Alberta minister faces more fury at second town hall on AI data centres

Alberta's technology minister, Nate Glubish, faced more criticism at the government's second town hall hearing on the plan for artificial intelligence data centres in Redwater, north of Edmonton. Residents were vocal in their objections during the Thursday event, yelling profanities and demanding specifics on safeguards. Meta had announced plans to build a $13-billion AI data centre project, powered by a $4.6-billion natural gas-fired plant.

Critics questioned why the government was pushing forward with the project if locals were opposed. Glubish defended the zoning of the area for over 30 years and the potential economic benefits, stating that 300 jobs were preferable to zero. He assured the audience that the province would develop strict rules to protect water supplies and control power bills.

The town hall followed a previous event in Lacombe where Glubish also faced jeers and criticism. Anti-data centre activist Ben Baril called the government's approach disingenuous and urged continued opposition. Glubish promised to take the necessary steps to ensure responsible development of the data centre industry.