive framework, could that be supported by staff? So, the four paragraphs will have draft options um information and preliminary information.

07:19:36

Uh chair, point point of order here. Just >> go ahead council. >> Thank you. I just want to note that we should only be talking about dates right now. So, um let’s vote on the dates and we can make another amendment after that. >> Good point. >> M go ahead. >> Okay.

07:20:00
So, sticking just to the dates, I will have other questions chair. So, um, reporting back in December 2026 with a comprehensive framework or a draft, my assumption was that was the work that was contemplated as part of the 2027 official plan review. Do staff see those as being separate items would be the first question related to the date? Um, and this is why this whole process has been kind of odd.

07:20:34
There’s there’s discussion around a comprehensive framework and then there’s discussion around an official plan review, which I think is the same as a comprehensive framework. Is that not what we do during an official plan review? And aren’t they the same thing? And we’re having lots of discussion about the same thing because of this amendment that’s come in on the side.

07:20:52

Yeah. Three, chair. I I I I think um in my experience in doing more comprehensive official plan reviews, they’re usually kicked off by examining issues and opportunities. So I actually see the work um when again and acknowledge kind of that some of the nomenclature um adopted um you know we we do use the word framework a lot but you know what what you’d expect to see from staff I would I would suggest is an issues and options type of report that kind of gives council a sense of you know what are we hearing what are we seeing in terms of concerns what are some of the options that we can be doing from a policy perspective or a planning tool perspective or a guideline perspective um that we can be examining and that kind of gives a frame for a kickoff to have broader community engagement and that kind of slides right into um you know what does that look

07:21:51
like from a policy perspective so so I I I I do I do think that the that can be complimentary um and I do prefer okay >> if that’s December >> okay >> um and not September because I we want to get this right. >> Okay. So, again, sticking with the date, um do you need any additional language in addition to the date and we’ll have to figure out procedurally how we deal with that.

07:22:20
We’ll have to vote on the date first and then we’ll have to fix the language for the date of what we’re uh reporting on. Do you see a need to change comprehensive framework in any way? Is it draft? Is it options? Is it um I I think it’s really important for us to be clear with the community and words matter here.

07:22:40
So, uh do you need to for us at some point after we deal with December 2026 to add some language to any of the three paragraphs that now have December 2026 as the date? Yeah, I um through you chair. I I think I think um what I want to be clear on um I I I don’t want the expectation that the work is going to be absolutely comprehensive.

07:23:17
I think what we need to do is really set a baseline of what the issues and opportunities exist for us as a platform for how we’re going to engage more broadly going forward as part of the the broader official plan review. So I I I would be more comfortable if there was language that kind of put it in that context. Thank you.

07:23:40

Okay. So we may uh I do have a second question that was a followup if you would have allowed me that one and a half there chair. I do have one final question if that’s okay. >> Okay, go ahead. >> Go ahead. >> Okay. So So we’ll have to figure out the language. I we may need a recess and then the the second last um uh reporting back in December with an interim information report um on reviewing data centers and so on.

07:24:10
Uh, sorry, not that one. I’m sorry. Uh, the site plan one. Okay, that one doesn’t have a date. I’ll come back to that one. Chair, I do have some questions about that paragraph, but we’ll deal with the date uh issues first and get the language uh right whenever the clerk tells us we can get it right.

07:24:31

Okay. So, uh I see another hand up. Um, >> thanks very much. So, I’ll just make a I’m going to make a comment on the dates. It’s a short comment. So, when I initially, you know, maybe this is a a hamstring of being first out the gate. When I started having this conversation, what I found difficult to work with was that um staff did raise the same objections that you’re hearing today in chambers.

07:25:05
And I countered with what I’m really looking to do is align policy and evaluation frameworks with the emerging land use at the same speed as the industry. And so when I’m hearing about the delegations where the industry is moving quickly, there are many variables to be considered. Some of which are uh in our purview, some are not.

07:25:26
We’ve heard conversations around not forprofit versus for-profit land. >> Question, please. >> It’s a comment. >> Oh, comment. Sorry. Sorry. >> Um that led me to want to take interim steps where we would first get some information back in September. That’s a long time in the world of business. Um, then we would be able to hand that over or pass that over.

07:25:50
There’s nothing to say in September when we have this information in a preliminary manner. We can continue to refer it to Sep to December. We can refer it to 2027. All I’m asking is that we don’t what we will essentially do is close the conversation entirely until 2026 December with only one wavefacing dialogue which is more posts on the city’s website as opposed to coming back to see and do a checkpoint if we’re on the right path with preliminary information.

07:26:21
And if we want to uh ren that option. If we want to refer to December, if we want to refer to, you know, 2027, we have all those options. But I find it difficult at this point to completely go dark uh until December 2026 when this is obviously a very live conversation that engages the industry.

07:26:44
It engages our um economic development folks. It’s engaging other municipalities and with some of the most um thoughtful and prepared delegations and comments that we’ve had in a really long time. So I won’t support December 2026 for that reason. uh but if it comes back again and it doesn’t pass then I will be supporting uh with maybe changes to draft comprehensive framework uh into 20 into September 2026 for that reason for that engagement and to make sure that as a governing body we’re on the right track with the community and our stakeholders. Thanks. >> Okay, thank you for that and uh looks like we have a full board again. Um councelor Nissan go ahead. >> Thank you. Yeah, just a comment uh on December 2026 very briefly. Um I think this process has been very uh has been uh rushed in bringing something to

07:27:42
council, our final decision-making body and uh really we need to give staff the time to get this uh to get this right and they’ve been clear that September is very uh challenging. we know uh or we have great reason to believe that we’ll be lame duck anyways uh in September and uh you know there’s only and then we have the election in October.

07:28:04
So that’s the political calendar realities and I want to take the politics out of this and get this back into a good uh good thoughtful process. We know that there won’t be anything else getting any other things getting built. Uh Jerry made that clear. It’s a 5 to 10year time frame. So, we got lots of time to get this right and uh I want this I want to do it uh correctly and uh get the uh get the election calendar out of the way.

07:28:33
Thank you. >> Thank you, councelor. Councelor Sherman, please. >> Thank you. Uh we just heard this today that the province and the federal government are already working on all the rules and regulation changes that are necessary for the industry. Um the fact is that those will dictate what we do in the future in any event.

07:28:58
So there is no fire burning. Uh there are there’s clearly not any electricity to bring in you know a mega a mega data center and not even a smaller one. Um there is no speed of business in this case. We’re not selling a bag of peanuts. U we’re talking about a many many million dollar deal uh that requires somebody to buy the land and and and think very carefully about how they’re going to satisfy the regulations all the regulations that already exist from in terms of megawws in terms of water and air air air air cooling um in terms of noise. There is no hurry. um in fact we need to slow down to make sure we give consideration to what is being proposed or worked through at the province and at the federal government level and that we participate in the broader dialogue. So I will under no circumstances shift from the December 2026 uh for that reason. But in addition to that I don’t think we

07:29:58
need to do any more politicization of of a data center um process that’s occurring in any event and is not going to be changed as a result of anything we do here. Um, I would rather actually engage the new members of council in a learning process that helps them understand what we’re really trying to accomplish here.

07:30:13
So, we are not in any hurry here whatsoever and we should involve the new council members rather than try and do it without them. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you, councelor. Uh, Mayor Me Ward, go ahead. >> Thank you, chair. Uh, just a comment uh for the clerk. So the uh reporting back on the comprehensive framework December 2026 is okay.

07:30:37
Uh the original language was Q4 of 2026 which could be October, November or December. So I think that is in the spirit of uh what was originally discussed. Uh the other two uh coming back in December uh I don’t support. And notwithstanding that we are in an election and every single issue has the potential to be uh politicized unfortunately uh including how uh the decisions that we make are described or represented or misrepresented in the community and it’s really important for us to be clear what we are and are not doing. The community has questions and I do really appreciate the work that staff have already done to provide answers to the many questions residents have asked. Um what the last two paragraphs ask for is uh primarily information to be

07:31:34
provided to community. Uh I think that’s essential election or no. That’s absolutely critical to answer the questions to provide the information. In many cases when I heard uh residents saying we don’t have the answers or we we have more questions than we have answers to, the answers are actually there.

07:31:52
We we have many of these answers already and staff have done with the applicant an absolutely incredible job of putting as much information as we have as soon as we get it up on those two um those two places. Uh again, burlington.ca/data ca/dataenters burlington.ca/3110 south service road and you can subscribe to that uh whenever there’s new information or anything um sorry I noticed the clock’s not going clerk um I don’t know where I am in my speaking time but um we owe it to the community at all times to provide information to their questions and in fact uh we’ve been told that that could happen sooner rather than later. So, I uh I guess I’m really looking to staff that regardless of how this goes, if if this gets voted to December, that you will not wait to provide answers to the community um

07:32:52
online, in a council information package, in a memo, uh in some way that you will commit to giving that information to uh to the community because it’s essential to deal with facts uh not fear. uh it’s essential to uh to I think reassure the community that this specific project does have a significant amount of regulation and oversight attached to it on all the issues that we’ve heard about noise um proximity size power drain on the grid.

07:33:27
Um but uh but that information has been kind of scattershot because we uh the information was released before the city uh was released it which they were preparing to do in conversation with the applicant who is here who has actually committed to not only providing information they don’t have to they’re not required to under the planning act they’ve gone above and beyond uh but also have committed to meet with community to answer questions all that again they don’t have to do this and we do our work best when we collaborate when we partner when we try to come together on um providing factual information to the community. So I don’t believe that it is in the best interest of community to wait uh until December to get that information. I hope staff won’t I I that’s kind of a question and a comment at the same time but I don’t uh I don’t support that date for those

07:34:25
things. Uh and then uh the the first is uh is fine. We we need to be more helpful to our community. They’ve asked us to be. We have a willing applicant and we have outstanding staff who have done that work under extraordinarily difficult circumstances, under heightened criticism. That that has not been warranted.

07:34:44
So, um I think we’re all on the same page on that anyway that we want to serve our community and be helpful. and uh punting this those two to December is not helpful. >> Thank you, mayor. I’m going to ask the uh clerk to keep track of the comment timing so that um I’m aware of what’s going on here. So, I think we have councelor Nissan comment, I’m assuming.

07:35:14
Yeah, I just want to uh confirm what staff uh said to us uh earlier. Sorry. Oh. Um, yeah. Okay. Well, I’ll ask the question that the mayor was about almost sort of asked, which is it’s a yes. Right. You guys are going to get all that information up on the board, up on the website, um, burlington.ca/dataenters.

07:35:40
Whatever you got, you’re going to give it out when you have it, right? So, um, is that correct? >> Through your chair. >> Yes. >> And that was a yes. So, uh, by way of comment, I would, uh, say, um, I believe December 2026 is an improvement of this, uh, paragraph, but I actually don’t think the paragraph is required at all.

07:35:58
And so, don’t expect me to vote in favor of it because staff are already on top of it. So, maybe that’s just the way forward. Anyways, as far as dates go, December is better than than what we’ve had uh, previously. So, looking forward to the vote. >> Thank you, councelor. Councelor Sherman. >> Thank you.

07:36:15
I do have a question for staff because as I read the paragraph direct staff to report back in December 26 uh of the whole not committee of the whole should say committee of the whole with an interim information update outlining the city’s role in reviewing and evaluating data center development applications going forward is implied including applicable planning and zoning considerations going forward is implied infrastructure requirements environmental considerations and any existing or potential standards relating to energy and water consumption. That is different, is it not, from just simply answering the questions that have been raised by by by the public with respect to the immediate application. >> Through your chair, yes. >> So I’m if I might then just comment. I’m okay with leaving this. I think it’s okay to do the work by December 2026 and you’re undertaking that you will issue or provide all the other facts as

07:37:14
requested by by members of the public. I’m okay with where we’re at then and I would ask you to vote for the December 26 on this this particular clause. >> Thank you, councelor. And I don’t see any hands on the uh board. So, I’m going to ask the clerk to uh call the vote. Just to be clear, we’re just calling the December 26th, the three instances of the bolded December 26th. Perfect.

07:37:39
Councelor Galrath, I believe, has signed off. He is absent. Councelor Karns, >> do not support. >> Council Nissan, >> support. >> Councelor Stoalty is absent. Councelor Sherman, >> support. >> Councelor Bentania, >> support. Mayor Mard >> do not support. >> That’s three in favor, two against. And that passes.

07:38:05
All right. I guess we’ll uh move to the next back to the amendment, the original amendment. So, we’ll start with uh questions or hands up. >> Council, you got your hand up. Go ahead. >> Thanks, chair. Just want to let you know I’m happy for us to maybe uh vote on the two bolded paragraphs at this time and uh do them together and get that over with and then we’ll have questions on the other portions. Thank you.

07:38:39

Okay, that’s good. >> Absolutely through the chair. Um certainly council could do that and let if if questions and comments or if there are no more questions and comments, we could just vote on the two paragraphs which are bolder. >> Anyone have any questions or comments on that? No. Okay, we’ll call for the vote.

