REGINA, Sask. — After more than seven hours of discussion focused solely on the data centre at Regina city council Wednesday, Carla Beck, leader of the opposition in Saskatchewan said the provincial government needs to do more to answer public questions about the project.
Speaking at a news conference Thursday, Beck brought forward many concerns expressed by residents at the city council meeting and criticized the Provincial government for moving the project along so rapidly without much public consultation.
“What we have failed to see is a government that understands that they are accountable to the people of this province to answer those questions — basic questions, such as: has an environmental assessment been done?”
The NDP leader also raised concerns about the scale of the proposed facility and its potential impact on Saskatchewan's electricity supply.
“We’re talking about a facility that is going to consume the power that currently the whole city of Regina consumes — 300 megawatts. It is a project that can be seen for miles around.”
Deputy Premier and Finance Minister Jim Reiter pushed back against the NDP's criticism, accusing the party of misrepresenting the project and the Saskatchewan government’s intentions.
“They keep saying there’s not enough information, yet Bell’s been very forthcoming with information.”
Reiter also emphasized that the project is being funded entirely through private investment, arguing it will benefit the province without requiring taxpayer dollars to cover its costs.
“There’s no tax dollars going into this. This is all private investment, which is good news for Saskatchewan because there’s no tax dollars going in — no expense to the government — but what it’s going to do is create revenue for the government.”
Reiter also said the development is expected to generate significant provincial sales tax revenue and create jobs.
