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Canada is at an inflection point.

The infrastructure that will define the next generation of economic growth is being built today, and data centres are part of that future.

They are the backbone of artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, cloud computing, health care innovation and the digital economy.

The decisions we make today will determine whether Canada captures the investment, family-supporting union jobs and innovation that will define the next generation of prosperity or forces them elsewhere instead of building them here at home.

The recent decision by Hamilton and Burlington city council to reject a moratorium on new data centre applications was an important one. It was not a vote against environmental stewardship or community engagement. It was a vote for evidence-based decision-making.

Complex planning decisions should be guided by facts, expert analysis and sound public policy, not broad restrictions imposed before individual projects have even been evaluated.

The implications extend well beyond any one municipality.

As Mississauga now carefully considers the future of digital infrastructure, the choice before them is not between growth and responsibility.

It is whether they will embrace evidence-based planning that protects communities while welcoming responsible investment. Communities deserve meaningful engagement, rigorous standards and transparent decision-making, not blanket restrictions driven by uncertainty.

Strong public policy does not force a choice between economic growth and healthy communities. It creates the conditions to achieve both.

LiUNA believes every project should be assessed on its own merits through a transparent, predictable and evidence-based planning process.

Communities deserve confidence that decisions are grounded in science, engineering and sound planning, not speculation. Workers deserve the opportunity to build the infrastructure that will power our economy. Investors deserve confidence that Canada remains a place where responsible projects can move forward with certainty.

Good public policy is measured by outcomes, not ideology. It creates certainty for communities, accountability for developers and confidence for investors.

It establishes rigorous environmental standards, meaningful public engagement and enforceable conditions while allowing responsible projects to be evaluated on their individual merits. That is how trust is built. That is how communities grow.

Ontario has positioned itself as a global leader in advanced manufacturing, critical minerals, nuclear energy, life sciences and artificial intelligence. Data centres are essential infrastructure that supports each of those sectors.

Canada also holds an advantage that many jurisdictions around the world would envy, abundant, reliable and increasingly clean electricity.

Ontario’s investments in nuclear refurbishment, new generation, transmission and grid modernization are creating the foundation for long-term economic growth.

Data centres are not separate from that vision. When built responsibly, they are part of it.

When built responsibly, they are the digital infrastructure that enables innovation, attracts investment, strengthens productivity and supports the industries that will define Canada’s economic future, including thousands of union jobs right here at home.

Around the world, jurisdictions are competing aggressively for investment in digital infrastructure.

Capital follows certainty. Innovation follows investment. Jobs follow both.

If Ontario wants to remain globally competitive, our planning decisions must reflect confidence, consistency and a commitment to responsible growth.

This is about more than one project or one municipality. It is about whether our country intends to lead the next generation of economic growth or watch investment, innovation and opportunity to take root elsewhere.

Every day, LiUNA members build the infrastructure that powers our economy while meeting some of the highest safety and environmental standards in the world. They prove responsible development and environmental stewardship are not competing priorities, they are complementary ones. With the right planning and regulatory framework, we can protect communities, uphold rigorous standards and create the good union jobs that strengthen the middle class.

Ontario has the skilled workforce. We have the expertise. We have the energy advantage. We have the opportunity.

What we need now is the confidence and political will to lead.

Hamilton and Burlington have already established an important precedent. They demonstrated complex planning decisions deserve to be guided by evidence, expert analysis and responsible governance, not blanket restrictions rooted in uncertainty.

Now the focus turns to Mississauga and other municipalities that will shape the future of digital infrastructure.

Their decisions will send a message about the kind of province we want to be, one that embraces responsible innovation and investment while protecting communities, or one that allows uncertainty to stand in the way of opportunity.

Because the future will not wait for us.

It’s up to us to build it.Ìý

Victoria Mancinelli, is director of government, communications and strategic partnerships with LiUNA. Send Industry Perspectives Op-Ed comments and column ideas to editor@dailycommercialnews.com.