07:38:56

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Uh, so the vote on the two bolded paragraphs, councelor Golra is absent. Councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nissan >> support. Councelor Stoalty is absent. Councelor Sherman >> support. >> Councelor Bensonia >> support. >> Mayor meward >> support. >> That’s five in favor, zero against.

07:39:17

And that passes. >> And that’s and now we’re back to the main motion as amended. And now we’re back to the main moment is so any questions or comments on that one? Oh, Mayor Midor. >> Yeah. Um, so recognizing that the um direction calls for uh a policy framework prior to approving site plan, which council cannot direct staff to withhold site plan.

07:39:49
Again, words matter. So I I know I’m modifying this uh here but this was an issue that was raised uh in subsequent questions with staff. Can can we do this I guess is the question. Can we direct you to create a policy framework before issuing site plan for any current or new proposals? Uh through the chair.

07:40:14
Uh the short answer is no in the sense that the director who has the delegated authority or the authority through the uh planning act to process the uh applications uh for site plan has to process that in the normal course. Asking the director or directing the director to wait um would be contrary to his obligations under the planning act.

07:40:39

That’s what I thought. Okay. So I had been um thinking about amendments to this uh which would then change the prior to permitting approval through uh change that to to inform site plan of any proposed da da da so that the frameworks that you’re working on will inform your review not permit not be contingent on uh which doesn’t direct us.

07:41:10
So if uh if that works for staff in terms of staying within our legal lane, being clear with the community about what we can and can’t do, but also I think capturing the essence of what was intended here that that whatever work is done should inform future site plan applications. So if you look at the paragraph, so the the words prior to permitting approval through site plan would be to inform site plan.

07:41:49
Are staff comfortable with that language? Does that keep us legally on the right side of provincial planning legislation? I did circulate some proposed language in advance to staff. I don’t know if you saw that, but it was essentially that >> uh through the chair. What I would point out is that just for clarity, the what staff can consider as part of site plan approval and the approval uh of the actual site plan and the plans and uh drawings that are associated with that as well as the conditions of the site plan are prescripted by the planning act. there is a limited amount of content that the city grants site plan approval for uh and the conditions that are you’re able to attach to that. So, I

07:42:48
wouldn’t want this direction to be interpreted or uh anyone in the public thinking that staff is then able to add in a significant amount of requirements to site plan approval when we would be precluded from doing that by virtue of the contents of the planning act. >> Okay. I’ll stop. >> That’s good.

07:43:13
Um just have a question. My first time question here. Would it not be easier to eliminate this alto together this what we’re talking about and have a new al together. So withdraw this and start over for that single one rather than amend add words to this one. I’m just asking the questions of staff. Okay.

07:43:46
The only reason why I’m asking staff is because they they’re concerned about the words we’re using and I’m thinking maybe we can withdraw that alto together and just start here’s what we need. Here’s what we want and they can just move forward with it. Just just a thought. >> Are you asking me chair or if if you’re asking myself uh my personal opinion is that the rest of this is not required after the approval of the first two paragraphs.

07:44:10
So, I’m not going to be I’m unlikely depending on any changes to support any of it. Um, I believe the official plan that we’ve approved, changes we’ve approved is sufficient, but uh I’m not sure if that’s your question, but that would be my answer to the question as I understand it. Uh, and that’s why you’ll see some redundancies uh in here uh as well.

07:44:28
Yeah, but you know, eventually uh we are going to have to vote on this one way or the other, I think. So, there’s no point in me withdrawing it or something. It just keep going. >> Okay, fair enough. Um, councelor Karns, go ahead. >> Um, thanks very much. So, I’m just going to throw a little bit of a curveball question.

07:44:49
So, uh, in the time since I had drafted this to when, uh, we’ve been here, I did, um, review with my counterparts in Milton, and they in fact don’t have language whatsoever in their official plans and zoning bylaw that allow for this type of use to go straight to site plan. Might it be a possibility to amend those planning documents to remove the language? It’s in a couple of different places.

07:45:15
The OP hasn’t caught up with the ZBA uh in its entirety to um remove the process of site plan and bring it back before council as it does in in Milton. through the chair. Perhaps I’ll start and uh the CEO and director of planning may have uh thoughts on this as well. Certainly the the the the process for doing that is a city initiated uh zoning bylaw amendment uh which goes through a normal zoning bylaw course in terms of circulation and public comment and public meeting.

07:45:55
Um so that is the process for doing so. But the merits of doing so, I would turn to the CEO and director of planning as to whether or not that would be uh something that staff would recommend to the council >> through the chair. I I’m going to have to look into I’m not totally familiar with Milton’s zoning bylaw, but I’d be curious if to force it to council, did they perhaps put some hard caps or is it just straight up a prohibited use and therefore it so I don’t think anyone around us knows that answer, but that’s the kind of thing we would have to look into to figure out how to operationalize what what you’re saying. >> Sure. If I could offer a followup. So it’s a it’s it’s a nonprescriptive use. It’s not a prescribed use. So that use

07:46:52
would come as an OPA ZBA. So amend this to allow for that. Um and it would go through the normal statutory public meeting process and that’s a follow-up question. >> Correct. So uh through the chair. So they just eliminated it from their list of permitted uses. So no matter what, no matter where in a city, it would require those types of amendments. Understood.

07:47:19

Okay. And my second question now is around the interim control bylaw uh options. Is any of the information that was uh currently shared in chambers today premature uh to to use as an information piece? So for example, um the estimate of $200,000. I’m just cautious that I didn’t see any circulation to that regard and it’s just been a verbal.

07:47:44
So, is is that premature or is that a number that can come back to us in correspondence? >> Yeah. Through your chair, I I again I think that was an estimate uh that was provided by staff on the basis of you know, we still had some work to do to scope things. So, um you know, you can take it as as as ballpark. I I don’t um I I’d be happy to put that in writing and and and qualify it in that manner.

07:48:15

Okay. So, my follow-up question is the reason I’m asking if it’s premature is because I was looking for a report back on evaluating what the options were with an interim information update. um sorry for an interimm control bylaw because if council took the opportunity to scope it very specifically with the information that’s coming through would that change the potential estimate so only of this size or only of this purpose or things of that nature um that would be prescriptive would that change the cost estimate of which council has no input on to date. Yeah, through your chair. Yeah, that we’d have to determine um that on the basis of um of the further scoping and and and just kind of really understanding the nature of the specialized or techn technical expertise

07:49:12
that we need. So um yeah, I’m I’m not sure how I can um answer it any uh more effectively than that. Okay, I’ll just add that to my comments. >> I just have one comment that line of questioning and I’m just not criticizing, but you brought up how much it’s going to cost before. He did give us an estimate and I don’t think it’s fair to ask him to be more specific or I don’t know.

07:49:47
I’m just I’m just saying I I don’t want to put staff in a position where they have to commit to something. just a commented >> board is full again. Uh Mayor Mewart, go ahead. >> Thank you. Uh just in light of the additional information from staff around what options we have and to be clear if we uh just again on that paragraph said direct staff to report back on options to ensure compliance with resolutions arising from the policy framework that you’re going to develop in December uh regarding deployment of data centers in Burlington period. Does that work? So, we’re not tying the framework to permitting approval through site plan, which you’ve just said is not something we can add or prohibit. And then we could we could keep the uh

07:50:52
the language around in general employment or business corridor zoning. So it’s it’s just taking out the specific reference of approval uh through through site plan which you’ve said is the problematic piece of that paragraph through the chair I so we’re just looking at the two paragraphs uh both the paragraph that’s calling for the comprehensive framework and the paragraph that is uh looking for the site plan approval.

07:51:34
I think from staff’s perspective there may be some question as to they’re both calling for the same thing in some regards and so that paragraph that references the site plan approval if you if you simply deleted the the site plan approval component of that paragraph is the information or the report back that you’re getting there simply the same thing that you’re getting in the uh paragraph above.

07:51:59
So you just to be clear then um from a from a legal perspective and I’m glad we’re having this conversation in public not private you’re you’re recommending to us that we don’t have the legal authority to do what is asked for as is in that paragraph and we should just take it out because it’s captured in the one above.

07:52:16
Is that clear >> through the chair? Yes. Thank you. >> Do I have a way to remove that? Um or do I have to do we just vote on it or can I Okay. We can it can be friendly through the chair. >> Okay. Well, I’ll give the original mover the option of um moving and seconding or seconding and moving that. >> Yeah, I’m happy to um welcome that friendly amendment.

07:52:42
And again, you know, we did receive a lot of clarity from when this was put in on time to today and I’m happy to do that. Again, it was really to try to tie these pieces together and inform each other and be, you know, informative but not definitive. So, I’m happy to welcome that amendment. >> Okay. Thank you for that. >> Okay.

07:53:05
I don’t see any >> Can I get just clarification on what on what we’re moving? >> Um, so it’s the fourth paragraph down. >> Um, just which what what words are we >> whole thing? >> The whole the whole thing. >> Okay. And that’s friendly. Oh, >> I thought >> because it’s captured in the above. >> That is what she said.

07:53:32

It’s up to you. >> So then can you put the word compliance in the in the third paragraph because it is options for compliance which is inspections, reviews, reports. So, if you can just move the word compliance up after, I don’t know, bylaw updates, comma, compliance, comma, public engagement strategy, I’m happy to remove the entire paragraph >> through the chair. Yes, we can do that.

07:54:05

Okay, so we’re good. Um, Council Karns, your hands still up. >> Yeah, thanks. Thanks, Chair. I just wanted to um you know table a question related to your comment. So I do want to be really cautious in you know we’ve we’ve kind of learned our lesson once with kind of saying uh numbers that are not documented and um my intention is to not undertake uh $200,000 plus or minus um engagement.

07:54:32
My intention with an interim uh control bylaw preview or report is so that we could appropriately scope what that would include taking everything into consideration including cost, staff time, external experts, legal advice. Um, so I just want to be really cautious when we are using language that’s not documented in any uh reports or haven’t come back as a report back uh that we we make sure that we’re we’re putting that information in the appropriate place.

07:55:05
So I just want to say uh if there’s an opportunity for staff to redact that number and say that it’s a future forward number depending on uh the parameters that are agreed upon by council, I would feel a little bit more comfortable with that. through your chair. I’m I’m I’m fine. I think you know it it needs to be suitably qualified. So, uh support that.

07:55:30
Thank you. >> Okay. Settled. Oh, I got a hand up. Uh councelor Nissan, go ahead. >> Thank you, Chair. I just uh are we about to vote on uh on the last three? Is that what’s going on? Just want to make sure I get all my comments in on that >> individually. individually, but we’re we’re gonna Yeah, we’re going to roll right through those votes. Okay.

07:55:51
All right. Fair enough. Um, first of all, I want to say about that uh the conversation about cost. I think staff gave us their uh best estimate and I think the community should know that is not free to go through with ICBL uh reports. So, there is going to be a cost. Uh if you want to know what it cost last time, that is uh protected information.

07:56:15
We would have to go into close for that. Uh but uh I wanted to be clear there is a cost. Staff gave an estimate of what that cost could be. You’re absolutely right that it’s not a guarantee, but there are costs attached to this and there are uh more importantly uh in terms of the interimm control bylaw.

07:56:32
I believe there are a lot of costs to the local economy if we uh go down that path. So once again, I’m not supporting that that uh paragraph for sure for that reason. among others. Uh we also received information on the potential tax um taxes that could come in from this. Listen, it’s not enough money to to make a decision on it.

07:56:52
It’s not like, oh, and it’s it’s $45 to $85,000 was the estimate. It’s not a guarantee either. Uh but uh when you extrapolate that over 10 years, it’s not peanuts either. We don’t know what the uh exact job uh uplift will be. Um, one delegate uh gave some numbers but uh we don’t know exactly what it what it will be but there will be jobs local jobs for the construction and maintenance of this.

07:57:21
Um they they’ve got underground uh parking and park surface parking in park to uh support those jobs. So there will be jobs and you know every job does count. The question is you know that against the risks and of course there are risks involved. there’s no question that there are uh that you know community concerns are out there and that there’s not without any risk to the environment or any risk to to the population.

07:57:46
The key is that there are regulations in place and that our staff are going through a site plan process there. So um with that in mind and particularly try and let me try to broaden this out a bit. But I don’t want to get too in the weeds on the one project, but uh broadening it uh outside of that, it’s just it’s really important that we have uh the right uh principles in place and the right regulations here as staff.

07:58:11
And I think we’ve already uh addressed that with the first two paragraphs uh of the motion. And at this point, an interim control bylaw would do far more harm than good. So I uh I respectfully urge all members not to support an interim control bylaw. Thank you. Thank you. Um, councelor councelor Sherman, go ahead. >> Thank you.

07:58:33
Um, well, I actually did ask that these three parag all these all the paragraphs be voted on separately. Um, we did the first two together. That’s fine. Uh, I I still don’t support the interim control bylaw discussion per se. Um, I just think that if you look back to what happened in 2018, was it 18 when we did that? Yeah.

