Here’s what Nanaimo local election candidates have to say about data centres

Leading up to the 2026 municipal election in Nanaimo, The Discourse surveyed readers to learn what they wanted to know from candidates running for council and mayor. 

For our Nanaimo respondents, the top issues that readers said are on their mind this election season are: homelessness and social supports, environment and local infrastructure.

Based on your feedback, we sent five reader questions to Nanaimo city council and mayoral candidates about the top issues you identified and asked for them to respond with a maximum of three sentences per question. There were so many good questions submitted in the survey and we tried to pick ones that were specific to the community. 

We also had to cut some questions to keep things concise. A number of you wanted to know about candidate positions on topics such as restoring rail service in the Island and school district policies around devices in the classroom and SOGI/2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion.

Many readers also wanted to know more about candidate track records and values, not just talking points, with some folks submitting questions to help indicate how much candidates actually know about their municipal roles and responsibilities.

Below are responses to a reader question specifically about data centres in Nanaimo.

Responses have been listed alphabetically, with mayoral candidates first, and have been lightly edited for length, clarity and fact-checking.

Reader question: What is your position on allowing data centres in the region?

Brunie Brunie (Mayor)

I would say a very loud NO NO NO to data centers stealing our water and humanity.

Anne Marie Dryden (Mayor)

I do not support data centers, especially near residences and especially where data management will be handled offshore. Let’s not export jobs and let’s keep our data safe locally.

Leonard Krog (Mayor), incumbent

All data centres in Nanaimo require specific site zoning and I am not prepared to consider any further site zonings until senior governments have provided appropriate regulation with respect to both water and energy consumption. There should be community support for any further proposed data centres.

Sarah Lovegrove (Mayor)

Alongside many sustainability-minded folks in our community, I am critical and cautious about the rapidly proliferating development of data centres and AI infrastructure currently happening across our country. We need to implement an immediate moratorium on application approvals, zoning and building considerations for all data centre and AI infrastructure until a comprehensive, equitable and community-centred review process has been established. This is required in order to thoroughly understand and assess environmental risk, including water and power usage, as well as other short- and long-term impacts to the environment and population.

Jeff Annesley

Jeff Annesley did not respond by the deadline.

“City council watcher Jeff Annesley, who is running for council under the REAL Nanaimo banner, told the crowd that he opposes the data centre.” (The Discourse, Sept. 29)

Read their slate’s platform on its website.

Sheryl Armstrong, incumbent

I think we need to look at these at case by case request. There is a difference between a storage data centre and an AI center. I want my information stored in Canada, not in foreign countries, subject to Canadian laws.

Sandy Bartlett

Sandy Bartlett did not respond by the deadline.

Read their slate’s platform on its website.

Ken Bennett

Weighing the potential costs over benefits, in my opinion, the costs of probable hydro upgrades that would be needed for the increase in usage being passed on to the rest of us consumers, adding the water consumption needed to operate a data center, seriously outweigh the benefits for our city. Data centers are needed in Canada but I feel our tax base is already being strained. I’m not in favor of data centers. Sadly, the horse has left the barn on this issue.

Marnie Boers

Based on the information I currently have about the data centre awaiting electricity approval in Nanaimo, I would have not supported it at this time. We do not have enough information about its potential impacts on our water use and the environment. I would support a moratorium on new data centres while the province develops a regulatory framework, so we can better understand the true impacts on our community.

Jackie Bolen

I will never vote in favour of data centers in Nanaimo as they come with a host of problems, including water and power usage (plus higher utility costs for the average person), noise and light pollution and what land you pave over to build them. Humans have existed for thousands of years without them. We can only exist for about three days without water.

Mark Chandler

I would need to see all the information. AI has its place, but it can be located away from Nanaimo in my view. Data collection centres are much different, however, I would need to review the details at great length.

