REGINA, Sask. — Regina Ward 5 Coun. Sarah Turnbull has requested more information from city administration about how Bell’s AI data centre expansion in the RM of Sherwood will impact the City of Regina.
In a notice of motion sent by Turnbull to SaskToday, she intends for administration to provide a report on Regina's role with the Bell AI Fabric data centre campus project and the potential implications and impacts of its operations on the city. Turnbull's notice also requests that the report address other issues that could potentially affect Regina, such as demand on the city's water supply and distribution system, as well as effects on Regina's infrastructure and maintenance, air quality and emissions, stormwater management and the watershed, predicted noise levels and local ecosystems.
Council will debate whether Turnbull's notice should go forward in the coming weeks.
Although Turnbull did confirm that Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski has been consulted on the expansion, Turnbull has been vocal with her concerns over the lack of transparency with city council regarding the decision to expand the data centre.
"It feels like citizens of Regina have been left out of the decision-making process by leaders who don't have any stakes in Regina," says Turnbull.
In a statement from Bell, the company said, "We believe projects of this scale are most successful when they are developed in partnership with the communities they affect, and that will continue to guide our approach as plans evolve."