07:58:55
the amount of legal costs associated with people appealing that was not 200,000. It was a much more significant delay. Um these things can go off the rails really badly uh and can interfere with our ability to do business in the long run. Um so we have to be really careful. If it were a memo in the in in the uh in the um in council information package just simply talking about the ICB, I’d be happy with that.

07:59:25
And I don’t think you need to have this in the motion. So I will vote against the last item, but I’ll support the the up the two prior. Thank you. >> Um I’m going to jump in here for a moment just second. I agree with councelor Charman. It’s not only um what he’s obviously mentioned. The big issue right now is reputation city.

07:59:52
our reputation in the community, in the business community, and that’s extremely important. And we did go through some issues way back in 2018, and I really don’t want to go through that again. Thank you. Yeah, >> Marian board. Go ahead. Sorry. >> Do I still have Okay, thank you. I don’t know how many times I’ve spoken, so I hope we still have one left.

08:00:29
Um uh well, thank you uh chair for capably uh navigating us through this uh morass. Uh I want to say just a couple of things. Uh we’ve we’ve had a a really I think a good discussion around this table. The first priority and only priority for myself, but I do believe strongly that every member of council and our staff shares this uh is the health and well-being in our community.

08:00:55
That is the lens that we look through in every single decision that we make. We have to consider all of the information that comes forward. We have to welcome and make a safe space for everyone. Uh regardless of what their view is, regardless of whether I agree with it or anyone agrees with it, we have to make uh our uh chambers welcoming for people to express a variety of views because it’s only by hearing different perspectives do we get to a really good outcome.

08:01:28
And I do want to say a huge thank you to every single person who has reached out to the people uh who’ve been here for the first time. I hope your experience felt welcoming. I hope your experience felt that we were truly listening to you. Uh and that our minds were not made up, that we wanted to hear what you had to say.

08:01:48
Uh I’m amending uh working to amend my own motion based on some of the things that I’ve heard here today. So, um I hope I I hope that that experience was good and I do think we can improve the experience for our community members on uh on some of these going forward. It’s really important to be clear about um the what we’re what we’re doing here and getting the information.

08:02:14
So, if the uh if the interim control bylaw information report on options, let’s be clear, we’re not voting in favor or against an ICBL. It’s about information and some of the questions that have come up here today about costs and process and is it effective. Um, there are costs and it wasn’t effective the last time, but you don’t know that because we haven’t given you that information.

08:02:37
If you weren’t around in 2019, you wouldn’t. And I think it’s critical for us to be uh open and transparent, not behind closed doors, but in a public uh committee of the whole setting to give you that information. So, uh I’ll support it in December. If that fails, I will support uh maybe councelor Charminan will support this with me.

08:02:57
Uh just getting that information to community because it’s really important for you to have that. Uh it’s important for you to have the information around what we can and can’t do. I know that sometimes sounds like we’re passing the buck. We’re actually telling you what our legal obligations and permissions are.

08:03:13
And again, it’s important to be truthful with the community on this. So, um, please continue to reach out. I want to hear what you have to say. >> Thank you. Thank you, mayor. Uh, councelor Curtis, go ahead. >> Probably a good time for the timer there, chair, before I start. So, for me, the advocacy always starts with the people. You were off by 10 seconds.

08:03:45
Can you start again? Okay. Thanks. For me, the advocacy always starts with the people. And I do want to thank the nearly 100 pages of heavily supported correspondents. Uh we will have a petition, right, clerk, submitted and and received. And I want to thank everyone who brought their vice voice forward when asked.

08:04:01
I also want to thank the honorable Karina Gold, MP for Burlington, for recognizing that quote, “We need policies that foster innovation while protecting the well-being of our communities.” Mayor Horvath uh advocated for a coordinated approach to data center development and the Green Party of Canada representatives in Burlington called for collaboration at all levels of governments to balance this modern use with getting the right model for our community and the environment.

08:04:26
And you’ll hear uh another advocacy motion shortly. Good planning creates certainty and it gives residents confidence that their interests are being protected. It gives industry confidence that decisions are made transparently, consistency and on solid policy. And that policy is unfolding in real time across the province.

08:04:44
And Burlington has just stepped to the back of the line in being leaders by driving down the role of council through to staff, which we support 100% for an issue that calls for local leadership. This is not about one application. It’s about the right deployment of our critical resources. And we have not properly had that conversation.

08:05:02
And that is clearly demonstrated by the record number of delegates and correspondents. What was lost in the motion deliberations is the following outcomes that you, the community, has asked for and that’s a status update on innovation district study areas as applicable to data centers. Official plan review and definitions of information processing policy, development of the zoning tools that address separation distances, buffer zones to sensitive uses and residential distancing.

08:05:28
Updates to the associated noise bylaw number 19, 2023 to include cumulative impacts, heat map modeling or other demonstrations of zoning impacts through the QEW corridor, an impact assessment framework that weighs economic, social, and community implications, addressing the risk and economic opportunity of digital infrastructure, clarity of those provincial and federal authorities for water and electricity.

08:05:52
You heard me mention that not every municipality has a water bylaw like Halton. uh options for data center specific business licenses that could require annual disclosure of consumption, power consumption, and monitored noise levels. You’ve heard that reflected in the in the compliance piece. Uh all with a public impact requirement.

08:06:11
The community wants to know. It doesn’t include uh the scan of municipal approaches, policies or standards that are happening all across our country and the effective deployment of a new get involved page that gives people information regarding municipal data center information from trusted sources as well as an economic impact strategy or strategies for technology hub innovation acceleration and the environment to Burlington Green.

08:06:37
Data centers are both promise and responsibility, and they can improve innovation and investment, but they also require careful consideration and how they fit within our broader and sustainable community, climate, and economic adjustives. >> Thank you, um, councelor. And I think we have no hands, so we’re going to call for the vote, >> uh, through the chair.

08:07:00
I just want to be clear that we’re going to vote on one and two together, three, four, five, separately. One and two are >> not not the main motion as amended though. They were voted on in >> each one separately. >> Each one separately. >> Yes, please. >> Sorry. Um, council, go ahead. >> Yeah, I have my second comment to the main motion as amended.

08:07:34
Okay, go ahead. >> Um, I’ll be supporting the final three paragraphs, but I do want to note um that I object to the December 2026 and I still would rather have September 2026. So, I’m not voting in support of December. I’m voting in support of the balance. Okay. >> Thank you, counselor. Um, through the chair calling the vote separately on the five clauses identified on the screen.

08:08:09
Clause number one couns amendment. It was an amendment. It was an amendment at the time. Now it’s main motion as amended. >> Yes, we’re good. >> Do you want to do the first two together like last time? I’ve had request to have them all five separately. >> I hadn’t registered that we were doing the final vote.

08:08:38
You can do the first two together. That’ll be fine. But the other three I wanted to do separately. That was all I was saying. >> And that’s what we’ll do. >> We’ll do first two together. Can do. Councelor Greath I believe is absent. Uh councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nissan >> support. Councelor Stolty is absent. Councelor Sherman >> support.

08:09:03

Councelor Benia >> support. >> Mayor Maidward >> support. >> That’s five in favor, zero against. >> And that passes unanimously. The taking the vote now on the third clause. Councelor Golra is absent. Councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nissan >> support. >> Councelor Stolty is absent.

08:09:23
Councelor Charman >> support. Councelor Bensonia >> support. and Mayor Meard >> support. >> That’s five in favor, zero against. >> And that passes. >> Taking the vote on the fourth clause. Councelor Golreth is absent. Councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nissan >> support. >> Councelor Stoalty is absent.

08:09:42
Councelor Charman >> support. >> Councelor Bentmania >> support. >> Mayor Meard >> support. >> That’s five in favor, zero against. >> Taking the vote on the fifth clause of the motion. Councelor Greath is absent. Councelor Karns >> support. Council Nissan >> do not support. >> Councelor Stoalty is absent.

08:09:59
Councelor Charman >> do not support. >> Councelor Bentovenia >> do not support. >> And Mayor me Ward >> support. >> That’s two in favor, three against. >> And that does not pass. >> Okay. And that one. We’re going to move to our second. Sorry. So, we’re continuing on here. Um, so the second motion is 18.

08:10:42
2 Two motion memo coordinated federal, provincial, regional, and municipal response to data center infrastructure capacity, growth readiness and protecting public interest, ADM 0626. Moved by Mayor Mard and seconded by Have I got a second? >> Second. I can second if the mayor wants happy to. I’ll second that. Great. Councelor Nissan, thank you.

08:11:15
And we’ll go to Mayor Mew. Would you like to speak to the motion, please? >> Yeah, thank you very much, Chair. Uh, this is a a longer motion than usual, but given the uh interest and desire to uh provide uh as much information as we can about some of the specific matters uh which are uh really triggering this conversation, but also the broader landscape and what is happening and what still remains.

08:11:41
uh this motion is before you. I I did want to just highlight a couple of things uh that as noted the province is in the process of uh working on bill 40 which uh is another uh I’ll call it omnibus bill. There’s a number of items in there but one of them is around uh readiness for uh digital strategy which includes data centers and the potential draw on energy.

08:12:06
Uh the city has uh submitted um comments to bill 40 uh that that we have seen earlier. Those will be I think they are available online. Uh there’s links in the motion if you um if you go online to see that. Uh the Association of Municipalities of Ontario on which I’m a board member uh also submitted comments to Bill 40.

08:12:30
they’re very much aligned with uh what the city uh has asked for and what municipalities are asking for. Um and uh I think I think the recommendations are uh really uh important for us. Uh it it’s talking about uh not undermining the municip uh clean, reliable, affordable energy, trade enabling growth. Uh we don’t want all of our power supply um uh taken.

08:12:58
We do have other priorities and needs. Uh we want to have Canadian-owned companies offer a community benefit agreement. That’s something we don’t have the ability to do now. So we want to put that at the feet of the province to consider that. Uh including collocation of energy generation.

08:13:16
We heard about that. Is there a way to capture um heating and cooling as a mini district energy or in a proper district energy to offset the demand on the electrical grid? A collaborative process which we’ve heard a lot about the need for a review of proposed uh facilities uh and committing to maintain full municipal planning and and development approvals after a decision is made.

08:13:41
There’s there’s been concerns raised around what could change. Uh the other reason why this is so critically important and there are links to the independent electricity system operator 2025 report. They are planning energy demand and need across uh the region in Ontario. We are in GTA West which includes Peele and Halton that is six municipalities.

08:14:04
So what happens in our neighboring municipalities is of critical interest and impact on us and and at large the energy that we all depend on. We all depend on it. It doesn’t respect municipal boundaries. So this is why we need a coordinated federal provincial response and that’s the resolution before you.

08:14:29

Thank you mayor and councelor Nan to say a few words. >> Yeah thank you chair. Um, I’m happy to step in for councelor Galbreth to uh second this motion. And the reason I want to second it is uh because it does relate to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities as well as AMO and uh I did have a conversation with FCM policy staff uh yesterday and they’ll be uh pleased to receive this and consider it uh for future uh policy.

08:14:53
Uh I would also like to take the opportunity to make a couple um uh more general uh remarks about still about uh data centers in general and the and the advocacy. Uh I think when we do advocate uh to the federal as well as provincial government that what we should uh say is you know no like a data center should not proceed unless it does not cause community harm imposes no cost on taxpayers does not strain local resources and it does provide value for residents.

08:15:28
And finally, I do want to add one more because uh um uh I was fortunate enough to uh receive a phone call from Minister uh Solomon yesterday and he added that there must be transparency as well. I think that’s an important addition. It was clear from my conversation uh with Minister Solomon, the federal government is really watching what’s happening in municipalities.

08:15:50
That’s how I ended up getting the call uh including Burlington. And so I really want us to be on board with the broader strategies and I don’t want our of course our city’s reputation to be harmed in any way with provincial and federal governments. So it’s important that we understand the federal point of view as well as the provincial and to do our best based on what we believe in to be aligned with those principles.

08:16:13
One thing we didn’t talk about in any detail was data sovereignty and this is really important to the federal government. We don’t want our data to be in the states. We don’t want our data to be in China. The delegate um uh Nathan um Nate, he was uh pretty clear about that. We want that here at home and we want it subject to our laws and not subject to shenanigans from adversaries.

08:16:39
So keep it in our areas and then we uh as an adjunct we do end up with more jobs. We do end up with more tax dollars. These are all important to the federal government who’s not looking at a 17 megawatt center here. they’re talking about gigawatts of capacity. Uh so please uh let’s keep that all in mind. Obviously residents are absolutely right to be asking hard questions about data centers and I think these principles that I’ve outlined will ensure that no bad projects are going ahead and that we’re protecting residents while acknowledging this technology transition. So obviously staff are going to be looking at the current uh proposal, but this is a common sense standard. companies pay, residents are protected. No proposal gets approved without rigorous review. Yeah. Thank you. >> Thank you, uh, councelor. Very well done. And I see council currents, go ahead. >> Uh, thank you so much. And I did in fact

08:17:37
um ask my questions of staff earlier on about data sovereignty and I did ask staff from our GR department if we had any proponents applying to the federal AI sovereign compute infrastructure program of which at this time uh there was no knowledge of whether there are applications within the city or not.

