REGINA — Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Saskatchewan Legislature on building Saturday to make their message clear: stop the AI data centre.
Bell Canada announced the centre in March, which will span 90,000 square feet and require 300 megawatts of power.
Although the province sees the project as a major win, protesters said there are many concerns.
“We're concerned about our environment and safety [and] we're concerned about the usage of generative AI [and] about why [there is] such a rush being put on such a huge project,” said event organizer Jay-Jay Bigsky.
Bell has previously stated the data centre will use a closed-loop system, meaning it won’t require any municipal water for operations.
However, Bigsky described it as a “band-aid being put on our anger.”
“[They’re] claiming that a closed loop system is gonna be beneficial when we know that a closed loop system is gonna use much more power otherwise.”
In hopes of addressing concerns, the RM of Sherwood will host a council meeting on Monday to discuss a development agreement between the municipality and Bell.
The agreement contains 16 conditions, including Bell outlining a drainage plan overseen by a Saskatchewan-licensed professional engineer, a before-and-after acoustic assessment to ensure noise levels do not exceed 70 dB, maintaining stormwater runoff at or below pre-development levels, and providing record drawings to confirm the site was constructed in compliance with all requirements.
Despite having outlined plans, Bigsky said this still leaves more questions unanswered.
“It’s one question answered, two more questions [that] arise.”
Conflict of Interest:
The protesters also raised concerns with four new members of the RM of Sherwood council being appointed by the Government of Saskatchewan.
“Appointed council people were not democratically voted in to make decisions for the people that they are representing, which we also believe is an injustice," said Bigsky.
Regina Coun. Shanon Zachidniak (Ward 8) believed the development agreement should be postponed.
“This decision should be made by democratically elected councillors, and they're having their election later on this year. So I think it's most appropriate that this decision is made after that time.”
Zachidniak added that delaying a decision would allow for a clearer understanding of the impacts on all stakeholders.
“This doesn't just impact the RM [of] Sherwood and [the] general vicinity. This impacts our entire area, our entire province, and the country as well. Folks should have the opportunity to provide their feedback on a project of this magnitude.”
City of Regina’s role:
Back in Feb., a document revealed the City of Regina was made aware of the project, and waived a requirement for a concept plan and secondary planning.
Both the RM of Sherwood and the City of Regina jointly share the land on which the proposed data centre would be built.
From brief email discussions, Zachidniak said city administration has no concerns with the project, but she wants more information on such a large project.
“On the city of Regina’s end, we [should] have the information and the procedures in place to adequately assess this.”
Zachidniak said she will explore options to determine whether there are ways to delay the decision.
If approved, Bell intends to finish the first stage of the data centre by mid-2027.
