REGINA, Sask. — The Rural Municipality of Sherwood has unanimously approved two bylaws allowing Bell Canada to move ahead with plans for a major expansion of its artificial intelligence data centre south of Regina.
Council voted Thursday to rezone approximately 895 acres of agricultural land to light industrial use and amend the municipality's Official Community Plan to accommodate the proposed development.
Coun. Kevin Chekay recused himself from the proceedings and did not vote because he owns a portion of the land Bell intends to purchase.
The expansion could add up to nine data centre buildings, bringing the planned campus to a total capacity of approximately 1.2 gigawatts. Bell has said construction could begin in phases as early as 2027, depending on market demand and further approvals.
The vote followed a lengthy public hearing where residents and First Nations representatives raised concerns about consultation, environmental impacts and the long-term effects of the development.
Bell executives defended the project as an important investment in Canada's AI infrastructure, pointing to projected economic benefits that include more than 1,200 construction jobs, between 280 and 500 permanent operations positions and up to $8 million in annual property tax revenue for the RM once the campus is fully developed.
Bell has also said it is not seeking provincial or municipal subsidies and that the expansion's additional power requirements would be supplied through dedicated generation rather than the provincial grid.
The timing of the decision also drew political criticism. Four members of the RM council were appointed by the provincial government in April after the previous reeve and three councillors resigned, leaving council without a quorum. The appointments came shortly before the original 300-megawatt phase of the project received approval.
The Saskatchewan NDP questioned why the expansion was being decided by a council largely made up of appointed members just days before the Nov. 9 municipal election.
However, appointed Coun. Mitch Huber rejected suggestions the appointments were connected to the data centre.
“Never once have I been prompted or suggested that we had to do anything,” Huber said. “I would suggest we were put here due to our experience as municipal leaders over the last many years.”
Bell has said construction on the expansion will not begin until the required approvals are received and a commercial agreement with a tenant is in place. A provincial environmental impact assessment and other technical work will also be required before the project moves forward.
Thursday's vote settles the RM's zoning decision, but concerns about the project's environmental oversight, consultation and broader impacts remain.