08:17:54
Um and the reason I had asked that question is because there is some additional and very significant funding. And so when we are a board of governance that has to measure and use the resources that we have available or preclude future use of those resources, we should be able to understand um all options available to us as well um in terms of doing that due diligence assessment.

08:18:17
So um I I am very in line with uh those applications and in fact that’s part of the reason I asked if one of our earlier delegates was part of the digital research alliance Canada which is one of the main proponents that has been forwarding these types of investment applications uh for uh sovereign data here in Canada.

08:18:36
So I think in that regard um you know I would uh maybe ask the main mover if I could add my name to this um good correspondence here and this good circulation so that we can continue this municipal conversation uh within the context of all three levels of government uh very astutely measuring uh you know going back to core principles of what is government.

08:18:57
It’s who gets when who gets what when and how much. And this is really the conversation that we’re having right now across our country. >> Thank you, um, counselor. And as far as the, um, question you had, I can I can ask. It sounds like the mayor is okay with it, so we’re good. And >> it’s not a thing. We just vote for it.

08:19:23

Yeah. I’m just asking if I could have my name added as a mover. So there’s three instead of two, which is allowed. I don’t know. Clerk, do >> you want to add all? It’s >> risky to be asking me this at 5:30, but I don’t I’ve never heard of a second mover or not a third one. >> Well, I would encourage you to refer to the Cricut motion that had three movers.

08:19:45

Yeah. Can I respond? Can I make a suggestion? >> Um, sure. Go ahead and respond. that when we um share this as correspondence that all members of council’s names be added to it. We have done that in the past around things like approving the halton equity diversity and inclusivity round table. In fact, all our names and signatures are on that.

08:20:11
So, I I do think it actually sends a stronger message that it wasn’t just a council majority. It was every single member of council. Uh, and I’m and I’m sure actually that uh the well Kelvin’s name was on it, so I know he’ll add his name and I’m happy to have a conversation with councelor Stoalty to see if she wants to add her name.

08:20:30
It’s always more effective uh to have more names. So that that will help me in my ad advocacy and I’m sure others. So uh thank you for that suggestion. >> Thank you, Mayor. Councelor Charman, go ahead. >> Thank you very much. I I’ve been uh very conscious of the uh of the concern by the members of the community that said I’ve just heard about this last project and it’s it’s really needed to have a lot more um exposure to us and we need we have questions we want answered and things like that.

08:21:03
Um but but the fact of the matter is there are regulations and this is this is this this whole world of AI is is evolving at such a a a speed that it’s almost unimaginable. So just even even back in November uh the things you would do on AI were relatively more rudimentary than they are today. Um it is stunning what can be done today.

08:21:27
Um so the pace of change um is is is something that that is is is h is is affecting every single person in our in our community uh and actually around the world. Um so it’s not surprising that we need to um to to get involved and participate. I have no problems with everything that’s being proposed about if establishing what is what we need to know, what we will do, what we won’t do.

08:21:55
All of that has to be determined. Uh but we can’t look in the mirror and saying we’re bad. The fact of the matter is we’re just moving towards something that has to be done. Um and and you know the fact of the matter is the province is do is trying to catch up. The federal government’s just issued it paper on artificial intelligence.

08:22:11
Um and and we must look at it strategically and holistically. We are we cannot be doing our own little thing and and and taking positions because who knows whether they will ever hold water. So by by this working with uh supporting the federal and the provincial work the work of AMO the the work the work of FCM all the major significant highlevel and strategic thinkers that have to go and think about what is good for the continent good for the for the community is is is is we we must be party to I must also say that in terms of in terms of my out my work outside of the of council um we are extremely concerned concerned about the implications of collecting information and using AI um because of because simply um that when you scale up to the level of something like Amazon um that it just happens you can do returns but you can’t do that

08:23:11
when you get into other aspects of people’s lives like if it’s welfare or if it’s healthcare or something like that um we need to know that we are thinking extremely carefully about governance of risk management of quality for all the users uh and and fundamentally trust. What we heard today in a lot of these cons of the of delegations was lack of trust.

08:23:30
We must resolve that and so I agree that the conversation we’ve had has been very helpful, but we have work to do and it will be with our partners and other government levels. Thank you. >> Thank you, councelor. Just a quick comment from myself. I want to say thanks to um all the delegates that came out today.

08:23:52
Um, I certainly learned a lot and I’m pleased that we went through what we went through as a council here. Um, and um, I’m really happy to see this particular motion and I’m pleased the comment that was made to to add everyone to this motion and at the end of the day everybody votes and that’ll be you’re telling the public exactly where you stand. So, thank you very much.

08:24:22
Having said that, we’re ready to call a vote. >> Thank you. Uh, councelor Golreth is absent. Councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nissan >> support. >> Councelor Stoalty is absent. Councelor Sherman >> support. >> Councelor Bentmania >> support. >> Mayor meard >> support. >> That’s five in favor, zero against.

08:24:49

Thank you very much. And that carries. Uh so I will now be passing the gavl back to Mary Ward and we’ll take uh three minute four minute or do you need one? >> Okay, we’re just going to we’re just going to pass the gavl back and we’ll carry on. Thanks. Okay, folks, we are back. We have reset

08:29:23
the table. I’m back in the chair and I will give a huge thank you to councelor Bentania who stepped in to navigate several hours of wrangling and procedure very capably. Thank you for that. All right. um this motion memo uh which we had brought forward has been withdrawn now that was embedded into the work that we just did.

08:29:41
So uh we don’t need to do anything further with that. Do we need to vote on that at all? Okay. So that is just a note to folks that we have already dealt with that matter. So what we are going to do now is go back to the balance of our agenda. The recommendations from the standing committee and I think all of almost all of them are in consent.

08:30:00
So this could go quickly. Let’s get the list up. Uh committee of the whole meeting July 6 and 7. We have uh Burlington’s application for development charge reduction program funding to the province. That was an information report. Corporate policy framework and policy review. Amendments to rates and fees. Repeal and replace BARK’s bylaw.

08:30:22
Amendment to licensing bylaw to clarify food stuff sales. We’re all getting a little hungry. Advance authorization to pursue community recreation and sport grant opportunities. the motion memo regarding Freeman Station. We did have some additional correspondence which was awesome. Uh staff directions update.

08:30:37
We had item 20.3 providing supplemental information regarding this item. That’s just for information for you. options to restrict construction noise, uh, response to staff direction, uh, CO1626, and a confidential legal update on OPA2 protected major transit station areas. We have several confidential items uh in the consent package, the legal update on uh 1200 King, the legal advice regarding the city of Stratford legal challenge to strong mayor powers, and finally the confidential verbal update regarding a human resources matter. Does anyone have any questions on that list or wish to pull an item for a separate vote? Councelor Karns, >> just the Freeman station, please. Okay, we will remove G

08:31:34
from the list for a separate vote and any other requests to move or any questions of staff. All right. Anyone wish to make any comments on any of those items? I think we’ve talked ourselves out. Okay. Uh I will now turn it then to the clerk for all items save and except for G. Over to you. >> Thank you. Councelor Gwight’s absent.

08:32:03
Councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nissan >> support. >> Councelor Stoalty’s absent. Councelor Sherman >> support. >> Councelor Bentonia >> support. >> Mayor Mard >> support. >> Five in favor, zero against. >> That carries. Turning now to the motion memo regarding Freeman Station. Councelor Karns.

08:32:19
Uh did you have a question or comment or just wanted a separate vote? >> No, I do have a question. Um so I have a question of staff. um if there is an opportunity for a privately held piece of land to house the um future movement of the Freeman station in the event that there is uh exhausted other options like all the ones that are listed.

08:32:44
Is that something that can be considered within the direction that is before us today? Uh turning that to Kurt Benson, our CIO to start. May pass it to staff. Go ahead. >> Yeah. Three, chair. I I that’s my interpretation of it is that that would uh um that would be part of it. Yes. >> Okay.

08:33:09
So, just for clarity, two two um directions of a joint venture. One, maybe something commercial comes in and operates the location on the spot. Of of course, it goes through all the diligence. And number two, if we can no longer have access to the lands on which the uh Freeman station is currently situated and have to explore other lands that we can also utilize private lands with all the diligence and proper negotiations.

08:33:34
It’s a feasible option >> uh through the chair. Uh yes, that is in fact uh what the Freeman Station land that is on right now, private lands. The city has a lease uh had a lease arrangement with the uh previous owner that land has recently gone through a a griven purchase and sale transaction. But yes, if we were were to move to uh separate private lands, we would go through a similar exercise to make sure we had uh uh rights to have that structure on those private lands.

08:34:08

Okay. And then I’ll go into Q just to be >> okay. No one else on the board. Go ahead. Question are still questions. >> Okay. And then within this uh direction, if it were to move to different lands that are privately held, would we still have the option to operate it uh with a volunteer group with some oversight by the city uh as a satellite location, maybe with some museum or some ecdev destination tourism support? Would those things be allowed to be explored under this direction? see what >> uh through the chair. Yes, I think the direction is broad enough to explore all of those opportunities. Some of those opportunities uh would take some looking into in terms of zoning and and different agreements that would be required, but the direction is broad enough to include all of those items for for consideration. >> Okay. Thank you. I just wanted to make sure it was not strictly precluded.

08:35:06
Thank you. I’m happy to go to the vote uh mayor if there’s no other comments. >> Okay. Thank you. I don’t see any other questions on the board for questions or comments. Okay, just pausing. Nope, not seeing anyone. So, over to you, clerk, for the vote. >> Councelor Golth is absent. Councelor Karns, >> support.

08:35:25

Councelor Nissan, >> support. >> Councelor Stoalty is absent. Councelor Sherman >> support. >> Councelor Bentania >> support. >> Mayor Maidward >> support. It’s five in favor, zero against. >> And that does carry. Turning now to the special council shareholder meeting of June 23rd, the resolutions of the sole shareholder, Burlington Enterprises Corporation.

08:35:47
Um, do we need a recorded vote on that? Yeah. Okay. Over to you for that. >> Councelor Gworth is absent. Councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nissan support. >> Councelor Stoalty is absent. Councelor Charman >> support. >> Councelor Bentania >> support. >> Mayor Midwood >> support. Five in favor, zero against.

08:36:07

That carries. Turning now to the motion to approve the standing committee minutes. Moved by councelor Bentovenia, seconded by councelor Nissan to confirm the minutes of the following meetings of committee. The committee of the whole meeting minutes of July 6 and 7. All those in favor? Simple show of hands? Any opposed? Seeing none, that does carry.

08:36:28
Uh we do have some urgent business. uh the recommendations from the traffic congestion and road safety roundtables. Item 20.1 provides some supplemental information regarding this item as well as a revised uh recommended amendment in addition to the motion. So, uh this has been not moved by councelor Bentovenia.

08:36:51
I’ll ask uh perhaps if councelor Charman since you were at one of the roundts uh if you would move this and uh councelor Bentovenia seconded uh to replace the first paragraph with endorsing the key findings and strategic priorities uh arising from the mayor’s roundts as outlined in report M26 and further supported through the supplementary report.

08:37:16
It’s in your package as the foundation for advancing Burlington’s next phase on transportation systems management including enhanced governmental collaboration intergovernmental collaboration government and improvements technology enabled transportation management and evidence-based congestion mitigation and this was uh supplied to us uh by staff as their recommended um uh amendment to that first paragraph to help them in their work.

08:37:44
So I will open I see a question from councelor Nissan. Go ahead. >> Uh yeah. No actually um your worship um I have a couple amendments to that uh amendment that were actually seconded by councelor Charman. So hopefully we can move this pretty along quickly. It’s uh it’s not it’s one one decision point essentially.

08:38:06
So um if there’s no questions I we can just move along uh and I’ll bring that in. >> Okay. I don’t see anyone on the board. Uh do we have the language of the is it an amendment to this? Is it an amendment to the main report? Uh >> well I I >> this is a this is its own amendment here. >> I managed to find that amendment in the script.

08:38:27
So I uh worked on an amendment to the script amendment and uh that’s coming up. Yep. The guys have it. Uh guess yeah working on it. So, I’m just wondering, Debbie, if you can underline or somehow distinguish. Okay, there you go. >> I did that. >> What would you like me to speak to it? Uh, mayor, at this time. >> So, this has been moved by yourself, seconded by councelor Charman.

08:39:08
Okay. Uh you can speak to it. Uh you have 3 minutes. Go ahead. >> Yeah, I won’t need that at all. Um so I uh I would like to uh definitely receive the mayor’s uh report. Uh I’m not prepared to endorse uh the findings uh because I would like to actually see the Q4 traffic management system report and uh have it included in there.

