As the frenzy to build AI data centers sweeps Canada, Hamilton is next on the list. Slate Asset Management isn't taking NO as an answer and has appealed the rejection of their land severance application at the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT).
In April 2026, Slate requested a land severance to carve out an 188-acre parcel from their larger 706-acre Steelport industrial site at 386 Wilcox Street, so they can fast-track the development of a “hyperscale and enterprise data centre campus.” This fast-tracking will mean public input will be impossible and assessment won't be sufficient. Hamiltonians deserve a say.
Since the beginning, Slate’s severance request has been met with massive public pushback. On June 4, 2026, the Hamilton Committee of Adjustment denied Slate Asset Management's land severance application. A record-breaking 1,600+ letters of opposition were submitted to the Committee of Adjustment, and hundreds of people showed up to the June 4 meeting.
As suspected, Slate refuses to take no for an answer, and is now appealing this decision through the Ontario Land Tribunal, which is an independent government body that resolves disputes over land use planning, environmental protection, and municipal matters.
People across Hamilton deserve a say in whether or not data centres are built in our city. We said NO.
Sign now to demand that the Mayor and Hamilton City Council guarantee public consultation, transparency and a robust environmental assessment.
If you want to apply to have your voice heard at the OLT, here is a toolkit to help you get started!
More information:Slate Asset Management is working to build an AI-data centre campus at Steelport along the Hamilton waterfront — and they are trying to do it fast.
We know they are interested in building both enterprise and hyperscaler AI data centres. The public only knows of one partner, the
Digital Research Alliance of Canada (DRAC) and beyond that, there is very little public information.
Hamilton has been dragged into the frenzy of AI data centre construction fuelled by the shortsighted greed of tech billionaires. With data centres going up at an alarming rate, we are collectively learning about the devastating impact they have on communities and the environment. It has become clear that the rapid development of AI technology poses serious threats to our brains, health, planet, communities and our future.
This Steelport site is at the end of Gage Avenue and Industrial Drive — it is in a residential neighbourhood. In communities that already have a data center in their backyard, people are seeing their
energy bills skyrocket. There are reports of brutal noise pollution and a spike in temperature as they create “
heat islands,” warming the land around them. They are incredibly energy-intensive and tap into
freshwater resources to cool the facility down.
Alarmingly,
any data centre could potentially use water from Lake Ontario to keep the facility cool. This is the same harbourfront that has been left severely contaminated by decades of industrial activity. And while remediation is underway, the clean-up is not finished. Large-scale water intake and discharge infrastructure being built during or even right after an active environmental remediation process makes NO sense.
It is possible to force transparency, demand public input, and even stop development altogether. As a mom here in Hamilton, I do NOT want to see our community and its environment sacrificed for the profits of the tech industry.
To make sure the Hamilton community, land and water are protected, we have to speak up! Follow noaigreed_hamilton on
instagram and
facebook for more information and ways to take action!
