Edenwold ratepayers ask RM to ‘just say no’ to bylaw amendment which may allow data centres

The RM of Edenwold heard public concerns over environmental and AI issues as it considers bylaw changes to allow data centres. Donovan Maess reports.

Residents from the RM of Edenwold are speaking out against the possibility of data centres in their community.

Ratepayers speaking at an RM council meeting Tuesday brought concerns about water security, power usage and pollution.

“[Developers] claim their cooling systems do not use excess water and do not have any discharges, so they’re excluded from environmental requirements,” one ratepayer told councillors. “The RM, city and province must monitor those facilities and respond to emergencies.”

Edenwold council considered a proposed bylaw amendment which would allow data centres as ‘discretionary use’ in industrial zones.

Being discretionary use would require council to approve any applications for data centres which come forward.

Residents would rather see the bylaw not change.

“Cons, they are all listed. Pros, I see none,” another ratepayer said. “This might be a time you just say ‘no.’ If [council] says no to the amended bylaw, there is nothing to say no to down the road.”

• RM of Edenwold to consider zoning changes to allow data centres

The RM says the planning and development department has received multiple inquiries regarding potential data centre developments.

To address concerns, the amendment writes in standards and additional requirements related to development, cooling and other potential impacts.

Industry stakeholders also spoke as delegates Tuesday in favour of the new bylaw wording.

“You have people who have very strong teams of plans which have put forward, what I think, is a fair, reasonable text amendment to be proactive with data centre land uses,” one delegate said. “There are a number of safeguards in place with this amendment.”

“We don’t need water to cool the system,” another said. “Water is mainly used for fire suppression, not for cooling. The majority of the cooling comes from the climate here.”

‘Too early’

Edenwold’s discussions come after a separate discussion in the neighbouring RM of Sherwood, south of Regina.

The applicant for that project is Bell Canada (BCE), the parent company of CTV News.

According to the letter published Feb. 9, the multiphase project will include a campus of interconnected low-rise data centre buildings covering more than 500,000 square feet, shared administrative office buildings, 300 parking stalls, and a SaskPower substation.

The corporation also claimed the project would create future development along Park Street Road and could possibly include a research partnership with the University of Regina, reclaiming heat generated from the data centres for use in greenhouses.

• Regina may soon be home to an AI data centre, documents show

The letter ends by stating Phase 1 of the program will consist of a 90,000 square foot building, with the company hoping to expedite in 2026.

Petitions circulating online to shut it down continue to gain signatures.

Jewel Wendler is one of the petition supporters.

“[Data centres] make areas scarce in fresh water,” she told CTV News Tuesday. “We’re already in a time of water scarcity and we’re only going to see those issues continue to worsen if we’re not taking this issue seriously.”

Wendler adds there are significant other environmental, ecological and ethical concerns with AI.

“It’s just too soon,” she emphasized. “We don’t know enough about AI to even welcome this into our community.”

“I don’t think there is a place for them, and if anything, AI is hindering our overall development as a society,” Wendler added.

In response to CTV News, Bell Canada is working with local communities to ensure the development meets all necessary requirements.

“As Bell AI Fabric works to deliver sovereign AI infrastructure for Canada, we regularly engage with municipalities and other stakeholders through established planning and regulatory processes,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

Grappling with evolving industry

As tech companies expand into Saskatchewan, local communities are grappling with weighing resident concerns and the desire to diversify industry.

“There needs to be more information, in general terms, about the effects it would have,” Edenwold Reeve Al Trainor said. “As council, we’re always trying to make the right decision that’s best for the all the ratepayers in the RM.”

Only a handful of delegates spoke at Edenwold’s council meeting Tuesday, with two in favour, two against – in addition to 11 written submissions which all rose concerns about AI data centres.

“It was great to have input,” the Reeve said.

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Councillors felt they had inadequate information to be able to move forward with a vote after the public hearing.

“There’s just a whole bunch of things that were raised and I am not interested in amending anything until we ask for information,” division 3 coun. Nicole Posehn said.

“Someone raised some of the effects it has on livestock,” said Tim Brodt, division 6 coun. “If it’s affecting livestock, it could affect people. I don’t know enough about it to make a really important decision.”

Administration reiterated the RM does not currently have a proposal to build a data centre, only it presented amendments to open the door for applications.

“If there is anything else council wants to consider in here, that is something we can do,” said chief administrative officer Shauna Bzdel . “If there’s something else that doesn’t feel right, let’s put it in here sooner rather than later.”

Council ultimately tabled a vote on the changes to its next council meeting.

Trainor says balancing unknowns with pros and cons is not easy.

“It can be difficult. Some businesses fit right in,” he said. “Water is a big thing and we’re in a semi-arid area with lots of development that draws on the aquifers we have.”

The amendment is expected to be discussed again at the RM of Edenwold’s next council meeting March 9.

-With files from David Prisciak & Wayne Mantyka.