08:39:31
Um I don’t want to um approve the separate key findings. Um the process was I would say a good start but not not the full process. So uh when we add it into the key for traffic management system report then we’re at a full process and uh so rather than endorse I’d like to receive and file the key findings and then certainly um ask that staff take into account what uh the work that was done through the roundts uh in the development of their Q4 traffic management uh system uh report.

08:40:02
Um and uh this language has also been shared uh with uh with staff. So in the end uh council has to decide whether they want to endorse or receive and file the key findings and strategic priorities. Thank you >> councelor Charman. >> Thank you. I I just firstly want to thank uh the commissioner public works after I asked him the question.

08:40:27
Can you manage to get the list of things and you did this very eloquently. It was it’s quite compact and well done. Um, with respect to the more data and all the rest of it, I think there is more to be considered than what was in the meetings and I think this is this this amendment is helpful in that regard.

08:40:43
Um, so I’m I I think this is fine. So I’m I’m supporting it. Thanks. >> Councelor Bentovenia, a question or comment before we set the board. >> Just a quick comment. Um, >> okay. Go ahead. >> I mean, I’m uh I I’m okay with this amendment. uh at the end of the day, we’re going to endorse or not endorse whatever comes out.

08:41:05
So, um nothing really changes. So, thank you very much. >> All right. I’m not seeing any other questions. I would like to hear from uh staff. I don’t know if uh Craig wants to take it. If Scott, you want to take it, I’ll leave it to you to determine who wants to speak to this. I was under the impression that endorse was uh more helpful to us uh to uh do some of the initial advocacy and to set the stage for the findings uh versus a simple receive and file with taking into account. But I would really like to hear from staff on this. What is most helpful to you and more importantly what is most helpful uh to us in our service to community to move these things forward? >> Uh through you chair to yourself. Um, we’re okay with the motion as it’s it’s it’s amended here. The one thing I would add though is um the receiving file is fine for the material that came out of the round table sessions. That’s that’s fine for staff. Where we’d like to have

08:42:04
the endorse piece is when we’re dealing with the intergovernment agencies, the province, the region. That is where we have a little more teeth behind it if it is endorsed by council for that. So I’m not sure if we could change it or amend it so that it was received and file but you had endorsed something around the government side so that we had that support behind staff because we are having a a roadblock when we hit the province and the region.

08:42:27
So it would make our life a lot easier to have that support for council. >> Okay. So we have a little bit of word smithing to do then if uh I understood the endorse related to everything um but that’s fine. we can we can break it up. Uh I think we’ll want to uh honor what we’re hearing from staff on that piece.

08:42:49
So, uh let’s take a minute to see if we can get uh some different language. And >> I might be able to do it right now, Mayor. Um if not, then I would agree with a minute. Do you mind if I uh suggest something? Okay. >> Uh I would say including endorsing enhanced intergovernmental collaboration. Scott, would that do the job? Um, so um yeah, I think that uh Yeah.

08:43:20

Does that say what you think it needs to say? Okay. Is everyone >> and then I think you may uh maybe just that just needs to go at the end so that we’re not accidentally endorsing other things. So uh >> it is it is at the end. uh enhancing intergovernmental collaboration, governance improvements, technology enabled transportation which relates to the other agencies and evidence-based congestion mitigation.

08:43:48
Is that all part of what the um other agency work that you really need us to endorse is? Okay. >> Okay, that’s fine. >> All right. And then taking into account the balance of things, which isn’t much more than that, but that’s okay. We can do all of that. Okay. Does everyone is so Debbie can you get that uh one word including endorsing prior to enhanced? And clerk, do we need to take that word as a second amendment and deal with that word first and then the rest? Are we good to do it in one kind of piece >> through the chair? It looks friendly to me. Okay. If we’re good with that and then we just do amendment and then back to the main >> looking at councelor Charman if he’s >> are you good with that? Okay. >> We won’t go there.

08:45:03
All right. Are we um almost there? While I’m uh while we’re getting that back on the board, are there any other questions or speakers to the item? Because when we put it back up, I can just call the vote. If not, okay, we have it there. Don’t see any other speakers. And I am going to uh so we’ll vote on the amendment and then we’ll vote on the main motion as amended. Over to you, clerk.

08:45:29
Thank you very much. Councelor Gworth is absent. Councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nissan >> support. >> Councelor Stoalty is absent. Councelor Charman >> support. >> Councelor Bentoia >> support. >> Mayor Midward >> support. >> Five in favor, zero against. >> The amendment carries. And so now we will vote on the entire motion as amended.

08:45:52
I assume there are no further questions or comments. Are we putting that on the board or people will refer to their package? All right, there we go. That is the entire motion. Oh, we just lost it. Okay,

08:47:08
over to you, clerk. Are we good? No, it disappeared again. Okay. Are we good? >> Y. >> All right. Um, now for the recorded vote. Go ahead. >> Thank you. Councelor Gworth is absent. Councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nissan >> support. Councelor Stoaltce is absent. Councelor Charman >> support.

08:47:49

Councelor Bentania >> support. >> Mayor Maidward >> support. >> That’s five in favor, zero against. >> And that carries. Uh we have uh confidential items and closed meeting minutes. So we have a motion to confirm the minutes of the confidential closed session of committee of the whole July 6th and 7 and council June 23rd.

08:48:07
That’s been moved by councelor Kurrin, seconded by councelor Charman. All those in favor? Any opposed? Okay, seeing none, uh we um the confidential legal update on the potential litigation matter. Uh, we have determined we will not go into closed session on that. So, I think we just need a vote on that then, do we not? We haven’t voted on that one yet. Sorry.

08:48:32
Go ahead, councelor Karns. >> Sorry, I had asked the clerk earlier when an appropriate time is to bring in uh the petition. I know we just finished uh traffic urgent business. Um, just wondering before we get too far ahead uh when we can maybe look at that. Yeah, we were going to do it I think at the at the end just before the receive and file of items, but it can come anytime really.

08:49:00

Exactly. It can come anytime. >> Okay, let’s miss it. >> Okay, thanks. >> Yeah, we’ll we’ll make sure we don’t miss it. Um Okay, so the confidential items is uh on the floor. All those in favor, show of hands. Any opposed? Seeing none. Uh okay. And then um All right. And we have our confidential legal update on a potential litigation matter regarding uh 480 G line.

08:49:41
Uh any questions? No. Good. All right. Over to you for the recorded vote on that. >> Councelor Gre is absent. Councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nissan >> support. Councelor Stoalt is absent. Councelor Sherman >> support. >> Councelor Bentovenia >> support. >> Mayor Maidward >> support. >> Five in favor, zero against.

08:50:07

That carries. All right. Um and that was a uh just so folks know that was a direction for our commissioner to proceed as in accordance with the instructions in that confidential report. All right. Uh we are now at rise and report. Uh we have no rise and report. Uh the motions by members uh two of them have been dealt with, but we have a third that has been brought forward by uh councelor Galbrath and uh councelor Nissan, but do you have another uh mover for that or shall we refer that um to >> pretty urgent? So uh and maybe councelor Chararma will put on the floor. We’ll ask staff about it to make sure everyone has all the required information. Okay, let’s uh we are talking about the sign bylaw. It’s the new motion.

08:51:05
Councelor Galbrath and and Nissan. Uh we added it to the agenda. Uh councelor Grey’s not here, so we need a seconder. Uh while people are thinking about seconding, I see your hands up. Uh councelor Karns, was it to second this or is it in relation to this item or or a different thing? >> It’s in relation to the item.

08:51:21
I’m not sure if we should refer it, but um I’ll just wait and see what we say here. I’m not seconding it though. >> Okay. Not seconding it. So, uh, councelor Nissan, you’re okay to move it because you you were the second. Okay. Is there a seconder for >> Okay. >> Well, I would just ask if anybody wants to second it to get that information.

08:51:41
You can withdraw your seconding after the fact if you don’t like what you’re hearing. >> Okay. Let’s just hear him out. >> Okay. We have uh it’s been seconded by Councelor Charman. just to get it on the floor for discussion. You can vote any which way you want once you uh hear the information.

08:51:59
So, I’m going to turn it over to councelor Nissan to um say talk to us about this. Okay. Go ahead. >> Yeah, it’s a uh well, I was pleased to read the motion and then second it. Um, as I understand, it’s a rather uh urgent matter related to the province and a sign that will in all likelihood go in whether we like it or not, but it would be to our municipal benefit to be on board uh with it.

08:52:24
And with that, I will pass it to staff for a fullsome explanation of the of the issue at hand here. Hopefully, someone can do that. Thank you. >> Okay. Uh, director of community planning, Jamie Tellier, go ahead. >> Sure. through the chair and counselor Nissan, you you you did a pretty good job getting it set up.

08:52:40
It’s basically there’s it’s a provincial initiative. There’s a series of animated billboards that they’re propri proposing along the highway corridor across the GTA. Um and this is one of them. And and unfortunately this type of sign is not eligible for a sign variance if you’re familiar with that. So through a conversation with councelor Galbrath, he just wanted to instruct us to amend the signed bylaw to permit it.

08:53:11

Maybe I’ll just add a second uh question. Uh a any are there um the facts on the ground is that the that our bylaw could be overruled regardless and also that there’s some financial implications. Do we have any of that >> through the chair? That’s correct. the uh the proponent has indicated that there’s uh I’ll I’ll loosely use the term community benefit, not in the way our our legal folks typically use that in the sense of what they’re saying is that the municipality has access to time on the sign, if you will, for for community messages and and what have you. So, there is a benefit to the municipality to do it. And to your point, it is a provincial initiative. There’s already uh I’ll I’ll call it a minister’s order in order to allow the sign in proximity to the highway, but it’s not a minister’s order to approve the sign. That is our job by way of the

08:54:08
uh the amendment to the sign bylaw. >> Okay. Uh councelor Karns, over to you. >> Uh thank you very much. And as someone who has experience in the um out ofome industry, I would reference the city of Missaga corporate report on a meeting date of March 6th, 2024 where an application was delivered uh in a similar way and was called the Missaga Digital Gateway signage community partnership program with a sign advertising company on uh CN Rail/Metrolinks land.

08:54:41
And in that executive summary, it outlines in addition to the existing terms of the agreement, the digital billboard agreement included a 5% share of advertising revenue to the city of Missaga. And across the three boards, it would equal about $900,000 in the lifetime of the agreement in addition to the community um you know, the community use that is under the um corporate advertising policy.

08:55:06
That would be their placement of advertisement within the city. That’s a different policy we don’t have. And I’m just wondering what conversations went on around getting and capturing our own cost share in in response to this bylaw amendment >> through the chair. Uh correct. Those conversations took place with the with councelor Galbrath uh in terms of uh some some revenue and and the time uh or signed time if if if you will.

08:55:31
Uh what we’re going to do now depending on on how the vote on this motion is that we will now initiate the agreement to lock those things in with with the proponents so that when we come back we will have uh those details and ideally an agreement in place. >> Sorry, I need to be very clear because there is no information in this report that’s before us the by signed by law amendment.

08:55:58
I mean, it doesn’t even let people know it’s a illuminated digital billboard. It doesn’t indicate the size. It doesn’t indicate anything. It doesn’t indicate both sides. Where is it? Two sides, one side per bridge. Um there’s a lot of information missing here. And uh most importantly, I would like to see a more robust plan or report brought to us that does include that 5% um advertising revenue share which we see is uh municipal standards based on that uh Missaga corporate report.

08:56:27
So again, have we 100% locked in the 5% revenue share? Because when you say things like we get the community community benefit of posting our own notices, that’s a that’s a garbage benefit. That’s not a good benefit. 5% revenue is >> through the chair. My understanding is that both are on the table, the the revenue sharing and and the screen time.

08:56:55
I just I have not actually met with the the proponent yet. I’m so I’m I’m sharing with you uh what I’ve heard through the conversation with the ward counselor, but I think more importantly when we come back with the bylaw amendment, all of those details will be will be provided in that report. >> Okay.

08:57:14
I’m going to amend this to include a revenue share and a community benefit, but I will let the next questions go forward until I get that language. >> Councelor Bentania. >> Thank you, Mayor. And I get I like the fact that revenues are coming in, but besides that, I’m worried about revenues going out. So, in my other life, um, when you put up billboards or signage of this size, they have to be, and even though the province have approved it, I get it, but we’re agreeing to this.

08:57:48
Signs had to be 400 ft from a highway. And I don’t know what the dimensions are, but is there any liability, Mr. Commissioner of Legal Services, on the city? If I’m driving and I look and I get an accident uh through the chair, this isn’t something that uh legal staff’s had any involvement or looked at.

08:58:11
Uh so that my comment here is just a general and it’s a apologize for the lawyer’s answer that uh that you’re going to get here and it really is going to depend on any sort of fact situation about billboard falling as to as to why it fell and the rest. So I I can’t sitting here today give you the answer that you I think you want which is some detail on that.

