Hundreds march in opposition to AI data centres in Vancouver

Hundreds gathered in downtown Vancouver after Telus announced it would build three AI data centres in B.C.

A large crowd marched down Granville Street Saturday to voice their opposition to two planned AI data centres slated for construction in Vancouver this year.

The group, which appeared to number in the hundreds, assembled at Waterfront Station before setting off across the downtown peninsula.

Marchers carried signs criticizing data centres’ water usage, the proliferation of AI slop and the corporate interests behind AI development.

“It’s really scary what’s been happening,” said one protester named Ashley, who declined to share a last name with CTV News.

“It’s basically just sucking up all the resources and making the land really unlivable for everybody who has built their lives there,” Ashley said, referencing the impacts of large-scale data centres in some communities in the U.S.

The planned Vancouver facilities are not as large as many that have been built south of the border, and Telus—which is pitching the project in partnership with the federal government—says its data centres will “set a new global standard for sustainable AI infrastructure.”

Telus says its facilities will employ a “closed loop” cooling system that will reduce their water usage by up to 80 per cent. They’re also slated to use 98 per cent renewable electricity and connect to Vancouver’s Neighbourhood Energy Utility in Mount Pleasant and Creative Energy’s downtown district energy system downtown.

• Read more: ‘Metro Vancouver is running out of water’: Skepticism surrounding new AI data centres

Still, concerns remain.

Vancouver Coun. Sean Orr was among those participating in Saturday’s march. He told CTV News he’s been receiving a lot of emails from constituents about this issue.

Water usage, noise, heat and whether it’s even possible for Ottawa to achieve its goal of “data sovereignty” are some of the concerns Orr said he’s heard.

“Personally, I wonder if this is the best use of our land,” he said. “I mean, we have a very dense city and land is at a premium and I wonder if this is really the best use.”

Orr also said he’s trying to keep an open mind and not have a “kneejerk reaction” to the proposal.

“I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can about all of this,” he said. “It’s all pretty new for a lot of people, right? I know they’re different from the big ones in the United States and I know they’re trying to do a closed-loop system.”

B.C. Green Party Leader Emily Lowan was also in attendance at the march Saturday, and she expressed even less optimism for the proposal than Orr did.

Asked whether she sees any upside to the data centres, Lowan chuckled.

“Great question,” she said, before explaining her own concerns about data sovereignty and the ability of large corporations like Telus to deliver it for the federal government.

While she didn’t explicitly say there was no upside, she also didn’t name any specific value she sees in having AI data centres in B.C.

Lowan said her party is calling for a moratorium on data centre construction in the province “until the risks are properly understood and regulated.”

“Otherwise, it’s just going to be these corporations running amok in our communities,” she said.

The Green leader also highlighted the youth of the crowd and the turnout, which she called “amazing.”

“I believe an 18-year-old organized this protest with a week’s notice, and I think that really speaks to the grassroots outrage at governments charging ahead, chasing the AI bubble with no community consultation,” Lowan said.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Riley Cunningham