Paul Chapman

I support Coun. Hilary Eastmure’s motion to require full details on expected power and water use, as well as light and noise pollution. I support keeping this use out of automatic approvals under Industrial Zoning so that the community’s voice is included in deliberations about proposals. AI data centres are heavy consumers of power and water that don’t fit with our community or our conservation goals.

Malcolm Cooke

Malcolm Cooke did not respond by the deadline.

Read their slate’s platform on its website.

Andréa Coutu

We should be evaluating and zoning all applications carefully for impacts on people, planet and prosperity so we can know we have provided a healthy, sustainable future but avoided scaring off good-paying jobs and a sustainable industrial base that can make taxes manageable. I support reviewing industrial rezoning applications for responsible economic development, not just data centres, and developing guidelines that review the quality and number of jobs created, investment and tax revenue, opportunities for local businesses and workers, infrastructure requirements and who pays for them, demands on energy and water, land use, environmental and climate impacts, compatibility with surrounding uses and opportunities to strengthen or diversify our local economy. The city should set covenants and penalties that incent all businesses to act responsibly and won’t leave us worse off.

Shane Crawley

Shane Crawley did not respond by the deadline.

See their candidate listing on CivicInfo BC.

Ryan Djakovic

I also have an extensive background in this field and I believe proper oversight can make this a positive opportunity for Nanaimo. I support data centres when they use modern, environmentally responsible cooling systems and contribute positively to the local economy. With closed‑loop heat‑recovery technology, they can operate efficiently while providing usable heat for pools, homes or public facilities. 

Hilary Eastmure

I voted against the last data centre proposal because there was no information provided on the amount of water use and that made me feel like I couldn’t make an informed decision, especially when it’s an industry where there is growing concern around the degree of water use and energy consumption. I have since brought forward and passed a motion to amend the city’s Official Community Plan so that any future data centre rezoning proposal will need to provide detailed water usage and energy consumption data and conservation measures up front so that council and the public have access to this critical information, and the OCP amendment will need to be adopted by the next council which I sincerely hope to be a part of. I have also supported the call for a provincial moratorium on new AI data centres until there’s adequate provincial regulations to fully evaluate the risks, establish regulations and protect communities from potential harm.

Joe Figel

Joe Figel did not respond by the deadline.

Read their slate’s platform on its website.

Ben Geselbracht, incumbent

I voted against the East Wellington Road data centre in both my terms because of lack of information on water, energy, wastewater and community benefit at the re-zoning. Data centres matter for AI, cloud computing and keeping Canadian data on Canadian soil, but the big corporate centres being built today take too much water and energy and give too little back to the community. I support a moratorium on new data centres in the region while we work with the province and federal government on a strategy that protects host communities, including smaller modular centres that share heating and cooling with other buildings.

Bryan Gordon

Bryan Gordon did not respond by the deadline.

Read their slate’s platform on its website.

Anita Greer

Anita Greer did not respond by the deadline.

See their Facebook page.

Patrick Gunville

Domestic data infrastructure is increasingly important to Canada’s economic competitiveness and resilience, and I don’t believe the municipal government should arbitrarily decide which lawful industries are welcome based on whether we happen to like the business. If a data centre meets applicable zoning, servicing, environmental and regulatory requirements, I would evaluate it on the facts — including infrastructure demands, employment, investment and its contribution to our commercial and industrial tax base. Nanaimo should be open to investment while ensuring that growth contributes appropriately toward the infrastructure required to support it.

Derek Hanna

Derek Hanna did not respond by the deadline.

Read their slate’s platform on its website.

