City council in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. heard from a packed gallery of residents on Monday, August 10, 2026, as debate over a proposed data centre on Yates Avenue intensified. A motion to pause all new data centre development was ultimately withdrawn, with councillors instead agreeing to consider a new framework for such projects at a meeting on August 31.
Ward 3 Councillor Angela Caputo, who brought forward the interim control bylaw, pulled her motion after nearly 90 minutes of discussion. She said the next version will focus on creating proper local rules for data centres, rather than an outright halt. The proposed 8.39-acre site is valued at $349,000, but city staff confirmed the sale to developer Protexxa, a Toronto-based cybersecurity company partnering with Missanabie Cree First Nation, has not been finalized.
The so-called QuantumEdge facility would draw about 5 megawatts of power, roughly what Sault Area Hospital uses and less than five per cent of the city’s capacity. Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said the small-scale project is not comparable to the 100-megawatt hyperscale data centres that have drawn criticism elsewhere in Canada. He also said it could create at least 200 jobs, with up to 1,000 possible if fully built out.
Opponents have gathered nearly 4,000 signatures on an online petition started by Sydney Pressel-McMenemy. Residents have raised concerns about noise, water use, and power demand, as well as the location’s proximity to two elementary schools and homes in the west-end industrial park. Gwen Allard, spokesperson for Anti Data Centre Sault Ste. Marie, told council that people felt caught off guard because there is no specific data centre policy in the city.
The debate comes as the community continues to absorb the impact of 1,000 layoffs at Algoma Steel in March. Some residents, like small business owner Derek Pearce, see the data centre as a source of economic hope. Others remain unconvinced until the city establishes clear rules for where and how such facilities can operate.