08:58:35
It’s just something we haven’t looked into about the details of this specifically and uh on in a general sense it really does depend on what what happened if if something tragic were to occur. >> So just to follow up uh we don’t get any indemnification situation on in this agreement at all. uh through the chair uh just based on the uh comments I’ve heard from uh the director of planning that the agreement between the province and the city is still going to be finalized on this.

08:59:07
So those are things that we’d be looking at in terms of what the what’s concluded in the agreement. >> Uh I’m going to take an opportunity to ask a first-time question and um I’m sorry if I missed it. What is the urgency here >> through you mayor? The the urgency as I understand it is the there is significant pressure from the province to get their permits and deploy these signs.

08:59:41
And so that’s that is the urgency. If the as I understand it, if uh if we are unable to find a solution, they may

09:00:00
around us and perhaps that opportunity for for revenue sharing and whatnot is is withdrawn. So I think that’s the carrot they’re they’re putting out to us to try and help them establish a sign. Would we lose anything uh if we referred this to September so we can have more details on what this means? Um, I mean the information in the motion that we all just got was just install a digital sign and none of the rest of this unless people are watching uh is and and I’m not sure if it’s a selling feature that the province is pressuring us so at all uh to to so I I’m in your hands. You you’re it’s not your fault.

09:00:57
Um, but but should we instead be referring this to have something actually to approve? Can we ask? I I don’t know. Absolutely. We can defer this. I I can’t speak on behalf of the proponent and what they will how they will react to this. Again, as I understand it from from councelor Gre.

09:01:19
He uh he mentioned it to us that how do we how do we move this as quickly as possible given the pressures that apparently he is receiving to to move this along. But certainly we can bring it back in September with a more wholesome set of details and and perhaps a >> uh couple slides to show you what the sign is and and what it looks like and and by then we may actually be able to have advanced the conversations about the agreement as well to to share on on that part of it.

09:01:55

Okay. Um, I will uh I will mull that over and maybe I’ll um make a bit of a comment here that uh this is the first I’m hearing of pressure to put up a sign. Uh and I have pretty good relations with the province. Uh so if they have been pressuring it’s fairly recent which may mean we have some time and we always uh I always have the ability to call a special counsel meeting if there truly is urgency and we’re going to miss out on something uh in the community.

09:02:33
I I really feel uncomfortable um uh approving this uh not knowing what in fact in any way we’re approving. Uh, I do know uh that that residents aren’t super thrilled about digital signs, generally speaking, wherever they are. Um, I I do know that um the location of them um especially if they’re a distraction to traffic is also not super um uh well received in the community.

09:03:08
So before I uh take some heat for approving something, I’d like to know what it is. So if uh anyone is immunable to referring this forward to September councelor Charman has moved that is there. >> Sorry I’m still in my comments. I’m asking a question. Um and yes you can uh you’re next up on the board. Uh okay so we we have I’ll I’m sorry I don’t check my email during um committee meetings.

09:03:37
So I’ve missed that but I will I will stop my comments now and I will go back to the board. Councelor uh Nissan, you’re next. >> Yeah, thank you. And certainly if uh committee or council wants to refer this, I’m not going to have a problem with that at all. Um what I wanted to ask though was uh maybe we can fix this language up a bit uh because I get the impression that uh they’re going to have to come back with the amendment to the signed bylaw anyway.

09:04:00
So maybe we could just get that work uh going and then the approval point will be when we get that uh bylaw back and we’ll actually have to watch our bylaws. But you’ll put a covering report on there, too. So, maybe we could just uh amend this, mayor, to ask uh uh staff to prepare um an amendment to the signed bylaw for approval.

09:04:22
Uh and then at least we’re moving the ball down the down the field and I think that would uh keep this issue live uh for us. Um and and then we can oneshot it uh in September. Uh but we got to at least get that that bylaw amended. Uh Jamie, what do you think about that? Or is there another way to to handle this? Uh I don’t want the door to be closed.

09:04:45
I guess uh and if they are in a rush, at least this way we’re signaling to them. I’m really I’m not knowledgeable on this uh motion. So >> Jamie, mayor, absolutely. I mean, we can do the work between now and September, and it’s just a question of what is it that we’re going to present to you in September, whether it be the fully baked amendment for you to decide on or a report with more details for you to decide if you even really want to to do this. So, uh I’m in your hands.

09:05:15
We’re happy to just proceed. And and to your point, a little word smmith is uh instead of directing us to amend uh just directing us to prepare an amendment or or something like that >> for the council consideration or for committee consideration >> because by law amendments are always kind of a fair bit of work.

09:05:34
So um uh I don’t know it needs a secondary. Councelor Chararm if you’re interested in that uh approach then I would be uh through the chair. I’ll be I’ll be supportive. Thank you mayor. >> Uh thank you. So, we have that was good discussion and dialogue. We’ve got some options. Uh I am aware that a referral does take priority and um I I did go to you first to speak.

09:05:58
I’m glad uh councelor uh Nissan you’ve you’ve tabled some other items we can think of. So, um councelor Karns and Charman if you’re still uh wanting to refer it. Okay. So, that takes priority over any other motions. We can still back off of that once we hear the conversation. But um uh councelor Karns, you have your hand up first.

09:06:19
Do you want to speak to this first? The referral. >> Sure. Thanks very much. Uh I am speaking to the referral because I think there are some other nuances that uh need to be reviewed more holistically by staff before we just jump to a bylaw amendment. Uh and here is one of them. So, uh I am also concerned about the procurement bylaw because unless we’ve been presented with an agreement between uh Metro Links or CN Rail, whichever is the CN Rail here, uh unless they have an underlying agreement with RCC media, then we should be going out to tender on this to see who will pay us the most for our digital billboard. We’re essentially selling an asset through this. There’s a there’s a pecuniary interest here uh that we have to be aware of. In addition, we do need to have some additional um schematics, signs, measurements, etc. of what we’re being asked to approve in its entirety. And we need some community engagement too around uh digital billboards on our

09:07:18
throughways. And why would we just do one without understanding what the scope of any other overpasses may look like in terms of ownership? Uh and most importantly uh we need a good deal for the community and whether that’s community uh use on the sign uh revenue shares which are customary within the industry.

09:07:37
I think that we just need to move this to September to have a proper business case and draft agreement as well as you know any other legalities and technical specs. I mean, that can be added, but um we’re walking into a pretty dangerous spot about approving something that has a monetary value and a legal value, uh a lit a a liability issue, uh without the appropriate background here.

09:08:00
So, I do uh commend councelor Galbreth for identifying opportunity, but I think this just needs some additional diligence and we can do that in September. >> Councelor Charman, >> thank you. I I um certainly agree with what councelor said. The question that’s been going through my mind is is where’s this originating from? Why are they talking to the council and talking to the staff um without coming through staff directly and going through a proper um um contractual discussion with whoever they would need to have with the city. This all seems very strange to me. So I’m I’m very comfortable with moving it to September. I don’t want you can do what you like in terms of preparing the bylaw if you have you know but that’s your choice right now. I’m just want to defer it to September. >> All right. Councelor uh Nissan, a question or comment? >> Yeah, I’ve been uh trying to reach out to councelor Galbreth. He’s in a waiting room somewhere. Not sure which one. Um

09:08:59
to just give him an opportunity to respond since he’s the the leader on this file, but uh I know it’s getting late here. So, we just got Well, of course, he can join mid meeting. That’s his absolutely his option. We’ve all done it. Um, >> okay, Kelvin, we see that you have joined.

09:09:21
Um, you can uh go ahead and unmute if you want to speak to the item. Go ahead. >> Okay. Uh, thank you, mayor. So, I assume we’re on the uh my motion for the sign bylaw. >> Uh, we are. There is I don’t know how much you’ve uh been aware of the conversation, but there is right now a motion to refer it. uh council um several council members have expressed concerns about not having enough information and wanting to get uh as it says on the screen there a business case and a draft agreement.

09:09:52
Um also just knowing what it is that we’re approving and why. So uh uh but the uh I think what you would be limited to talking about right now is is whether or not uh this should be referred and and what the urgency is. That was a piece that wasn’t entirely clear to us. So, you can uh scope your comments to that.

09:10:16

Okay. Sure. Thank you, Mayor, for that. Um, basically the um a company called RCC uh that represents the province of Ontario approached my office. Um, and they are putting 40 of these signs across the province. Uh, uh, they’ve installed 14 already. They’re down to the final three approvals.

09:10:35
Uh, with Burlington being one of those three. Uh those three all had signed bylaws that didn’t comply, but they found ways to do it. Um you know, basically the province said they will kind of install this anyway whether we um have the approval or or um move this motion or not. But if we can at least uh collaborate with them and uh allow this sign by the uh amendment that we’re asking for in the sign bylaw, then we will um we will be privy to advertising on the sign.

09:11:11
Um this is an isolated case. It won’t affect other sign applications across the city. That’s why it’s scoped specifically to this location and to this application. Um it also would result in uh I think 50,000 a year to the city. um for the placement of the sign. It’s on CN lands. It’s not it’s on sort of provinially owned lands regardless and it’s in an area that’s um where the highways intersect.

09:11:38
It doesn’t really affect any neighborhoods or anything. So um we went over this I had a meeting with staff with Jamie Talier and uh they helped me craft this. So staff are supportive of it. Um and I’ll leave it at that. Thank you. >> Okay, don’t go away. There might be questions. Councelor Charman, go ahead. >> Yeah, thank you very much, Kelvin.

09:12:00
This is very unusual. Why would they not come directly to the city staff? >> Uh they they did have uh meetings with city staff. So they met with planning staff and and planning staff read the bylaw like the letter of the law and digital signs are not permitted in our city. However, there have been some exemptions. We have digital signs.

09:12:27
We have one on Branch Street. We have one at Maple View Mall. Uh and I think there’s a few others. So, there have been sightsp specific exceptions to that bylaw. Um so, there already has been precedent within our city. Um but, uh so, initially this company went to staff and and the answer is, you know, we have a signed bylaw that prohibits them.

09:12:50
Thank you very much. Um, so then they went the political route and uh contacted my office and it was just last week. It was really um last minute but they said they want to install in the fall. Um they were, you know, almost saying they will install in the fall, but they’d really like our cooperation uh so that we can work together and that the city can be uh privy to some future advertising on the sign.

09:13:15
I I’m just wondering we should just hand it over to staff and ask them to fix it up and just not >> That’s essentially what the uh what it says. Hand it back to staff. They’ll make a sight specific amendment to the bylaw and then this only this one is permitted. It doesn’t open up a can of worms to future ones.

09:13:31
Um, so >> I I actually maybe staff could comment on this because I I I I think all we were doing was talking about a bylaw and now we’re talking about money and other things. So what do you have to do to get this done staff? The whole thing. >> Go ahead Jamie. >> Sure. Through the chair. Uh, well there’s two there’s two pieces and and you’re exactly correct.

09:13:57
There’s the sightsp specific amendment to the sign bylaw to permit this sign and only this sign. Uh and then the other piece of course is the the agreement working through the terms of uh the the revenue sharing and uh and our ability to to have access to that sign. So those are the two pieces that we would immediately begin working on so that we can come back to you with uh that wholesome recommendation >> in September.

09:14:31

That is the plan. >> Okay. So I I’m really going to I don’t know where I’m at, but Calvin, is that going to work for you? >> Okay, councelor. >> Yep, that works for me. Yeah. >> Okay. Thanks, Kelvin. Uh councelor Karns. Uh thank you to to the mover I guess in absentia councelor Golra. I’m really concerned about this because uh we need to see we don’t have anything in front of us that identifies this agreement or anything like that and I’m just wondering outside of the pure scope of just a bylaw amendment. Will you be open to not planning staff but our sort of business continuity staff or maybe legal looking into more of this around what the agreement looks like between the city of Burlington and the proponent not metro links or not we’re very confused here about Metro links versus CN etc ownership length of time all that kind of stuff like who who do we call to

09:15:30
put the advertising on uh what if we don’t get the advertising what if they display something that’s outside of our city values. There’s a whole lot more to this that I think we might need to look at. Are you open to staff really looking at it and reporting back wholesomely in September? >> Oh yeah, 100 100%.

09:15:46
I mean I so we had the meeting with um with uh so bylaw was in the meeting, planning was in the meeting. Uh that was my second meeting. The first meeting it was just planning and then the second meeting uh the company was involved and bylaw was involved. But yeah, if if you know the they have just verbally um agreed to offer us advertising on the sign, but I you know, it’s almost like a a bonus.

09:16:16
The the province will do what the province will do. Hey, I I’ve got a I’ve got the TOC um happening in my ward where the province is just saying they will M Zoe it and put it in whether we like it or not. So, I have these two um issues in the last month that have come up where the province is basically telling my office they’re going to do what they’re going to do.

09:16:35
Um are we going to collaborate or not? So, I you know, I think we uh uh you know, move forward with asking staff to put together this bylaw amendment and then uh if you want to add anything to like negotiating terms um that I would be completely open to that. I think it’s a good suggestion and um but I think staff are prepared to do that anyway.