Richard Harlow

What a data centre can do for this city is concrete: a local shop’s online store and the city’s own records sitting on racks a few kilometres away, under Canadian law, with nobody’s data mined by a foreign government, so the question I care about is the terms. East Wellington is what no terms looks like: the rezoning passed before anyone at the table had the water or power numbers, the proponent has not said publicly how many permanent jobs it will carry, and the $60,000 penalty in the covenant is a slap on the wrist for a building that will draw about as much water as a car wash, in a city whose own bylaw lets car washes run through every restriction stage while residents were down to one watering day a week by June. So I would move a pause on new data centre rezonings until Nanaimo has written what the next applicant signs for, racks reserved for Nanaimo businesses, non-profits and the city at local rates, public metering, drought triggers in every covenant so industry takes the same cut residents take, heat reuse as a condition, a fresh public hearing if a site shifts to AI workloads and a rewrite of our own waterworks exemptions before a very strong El Niño winter leaves the reservoir short of snowmelt, and until the province’s guidelines are better than the ones it has, which I would ask for in writing rather than wait for.

Erin Hemmens, incumbent

The recent Nanaimo application highlighted legitimate questions about water and energy use, infrastructure, noise and environmental impacts. Based on what we learned, council supported an Official Community Plan amendment requiring future data-centre proposals to provide more information up front, including about water consumption, energy use and conservation measures.

Steven Johns

I prefer old school data centres like grandmas kitchen and the library. I am waiting to learn more about the data centre and the use of hydro and water etc.

Cameron Leckenby

I am opposed to opening AI data centres in our Nanaimo region. I am very concerned that AI will impact Nanaimo workers’ jobs, and that the water usage of AI is unsustainable as our community navigates the ongoing climate emergency.

Max MacKay

Max MacKay did not respond by the deadline.

Read their platform on their campaign website.

Paul Manly, incumbent

I support the current policy that data centres require site specific zoning which would include studies, public hearings and a democratic vote by council. I voted to support a change to the Official Community Plan put forward by Coun. Eastmure that would require future data centre rezoning applications to provide detailed disclosures on energy and water consumption and formal energy and water conservation plans submitted at the rezoning stage. With these conditions I would consider proposals for smaller data centres that serve to provide data sovereignty for Canadian data so our sensitive data would not be subject to foreign laws that give access to foreign governments such as the US Cloud Act or US Patriot Act.

Bryant Marshall

I do not support allowing large-scale data centres in Nanaimo at this time, particularly where they could place significant demands on our electricity, water and other infrastructure. If considered in the future, I would require a rigorous assessment showing that the project has secured adequate infrastructure capacity, creates meaningful local economic benefits and will not increase costs or reduce service levels for existing residents and businesses. My arts, culture and community platform is about responsible growth that strengthens our community and protects the quality of life, public spaces and opportunities that make Nanaimo special.

Bill McKay

I support data centres that meet clear standards and do not harm the community. They are essential in today’s digital world, particularly for protecting data sovereignty, and I would prefer Canadians’ personal information to be stored in Canada rather than internationally. There is currently a data centre operating in Nanaimo that has been there since 2003 and to my knowledge there have been no adverse effects to the community due to its operation.

Editor’s Note: The Intraworks data centre in Nanaimo that McKay is referring to opened in 2009. The company was founded in 2003.

Andrew Merilees

I support the development of provincial standards to better address the specific issues around data centres on a province wide level. I will treat data centre applications as I would any other business wishing to operate in Nanaimo. Locating them in an appropriately zoned location and by having Nanaimo compensated for their use of city resources.

Matthew Miller

Matthew Miller did not respond by the deadline.

“I oppose the construction of AI data centres in our city, as they draw heavily on the region’s water and electricity supply.” (Matthew Miller campaign website)

Read their platform on their campaign website.

Zaki Mohammed

Zaki Mohammed did not respond by the deadline.

Read their platform on their campaign website.

Rod Moreno

I am the only candidate willing to stop the currently approved data center. It is too politically costly for the others but since I do not crave power but simply change I am willing to lose political prospects for the wellbeing of our children, pets, elders and community. The current council passed it without any data on infrasound impacts, a real enforceable water usage cap, an understanding of the power draw or any idea whether it can even be feasible economically.

Editor’s note: Nanaimo councillors Hilary Eastmure and Paul Manly have publicly expressed their opposition to the data centre, and Coun. Ben Geselbracht has also voted in opposition to it.

