‘We can’t drink data:’ Green leader pushes for pause on data centres during Nanaimo visit

Lowan added residents’ concerns include water usage, its impact on local watersheds, and local government’s ability to enforce regulations on data centres.

The nearly 200,000 square foot industrial data storage centre is being planned at 2090 East Wellington Rd., next to the Cavallotti Lodge property.

When asked about whether she differentiates between AI data centre and a data storage facility like the one being built in Nanaimo, Lowan said governments need to “pump the brakes” on both.

“I just think at all levels of government we need a sober second thought, at both data centre and AI data centres,” Lowan told a media briefing.

She said our governments are “blindly chasing the clout of AI”, with Nanaimo being the “canary in the [coal] mine.”

The federal government recently announced plans to support Telus-run facilities in Vancouver (two complexes) and Kamloops, touted to boost Canada’s sovereign computing and artificial-intelligence infrastructure.

Over $2B over five years has been committed by the federal government to identify and boost large-scale sovereign data infrastructure initiatives in the country.

BC Green Party leader Emily Lowan said we can’t afford to rush ahead on approval of large data centre projects without first understanding all of the potential impacts. (Image Credit: Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Due to the nature and timeline of the Nanaimo project, the development permit issued in February was not subject to a Council vote and was handled exclusively by City staff.

Noise concerns were assessed during the Design Advisory Panel process, with equipment being placed accordingly to limit noise.

Constant Nanaimo Parkway daytime traffic is expected to assist in drowning out secondary data centre noise.

Kathryn Barnwell, an anti-data centre advocate who lives across the street from the East Wellington Rd. site, who also strongly believes senior government regulations are required.

“The citizens are not interested in the corporate profits, but we are interested in protecting the quality of life, our environment, and those resources that are essential to human life on this planet…we can’t drink data.”

When discussing the project before Council in November 2025, Nanaimo council learned the data centre would use between 55,000 and 70,000 litres daily, comparable to a mid-sized apartment complex, BC Ferries’ Departure Bay terminal, or a car wash.

The data centre is projected to use roughly 0.19 per cent of the City’s average daily water production, equivalent to the usage of around 200 people, or roughly ten per cent of the city’s annual population growth.

The City’s water supply at its Jump Lake reservoir holds around 17 billion litres.

As part of the development permit being issued, covenants were placed on the property’s title regarding its water usage.

A rent charge of $60,000 per year was also applied to the property through the covenant, however it remains suspended and not enforced by the City, provided water usage is kept within limits.

Lowan said this is like “giving a parking ticket to a billionaire.”

“Working people take shorter showers and let their plants die to save water, and are only offered data centres that hoard that water and resources. This is the kind of exploitation that brings these corporations their profits. That is the kind of exploitation that our government is allowing by not passing proper regulations.”

Designs for the building state the air-to-water cooling machines system chilling system would use 0.71 litres of water per second on an average annual flow.

Over the course of an average day, over 61,000 litres of water are expected by the City to be used.

A map of the subject property, outlined in red. (Image Credit: (Google Maps/NanaimoNewsNOW Illustration))

An October 2022 Nanaimo City Council meeting saw several people shouting over the top of of prior Council discussing rezoning the site, which passed after a public hearing by an 8-1 vote, followed by a more narrow 6-3 vote at fourth and final reading with the present Council.

While coun. Manly said he understands the need for sovereign data centres, he also pushed for more regulations before they’re built, including AI regulation from the federal government.

“But we do need to make sure that we’re monitoring energy use, that we’re using technology that doesn’t burden the rest of the community with energy-use, and that means maybe they should be looking at geothermal, solar. We need to make sure they’re not using too much water,” Manly said.

Coun. Hilary Eastmure added her concerns, stating there is widespread local skepticism regarding the pending data centre in Nanaimo.

“The degree of opposition I’ve seen in Nanaimo would indicate to me that this is not a community that supports that industry becoming the norm in Nanaimo.”

Citing environmental ramifications as a primary worry, Eastmure doesn’t believe there are enough benefits beyond property taxation revenue.

Development of the property is planned in phases, with 10 modular buildings to make up the final complex.

Front reception and office space for workers on site would be the first building constructed.

Future modules, built one or two at a time, would include data storage units and the required maintenance equipment, including HVAC and cooling.

Space for the buildings would be cleared on an as-needed basis, with the entire building construction expected to take several years.

A connector road is also planned, for either the eastern or western side of the property, to eventually link up with the Northfield Rd. and Nanaimo Parkway intersection near the old visitor information centre.

A building permit is the last procedural hurdle required for the East Wellington Rd. data centre to be built.

Follow us on Facebook. Join Everything Nanaimo on Facebook and stay connected with everything happening on central Vancouver Island.

info@nanaimonewsnow.com

Follow us on: Twitter (X) | Bluesky | Facebook

by NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

‘We can’t drink data:’ Green leader pushes for pause on data centres during Nanaimo visit

More Local News