The most recent edition of the Business Monitor features business leaders’ views on expanding data centres in Canada. The Business Monitor is Canada’s only B2B omnibus.
The key highlights in this release include:
- Expanding data centres ranks relatively low as a story being followed.
- Business leaders are distinctly polarized on the economic benefit.
- While strengthening Canada's global competitiveness and sovereignty resonate, negative perceptions prevail.
A more detailed presentation is in the report with additional findings.
At this stage, the expansion of data centres in Canada is not a closely followed issue by most business leaders
Just over a third are following news on data centres – the lowest reading for all issues tested. Despite the relatively low attention, over 4 in 5 are at least keeping an eye on the issue.
Business leaders are polarized on the economic benefits of expanding large data centres
Positive and negative expectations of its economic impact are statistically equal.
- B.C. and Alberta stand out as remarkably different on the expected economic impact of expanding data centres.
The most resonant positive messaging around data centres focuses on global competitiveness and sovereignty
On the negative side, there are strong concerns around government subsidies and the impact on electricity pricing.
- Across the various dimensions of expanding data centres, it is notable that two negative statements resonate more strongly than the most compelling messages for data centre expansion.
Discussion
While the expansion of data centres is not currently a particularly hot topic, it continues to simmer and is on the radar of Canada’s business leaders. It is a remarkably polarizing topic. The business class is as likely to see positive as negative economic impacts. There are strong concerns around electricity pricing and government support.
The two most compelling arguments in favour of data centre expansion – strengthening sovereignty and Canada’s global competitiveness – have traction with only small majorities of business leaders. The idea that it will have a positive economic impact fails to convince even a strong plurality.
For the federal government, the expansion of data centres is part of its AI strategy. Touting its cool climate and a deregulated electricity market, the Government of Alberta says it is part of its growth strategy and is pushing for investments. Alberta is the lone province with a strongly receptive business audience. For the rest of the country, it will be an uphill battle to convince business leaders of the benefits.
Methodology
The Business Monitor is powered by the Modus Business Panel – Canada’s only purpose-built, fully probability-based business research panel.
The survey was conducted online using both email and SMS invitations/reminders, and completed via desktops, laptops, tablets and mobile devices. A total of 520 responses were gathered from Canadian managers and executives. As Modus Business Panel is 100% recruited using RDD probability-based telephone sampling, it is statistically valid to calculate the margin of error – it is plus or minus 4.3% at a 95% confidence interval. Sample matters.
The survey was conducted from August 12 to 26, 2026. We run surveys at the optimal timeframe for online surveys (~ two weeks) to avoid the early response bias of quick turnaround surveys. This survey was conducted through the thick of the most recent trade negotiations between Canada and the United States up to the day the talks broke off (August 21) and for several days following. Importantly, we tested pre- and post-negotiations respondents for any significant differences are there are none for the findings presented.
The data have been weighted by region and enterprise size using the latest population data from Statistics Canada.
The Business Monitor
The Business Monitor is a quarterly B2B omnibus survey ideally suited for discerning clients who need a cost-effective solution to their business research needs without compromising quality.
The Monitor is powered by the Modus Business Panel – Canada’s only purpose-built and fully probability-based business research panel. It is the gold standard for business research in Canada.