09:16:57
But yeah, if you want to put that those kind of terms in there for sure. >> Yeah, thank you councelor. I I have done that in the referral motion um on the basis of what a 2024 agreement with Missaga around their digital advertising on city property via MetroLink CNN. Uh and they have a list of sort of those highway overpass locations.

09:17:18
So, so we will do something like that and uh perhaps you know we’re just looking for your support to refer this to September to get a better sense of uh business case possible revenue generation and um you know more technical specs so that we can share that with the community as well. >> Okay. Uh Kurt wanted to weigh in.

09:17:39
Uh thank you for that counselor. Go ahead. >> Yeah, thank you mayor. Um what what I’ll suggest too is uh perhaps through my office um coordinating and taking the lead on uh negotiating and working with the proponent. Uh it’s it likely will uh touch a few different parts of the organization and we want to make sure uh we’re understanding uh fully what the risks and opportunities are.

09:18:02
So happy to uh uh to proceed in that manner. Thank you. >> Councelor Nissan a question or comment? Uh just a question. Uh would staff also like us to uh with this direct staff to um draft the the bylaw amendment? Would that would that help us to make sure that we have a we’re finalized in September? >> Through chair uh counselor, can you repeat that? You’re you’re asking if we should just prepare the bylaw amendment in anticipation of this in September.

09:18:40
Is that >> Yeah, I think you know would you like us to ask you to do that? So uh or were you going to do that anyway? >> We were just going to do it anyway uh to advance >> a whole new bylaw. So >> the the question is what what we bring forward uh in September but the work is going to start now >> and then so whatever it can be completed at the September cycle. Correct.

09:19:01

Whatever. And then we won’t have to think about this anymore. Okay. All right. I’m uh I’m fine with this. Sorry. >> Kurt, did you want to weigh in or No, you’re you’re good. Okay. All right. Uh I think we’ve we’ve sorted this. Um I I will just say I do feel a little uncomfortable when uh things are action is different than what we’re directing.

09:19:25
I mean I I kind of consider that if we refer something for discussion to another time uh we should put uh we’re and we’ve directed you to provide a business case and draft. um we we really shouldn’t just leave it up to you to do a whole bunch of other things if that’s not what was intended by the referral.

09:19:43
Having said that, I think it’s important to ask you to uh meet with and negotiate and bring something back for our consideration which could well include uh a draft uh a draft bylaw. So, um I’d feel more comfortable if that language was in there. Um I think we we get ourselves uh tangled up. Uh we’ve had a situation where staff didn’t proceed with work um waiting for a council decision that was against actually a council direction.

09:20:12
So we don’t want to be in that situation because because our staff are so wonderfully helpful to us and trying to intuitit what we need. Uh but we speak with one voice as council and we really do need to uh to be on that. So um I want to support the work uh but I want to get the uh the actual language correct so that we are in fact all of us uh directing staff together.

09:20:34
So councelor Chararma go ahead. >> Yeah I just assume >> I just assume refer it back to staff >> with nothing else attached. >> That’s correct. >> Okay. So, uh we can uh we can take the item in two parts then the referral and then the language around directing staff to provide uh what we want them to bring back.

09:20:55
Let’s do it that way just to move it along. Um unless there’s any other changes. Okay. Uh so we will then uh take it uh one motion in two parts. Uh the first is referring the item and uh I’ll turn it to you clerk for that clause. >> Just sorry um if councelor Charman doesn’t support the second aspect he’s the seconder should just withdraw it so we send the make sure we don’t send the wrong message here.

09:21:27

I’m going to take the motion in two parts counselor. So people will vote on what which part they agree with and we’ll see where we are at the end of it. So one motion and two parts. It’s a separation of the question. We do it regularly. So over to you clerk >> councelor Gworth. >> Uh so sorry this first part I can’t read it where I am.

09:21:47
So >> it’s a refer >> is a refer. Okay. Do not support. >> Councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nissan >> support. >> Councelor Stoalty. >> Yeah. Councelor Stoalty’s absent. Councelor Sherman >> support. >> Councelor Bentovenia >> support. >> Mayor Midward >> support. >> That’s five in favor one against.

09:22:06

That does carry. And then the second part is what we’re asking staff to bring us uh back in September and that is a business case draft agreement and draft signed bylaw amendment on that clause. Uh over to you clerk for the vote. >> Thank you very much. Councelor Gworth >> support. >> Uh councelor Karns >> support.

09:22:25

Council Nissan >> support. Councelor Stoalty’s absent. Councelor Charman >> okay support. >> Councelor Pennsylvania >> support. May Ward >> support. Six in favor, zero against. >> There we go. All right. Good job, everybody. Um, the clock is still kicking. So, we uh ticking. We have three council information packages.

09:22:46
June 26, July 3rd, 10, and 17. And if anyone wants to discuss any of those items, the next deadline, uh, we do not have a regularly scheduled meeting in August is in early September. Uh, motion to receive and file. Oh, no. We’re going to actually do the petition. We’re going to stop uh and pause on that.

09:23:07
Um we’re going to receive the petition relative to um the uh motion item 18.1. So, we do have a bit of proceduralness. Uh do we have that uh to go on the screen? Um or do we need it to go on the screen? Just give me a sec. I’m going to look up uh what our procedure is here. Okay.

09:23:34
So, um, we first of all, because we have already approved the agenda and this wasn’t added at that time, we do need to reconsider the approval of the agenda this morning, which seems like last week. Uh, but that’s to add the second petition in support of item 18.1. This will require a twothirds vote, and we will need a seconder.

09:23:54
Does anyone wish to second that motion? Councelor Karns has moved it. I will second it, but I’d have to pass the gavl. Okay, councelor Nissan will second. All right, that is on the agenda to reconsider the um approval of the agenda from this morning to add this item. So, that’s step one. Uh I assume there are no questions.

09:24:25
We all know what we’re doing. Councelor, sorry, uh clerk, recorded vote, please. Councelor Gre, >> did we lose him again? >> Yeah, I did hear support. Uh, councelor Karns >> support. >> Council Nissan >> support. >> Councelor Stoalty’s absent. Councelor Charman >> support. >> Councelor Benavania >> support. >> Mayor Mard >> support.

09:24:49

That is six in favor, zero against. >> Okay, that passes. We have our two/3. Secondly, we have to wave for uh section 47.3 uh which is the deadline to receive agenda items and section 48 which is petition requirements in our procedure bylaw to allow the petition from Samantha Prada regarding motion memo item 18.1 ADM526.

09:25:12
This also requires a 2/3 support. Uh moved by councelor Karns, seconded by >> councelor Nissan. Councelor Charman. Okay. Councelor Nissan. It is moved and seconded. We will move straight to the vote. Uh go ahead. >> Councelor Gre >> support. >> Councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nissan >> support.

09:25:38

Councelor Stalty’s absent. Councelor Charman >> support. >> Councelor Bensonia >> support. >> Mayor Midwood >> support. >> Six in favor, zero against. and that carries. And just uh for folks who are watching around the petition requirements, we had to wave that as we don’t have the document with the addresses or postal codes yet, but I think we will get those.

09:25:56
So, both of those motions have carried. So, now it’s a simple majority motion to approve the agenda again with the addition of the petition and after that uh the clerk can read it into the record. So that has been uh moved by councelor Karns and seconded by councelor Nissan to approve the agenda as amended adding this petition and a simple majority will work. Over to you clerk.

09:26:23

Thank you. Councelor Greath >> support. >> Councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nissan >> support. >> Councelor Charman >> support. >> Should say councelor Stoalty is absent. Councelor Bentonia >> support. >> Mayor me >> support. >> Six in favor zero against. And that does carry.

09:26:39
Now I will turn it to the clerk to the read the language of the petition into the record. Over to you. >> Thank you very much. Yes. The petition the the petition statement is we respectfully ask Burlington City Council to approve motion 18.1 and direct staff to report on the option of one-year moratorum develop a comprehensive policy framework and establish a meaningful public engagement on future data center development.

09:27:04
And I can report that there is 267 signatures uh on that petition. >> Uh those are the online plus the 10 written. Okay. >> Correct. >> All righty. Thanks everyone. Uh I don’t >> uh Yeah, go ahead. >> Thank you very much. So, I um respect that the clerk had alerted us to the fact that a petition had come in in this regard to the items that we discussed earlier today um and that it wasn’t within the right uh timeline and it was going to be referred forward to the September uh meeting to meet those deadlines. But given the fact that the amendments made on uh I think 18.1 which was the um motion memo that I had tabled and then the subsequent ones moving through into December uh those timelines no longer matched up. I had thought it could come forward in September with the other report backs but now that it’s December uh disposing of this or

09:28:01
recognizing this today procedurally uh allows us to to not bring it forward in September. but it could still encourage people to uh keep petitions going in any way, shape or form. Uh and they will get to our our council chambers. So, thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. Any other speakers? Okay.

09:28:22
I now have a motion to receive and file information items. Uh moved by councelor Charman, seconded by councelor Karns. All those in favor? Show of hands. Any opposed? Seeing none, that does carry. Are there any notices of motion? Okay, seeing none, I now have a motion to approve the bylaws. Uh they are um we approved some already, but we have uh still to approve the uh parks bylaw 40 2022.

09:28:54
Uh the bylaw to provide for licensing, regulating and governing of v various businesses. A bylaw related to traffic delegation authority, a bylaw for rates and fees, a bylaw to assume city-owned parcels of land in the city of Burlington. That list is there. Any questions or comments? Seeing none, I’ll turn it to the clerk for the recorded vote.

09:29:20

Councelor Golreth, >> support. >> Councelor Karns, >> support. >> Councelor Nissan, >> support. >> Councelor Stoalty is absent. Councelor Charman, >> support. >> Councelor Bentania, >> support. Mayor Midward >> support. >> Six in favor, zero against. >> That carries. I have a confirmatory bylaw moved by councelor Charman, seconded by councelor Nissan to enact and pass bylaw 49 2026 being a bylaw to confirm the proceedings of council at our meeting July 21 being read a first, second, and third time. I’ll turn it to the clerk for the recorded vote. >> Councelor Golreth >> support. >> Councelor Karns >> support. >> Councelor Nissan support. Council Salty’s absent. Councelor Charman >> support. >> Councelor Bentoia >> support. >> Mayor me >> support. >> That is six in favor, zero against. >> And that does carry. Turning now to statements by members. Three minutes each. You are first. Go ahead. Councelor Nissan. >> Thank you. Just a reminder of the Brand Hills Community Center uh retro energy

09:30:18
retrofit that’s uh underway uh as the work gets started. Um all the rooftop gas fired mechanical equipment is being replaced with electrical units. The roofing uh system is being uh replaced uh including increasing roof insulation thickness, some windows, some lighting, some ceilings, and a new solar volt no photovalttaic system on the roof.

09:30:41
So, the the work is entirely confined uh to the building. I also want to note the history of Loville uh heritage week event is August 10th from 10:00 a.m. at the Louisville United Church and uh notification of project construction in Brandt Hills. Uh Burlington Hydro uh contractor is undergoing uh underground hydro cable replacements until Friday, August 28th impacting Middlesmore Crescent, Hollyhead Drive, Cold Stream Drive, Hanbury Crescent, and Leo Minster Drive. Any questions about any of these items, just reach out to my office board3 burlington.ca. Thank you. Councelor Karns. >> Looking ahead to the fall, War 2 residents will continue to have public engagement opportunities conducted in accordance with the city of Burlington’s use of corporate resources during an election policy which is intended to ensure fairness, transparency, and

09:31:39
compliance. Uh please subscribe to the W 2 newsletter for dates. That is a newsletter issued through my office. Heritage Week celebrations will be taking place across W 2 from August 3rd to 8th. Highlights include a waterfront walking tour from Spencer Smith Park on August 3rd, Burlington trivia night at the Performing Arts Center on August 5th, and a presentation on the significance of water to the Six Nations, Joseph Brand, and Burlington’s history.

09:32:03
On August 6th, the Burlington Public Library, Central Branch, will host lots of events August 7th and 8th, including a heritage fair presentation on Burlington’s waterways, and special history themed open mic. These events offer residents an opportunity to learn about Burlington’s rich heritage, connect with local organizations, and celebrate the stories that have shaped our community.

09:32:22
Movies by the Lake is cancelled tonight because the rain uh that is in its fifth season of outdoor movie nights presented by Burlington downtown businesses. The free family-friendly series transforms the waterfront into an open air theater and continues to be a great way to bring residents and visitors downtown while supporting local vibrancy.

09:32:40
Dumb and Dumber is up on July 21st. That’s what was cancelled. It will be rescheduled and Oceans 11 is next on July 28th. The Burllo Naval Veterans will host the Korean ship’s memorial service on July 26th at Spencer Smith Park at 11:00 a.m. to noon. The annual service of remembrance honors the 30,000 Canadians who served during Korean War and subsequent peacekeeping efforts, including the 516 Canadians who lost their lives.

