AI & MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT — WHO IS MAKING THE RULES? Part 1

September 23rd, 2026

Let me start by saying that I absolutely, 100% enjoy, appreciate and feel great - generally - about technology. Sure, social media can be toxic. But on the flip side, I can sit in the comfort of my home, in my pj's, coffee in hand, and watch a Council meeting. I can stream a TV series (big shout out to my fellow Heated Rivalry fans!) and have a viewing party. My husband can video call his relatives in Europe, and I can attend classes online via Zoom.

But, I've been thinking a lot about AI lately. About what AI is going to mean for municipal government.

Here is something I find concerning: We are moving rapidly into an AI world, but where are the municipal rules governing how AI should be used by elected officials and municipal staff?

I looked at the publicly available policy information for the Town of Wasaga Beach and the County of Simcoe. I have not found a dedicated municipal AI policy governing the use of artificial intelligence by elected officials and staff.

That raises some pretty important questions.

What happens when AI is used to draft reports, summarize information, conduct research, communicate with residents or help make recommendations?

Who checks the information?

Who is accountable when AI gets something wrong?

What information is being put into these systems?

And who decides what AI should — and should not — be used for?

But this isn't only a Wasaga Beach question.

Simcoe County is an upper-tier municipality made up of 16 member municipalities.

There are 18 municipalities geographically within Simcoe County — the 16 County members, plus the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia, which are politically and administratively separate from the County.

County Council currently includes the mayors and deputy mayors of those 16 member municipalities.

So when we talk about AI and municipal government, we are talking about an issue that potentially affects a very large regional system of government and the residents it serves.

And there is another issue we need to start talking about.

AI requires enormous amounts of computing infrastructure.

That means data centres — and data centres mean land, electricity, water, roads, telecommunications infrastructure and potentially significant environmental impacts.

That matters here.

I used AI to create this graphic poster that you are seeing because I don't have the skills or artistic talent to do so.

It helps get my message across in a way that I could not do without spending hours trying to get the image perfect. This is, for me, a great use of AI.

AI is also a great use for persons with different disabilities and we should enhance this tool and not limit its use for those who need it in a way I do not.

The County's current growth plan is based on 555,000 people and 198,000 jobs by 2051.

The County's approved Municipal Comprehensive Review does not simply say, “We have lots of empty land.”

It identifies specific land needs for growth.

For 2021–2051, the County's adopted plan identifies 1,136.4 hectares for Community Uses and 278 hectares for Employment Lands within designated greenfield areas.

That's 1,414.4 hectares identified for these specific growth needs.

And within the Employment Land figure, Wasaga Beach is identified as requiring 72.7 hectares to accommodate its projected employment growth.

Think about those numbers.

We are planning where hundreds of thousands of people will live and work over the next 25 years — while at the same time a new industry requiring potentially enormous amounts of land, electricity, water and infrastructure is emerging.

Do we have policies for that?

Do our municipalities have rules for AI?

Do we have policies for municipal use of AI?

Do we have a framework for considering AI data centres?

And if we don't, shouldn't we be asking these questions before proposals arrive at our council tables?

I don't think we should be afraid of technology.

But I do think we need to understand it, research it and establish the rules before we're asked to make decisions about it.

This isn't about being for or against AI.

It's about asking whether our municipal governments are prepared for what is coming.

Stay tuned for Part 2.

Thanks for listening!