RM of Sherwood unanimously approves AI data centre agreement under backdrop of protest

Under the backdrop of a protest, the RM of Sherwood approved its agreement with Bell Canada over its planned AI data centre. Sierra D'Souza Butts reports.

The Rural Municipality (RM) of Sherwood council has unanimously approved plans to move forward with an AI data centre after reviewing its agreement with Bell Canada (BCE) at a meeting Monday.

Ever since Bell Canada announced its plans to build a 300-megawatt AI data centre outside of Regina, local residents have been voicing their opinions.

In hopes of stopping the process from moving forward, close to 100 people gathered outside the RM of Sherwood offices during Monday’s meeting.

“I think it’s really disappointing. I think the fact that there’s been a lack of transparency is so worrisome,” protester Genevieve Robinson explained.

“If the data centre is built we’ll protest against it because we know the harm that data centres have done to cities in the U.S.,” Nicholas Fruzesy, another concerned resident, told CTV News.

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The majority of concerns raised by protestors pertained to the potential environmental impacts they believe the centre could have including noise pollution, stormwater, drainage and increased electricity use.

Following council’s vote in favour of the development agreement, a few individuals who attended the meeting left the RM office and were yelled at by protesters as they walked to their vehicles.

Only 20 seats in the gallery were available for residents to attend the meeting. Many of the protestors, delegates and the majority of media who attended the event, including CTV News, were unable to watch the meeting unfold in person. However, the proceedings were streamed online.

Interim Reeve Ray Orb said the RM council was confident in its decision.

“I think that it’s important to get that message out there. This is a positive project whether people like AI or not, they are probably already using it,” Orb told reporters following the meeting.

“It’s in our lives right now, especially in agriculture and health care, and in the work municipalities do it’s very important to us. Data sovereignty is very important. We have a good opportunity here to build something and to us, it’s a success story for the province.”

Orb added the RM council had much time to review the agreement prior to voting on it at Monday’s meeting.

When speaking to reporters, a spokesperson for Bell Canada said the company has gone through the province’s environmental impact assessment process.

“In Saskatchewan, it’s a process where you self-assess based on criteria,” explained Dan Rink, president of AI Fabric for Bell Canada.

“Because of the way we design these facilities, and the fact that they actually are very environmentally friendly, they don’t use water, they don’t have large waste products of any kind, it’s not necessary for us to enter into a full environmental process.”

When asked about the environmental concerns raised by those in the community, Rink said the corporation will be engaging with various local organizations, the provincial government, as well as George Gordon First Nation, during the development process.

Rink reiterated the technical aspects of the proposed facility, seemingly responding to certain public concerns over water use by AI data centres.

“All of the facilities we build don’t use water,” he explained. “They all use closed loop systems, fully closed loop system. No evaporative cooling at all so the system gets filled with technical water. That water is used for around ten years before it’s fully recycled and refilled.”

With the goal of providing more transparency to the public, the RM of Sherwood’s council said it plans to publish more information on its website as the project unfolds.

With files from David Prisciak and Donovan Maess

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