09:33:06
The ceremony will feature representatives from the Korean consulate, federal and provincial leaders, members of Burlington Council, veterans, and the communities that gather to recognize and remember these important contributions and sacrifices. The city is hosting concerts in the park at the central band shell every Wednesday and Sundays some from 7 to 8:30.

09:33:23
Uh really exciting and so much fun. July June 21st to August 30th, bring a chair. Lakeside Under the Stars, which is different, uh, will take place Friday, August 7th at Spencer Smith Park from 7 to 11, bringing to together live music, uh, community connection and in support of the Love Jane Foundation. Uh, that’s through the Rotary Club, Lakeside Alikart, which again is different, Spencer Smith Park on August 9th, 1 to 4, also sponsored and presented by the Rotary Club.

09:33:53
Alershot Lions Club community parking lot garage sale is happening at Holland Park garden site and residents can browse for bargains and connect with neighbors from 8 to 12 with upcoming sale dates on August 15th and September 12th. It is a fundraiser. The local event provides a great opportunity to support community activity while giving new life to pre-loved items.

09:34:13
And the last thing is Canada’s largest rifest coming back to Burlington September 4th to September 7th held annually over the Labor Day weekend. Massive food and entertainment tradition is celebrating its 30th anniversary at Spencer Smith Park. Councelor Charman, >> I I really just want to wish everybody a nice summer.

09:34:37
Enjoy the hot weather, go on vacation, hang out with the wonderful events around the city. There’s plenty to do and I wish you all a wonderful summer. Thank you, >> Councelor Bentania. >> Yeah, summer is fun time. Um July 31st live at the Apollo. Um this will be the third um driveway music uh event. Uh there’s another one on August the 14th.

09:35:08
Um and it’ll feature Freedom Train. Um, it’s been really popular for six years now and the crowds are getting pretty pretty large. Um, so we’re quite pleased. We may have to do something else uh in the future uh to move it or find a bigger spot for it, but um that’s been great. Um, August the 7th, being a board member of BPAC, there’s Jazz on the Plaza begins on August the 7th and Movies in the Park August 17th um at Ireland Park and uh Yep.

09:35:43
Enjoy the summer. Thank you. >> Okay, thanks everyone. I will add my uh thanks to everyone for um the end of a season as we call it around here. We don’t typically meet in August, but if there’s a need, uh, we will. I do, uh, want to say a huge thank you to everyone in the community and our staff, uh, for the many, many events, uh, that are happening.

09:36:11
And I know that was, um, there’s there’s many events that are activated through the, uh, Love My Neighborhood fund. That’s the Live at the Apollo, which is getting bigger than than just the neighborhood. Uh, up to the many events and festivals uh, out and about in the weekend. People were everywhere in this city.

09:36:29
There were many, many things going on and it’s just great to see people out enjoying our community, enjoying music, food, camaraderie, and uh many more to come. So, I think uh I think we’ve done a great job and our staff in particular have done a great job of um inviting people to uh submit ideas and to provide some assistance to see them through.

09:36:51
So, uh that’s great. We will see you all again in September when we pick up for committee. Uh a number of us will be going to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario annual meeting in Ottawa. That is our opportunity to bring your voice uh to uh decision makers at the provincial level. We have a number of delegations that we’ve requested with ministers.

09:37:13
They are starting to come in in terms of uh the approval. So we will continue our advocacy work on your behalf with those direct meetings. uh get some learnings from other uh elected officials and uh decision makers while we are there. So uh the work continues on your behalf and of course you can reach out to any of your uh council members or the mayor’s office uh for any assistance that you might need through the summer.

09:37:39
We don’t quit. Uh the work of the city keeps going and uh the city looks great by the way. So, I want to give a special shout out to our roads and park staff, to all of our uh people who plant and water the flowers. I am getting so many comments from community about how beautiful the city looks.

09:37:58
It’s in a state of good repair and um people are happy. So, that’s great. And I wish everyone a wonderful summer and we will see you if not before in September. So, I need a motion to adjurnn. Councelor Greath and C if he’s still there. He’s not there. Councelor Bentovenia and Councelor Charman. Uh you are on deck to move and second our motion to adjurnn.

09:38:22
All those in favor? >> Any opposed? None. Okay. I think that’s our longest uh council meeting ever. Well then,

Executive Summary: Burlington City Council Meeting

Date: Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Location: Council Chambers, City Hall, Burlington, Ontario

Chair: Mayor Marianne Meed Ward

Attendance & Roll Call [00:12:51 – 00:16:40]

• Mayor: Marianne Meed Ward
• Councillors Present: Councillor Galbraith, Councillor Kearns, Councillor Nisan, Councillor Sharman, Councillor Bentivegna
• Councillors Absent: Councillor Stolte
• Key Staff Present: CEO Kurt Benson, City Clerk Mike Durand, Clerk’s Assistant Debbie Hordyk, Director of Community Planning Jamie Tellier, Development Review Supervisor Bill Wallace.

Significant Actions and Directives

1. Agenda Amendments & Reordering [00:18:26 – 00:25:50]:
   • Waived rules of procedure to add Item 18.3 (Motion memo ADM-07-26 prioritizing/expediting Official Plan review of data centers) and Item 18.4 (Motion memo ADM-08-26 regarding sign bylaw amendment) to the agenda.
   • Reordered agenda to bring time-sensitive planning applications (21105 Heden Rd., 198 & 206 Plains Rd. E., and 1200 King Rd.) and associated enabling bylaws to the very top, followed by data center items (18.1, 18.2, 18.3).
   • Added delegate Kamla Hurley to the speaking list.
2. Petitions Read into Record [00:41:09 – 00:42:29]:
   • Received and read a petition from Heden Forest community residents opposing planning application files 505-08/26 and 520-08/26 (proposed 8-block, 3-storey, 4-bedroom townhouses at 21105 Heden Road) due to neighbourhood impacts.
3. Proclamations & Civic Lightings [00:26:08 – 00:27:59]:
   • Proclaimed August 2026 as Black, African, and Caribbean Canadian Appreciation Month.
   • Proclaimed September 2026 for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, National Coaches Week (Sept 14–20), Terry Fox Day (Sept 20), and National British Home Children Day (Sept 28).
   • Approved various pier lighting schedules for September 2026.
4. Civic Recognitions [00:27:59 – 00:38:30]:
   • Recognised Skyway Community Centre and Park for winning the 2026 Parks and Recreation Ontario (PRO) Award of Excellence for Facility Design, acknowledging 14 staff members involved.
   • Honoured retired Senior Manager of Community Development Services, Denise Beard, for receiving PRO’s Glenn Arthur Community Impact Award.

Voting Record

Item Description	Motion / Action	Result	Vote Breakdown	Time Stamp
Item 18.3 Addition	Waive rules to add Motion Memo ADM-07-26 (Data Centers Official Plan review)	Carried (6–0)	In Favour: Galbraith, Kearns, Nisan, Sharman, Bentivegna, Meed Ward. Absent: Stolte.	00:21:05
Item 18.4 Addition	Waive rules to add Motion Memo ADM-08-26 (Sign Bylaw Amendment)	Carried (6–0)	In Favour: Galbraith, Kearns, Nisan, Sharman, Bentivegna, Meed Ward. Absent: Stolte.	00:21:50
Reorder Agenda (Data Centers)	Move Items 18.1, 18.2, and 18.3 near top of agenda	Carried (6–0)	In Favour: Galbraith, Kearns, Nisan, Sharman, Bentivegna, Meed Ward. Absent: Stolte.	00:23:00
Reorder Agenda (Planning Items)	Move 3 time-sensitive planning items & bylaws to top of agenda	Carried (6–0)	In Favour: Galbraith, Kearns, Nisan, Sharman, Bentivegna, Meed Ward. Absent: Stolte.	00:24:12
Delegate Addition	Add Kamla Hurley to delegation list	Carried (6–0)	In Favour: Galbraith, Kearns, Nisan, Sharman, Bentivegna, Meed Ward. Absent: Stolte.	00:25:05
Adopt Agenda	Approve Agenda as amended	Carried (6–0)	In Favour: Galbraith, Kearns, Nisan, Sharman, Bentivegna, Meed Ward. Absent: Stolte.	00:25:50
Previous Minutes	Approve Regular Council & Shareholder Minutes of June 23, 2026	Carried	Show of hands (Unanimous among present).	00:39:56
Read Petition	Hear petition language for 21105 Heden Road prior to application vote	Carried (6–0)	In Favour: Galbraith, Kearns, Nisan, Sharman, Bentivegna, Meed Ward. Absent: Stolte.	00:41:52
21105 Heden Rd.	Approve Official Plan & Zoning Bylaw Amendment (8 townhouses)	Carried (6–0)	In Favour: Galbraith, Kearns, Nisan, Sharman, Bentivegna, Meed Ward. Absent: Stolte.	00:53:05
198 & 206 Plains Rd. E.	Approve Official Plan & Zoning Bylaw Amendment (DGM-45-26)	Carried (6–0)	In Favour: Galbraith, Kearns, Nisan, Sharman, Bentivegna, Meed Ward. Absent: Stolte.	00:53:45
1200 King Rd.	Approve Official Plan & Zoning Bylaw Amendment as modified (DGM-28-26, Bowfield/Alinea)	Carried (6–0)	In Favour: Galbraith, Kearns, Nisan, Sharman, Bentivegna, Meed Ward. Absent: Stolte.	01:02:25
Enabling Bylaws	Approve enabling bylaws for 21105 Heden Rd., Plains Rd. E., and 1200 King Rd.	Carried (6–0)	In Favour: Galbraith, Kearns, Nisan, Sharman, Bentivegna, Meed Ward. Absent: Stolte.	01:03:30

Discussion Details & Time Stamps

1. Planning Applications Discussion [00:40:46 – 01:03:51]

• 21105 Heden Road [00:42:29 – 00:53:21]:
  • Staff Clarification: Bill Wallace noted that failing to make a decision within the Planning Act’s 120-day timeline exposes the application to a non-decision appeal at the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT). A de novo OLT hearing could result in loss of negotiated planning improvements and potentially higher density or cost-recovery adjustments.
  • Traffic Impact: Transportation staff confirmed that the peak added traffic is 5 vehicles per hour on Heden Road (which is designed for 1,000 vehicles/hour) and presents no capacity concerns.
• 1200 King Road (Bowfield Inc. / Alinea Group) [00:54:06 – 01:02:40]:
  • Proposal: Mixed-use development surrounding Aldershot GO Station including high-rises, townhomes, an event centre/entertainment complex, ice surface, aquatic facilities, and commercial space.
  • Council Comments: Council highlighted this as a positive model for transit-oriented complete communities and collaborative development.

2. Delegations on Data Center Motions (Items 18.1 & 18.2) [01:04:08 – 02:30:46]

• Tim Caddy (Burlington Greens / Environmentalist) [01:06:04 – 01:09:52]:
  • Expressed concerns over environmental destruction, noise pollution, and health impacts on vulnerable residents.
  • Referenced Hamilton’s recent rejection of a proposed data center and urged Council to reject data center applications in Burlington.
• Dr. Martin Karsten (Computer Science Expert, Virtual Delegation) [01:09:52 – 01:38:18]:
  • Technical Clarification: Outlined data center classifications (enterprise, collocation, cloud) and scale (small: ~0.1 MW, supercomputers: ~21–42 MW, hyperscale: multi-hundred MW to GW).
  • Impacts: Stated noise and vibration are non-issues in modern facilities. Noted closed-loop water systems do not consume or evaporate water. Explained air-cooled systems are less energy-efficient than water-cooled systems but offer operational flexibility.
  • Policy Advice: Recommended establishing hard, contractual caps on power and water consumption rather than open-ended agreements. Distinguished smaller collocation facilities (~17–20 MW) from massive hyperscale AI centers.
• Amy Schnurr (Burlington Green Environmental Association) [01:38:18 – 01:55:15]:
  • Environmental Risk: Cited the Sharing the Load / Mars & Mantle report funded by the Atmospheric Fund, noting data centers could triple electricity emissions in Ontario by 2035.
  • Recommendations: Requested that September staff reports specifically evaluate data center impacts against Burlington’s target to be net carbon neutral by 2050. Supported an interim control bylaw / 1-year pause to update sustainable development guidelines and local policy frameworks.
• Owen Davies (Resident) [02:02:50 – 02:14:33]:
  • Resource Concerns: Noted a 20 MW draw equals the energy footprint of up to 10,000 homes and questioned power grid reliability during storm outages.
  • Governance: Supported airtight contracts prohibiting future expansions, full transparency regarding Burlington Hydro assessments, and a 1-year pause to inform the public properly.
• Samantha Prada (Resident, Ward 4) [02:14:33 – 02:30:15]:
  • Community Feedback: Presented a paper petition (10 signatures) and online petition (240+ signatures) gathered over a weekend, emphasizing that nearby residents were unaware of site-plan-approved data center proposals.
  • Directives Requested: Urged Council to adopt Motion 18.1 in full, directing staff to report back in September with a draft Interim Control Bylaw and clear regulatory options before precedent is set.