Janice Perrino, incumbent

In Nanaimo we have an application for a data centre that is not AI, it is simply an information centre, i.e. health related information. It uses the same amount of water as a car wash (we have seven car washes in town). But the development may not go forward because it is currently with the provincial government via BC Hydro. If they use too much hydro, they can’t go forward with the building.

Editor’s note: While the proposed data centre on East Wellington Road will not be used for AI, The Discourse cannot confirm what kind of information will be stored there. An email to The Discourse from the City of Nanaimo last year said it will be used for data storage. A City of Nanaimo statement says that according to Townsite Planning Inc., the data centre will use between 55,000 and 69,000 litres of water per day at full build-out. A car wash uses roughly 44,000 litres per day.

Rob Phelan

Rob Phelan did not respond by the deadline.

See their candidate listing on CivicInfo BC.

Frank Pluta

Frank Pluta did not respond by the deadline.

Read their slate’s platform on its website.

Austin Seng

While there may be potential economic and security benefits, I believe the long term costs and impacts could far outweigh those benefits.

We need to carefully consider the significant infrastructure required to support these resource intensive operations, the potential costs to taxpayers and the long term environmental impacts.

Before moving forward with projects of this scale, we should ensure the benefits to our community are clear, sustainable and proportionate to the costs and risks.

Holden Southward

I am against data centers in Nanaimo as these AI centers have been almost pushed all at once before people could understand the environmental impacts, electrical infrastructure demands and the potential dangers of relying on AI. In California a giant computer manufacturing company is suing the Imperial Irrigation district for water for its proposed mega AI center even knowing there is a growing shortfall of water. These are mega rich companies and the one proposed in Nanaimo is Chinese and no one really understands the internal mechanisms or the potential that it could go rogue or be used as a trojan horse.

Editor’s note: The proposal for rezoning for the data centre was made by Townsite Planning Inc. on behalf of the numbered company 2779022 Ontario Inc., doing business as maplecolo. It is a Canadian company. According to its website, maplecolo “specializes in Quantum-Safe Colocation and Symmetric-Key Distribution via DSKE technology.” Nanaimo News Now reported in 2025 that “the owner of the site operates a similar facility in Hong Kong, with a client base including banks, government agencies and insurance companies.”

Ian Thorpe, incumbent

Ian Thorpe did not respond by the deadline.

“Adopt rezoning of East Wellington Rd. land to allow a data centre · Motion carried 5–3 · Voted for” (Who’s Running in Nanaimo, April 3, 2023)

“Require future data centre rezonings to disclose water and energy use · Motion carried 7–1 · Voted for” (Who’s Running in Nanaimo, July 20)

Read their platform on their campaign website.

Paul Van Ryssel

Paul Van Ryssel declined to answer the questionnaire, stating that he was not comfortable reducing these issues to short answers without the information council and staff would have and citing the number of questionnaires he had received. 

Read their platform on their campaign website.

Angela Hope Waldick

I don’t think the answer should automatically be “yes” or “no” to every data centre, because each proposal should be judged on its actual impacts. I would look at measurable factors such as water and energy use, infrastructure requirements, environmental impacts, employment and economic benefits and compatibility with surrounding areas. Given that this proposed facility is intended for data storage rather than AI applications or cryptocurrency mining, I would want to assess the actual proposal rather than assumptions about the industry.

Meg Fyfe Watkins

I appreciated Hilary Eastmure’s efforts in getting stricter regulations and more information about the data center rezoning on East Wellington. In this time of climate crisis, we should never be allowing short-term profit to come before long-term environmental sustainability, and we should never be allowing projects that could potentially have major impacts on our water and energy supply to move forward without the appropriate environmental assessments. Our city’s Official Community Plan is focused around doughnut economics which notably requires the careful balance of economic growth with environmental sustainability, and we need to adhere to these values — it’s not an excuse to say a data centre only uses as much water as a carwash, we should be looking at how to reduce water consumption and energy inefficiency across all sectors.