Alberta’s Smith to take part in virtual town hall on AI data centre development

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and her technology minister are scheduled to engage in a virtual town hall on Thursday, discussing the development of artificial intelligence data centres in the province. This marks the third of four town halls organized by the government to share their plans for attracting and regulating these major computing facilities while gathering public feedback.

During the first two events, Technology Minister Nate Glubish faced criticism and calls for additional safeguards from residents. Some expressed distrust in the government's ability to address environmental concerns, such as water usage and the impact on farming communities, which are often situated near data centre projects.

The virtual town hall is the sole occasion Premier Smith is set to attend. Her United Conservative Party government aims to position Alberta as the go-to destination for data centres, promising potential job creation and substantial royalty and tax revenues for the province. However, the Opposition NDP accuses Smith of hastening the process and signing off on data centre projects without consulting Albertans first.

In July, Smith announced that the province would welcome Meta's proposed $13 billion campus situated north of Edmonton. During a press conference on Wednesday, Smith stated that the purpose of the town halls is to identify "blind spots" in the government's current rules governing development. She acknowledged that concerns regarding water consumption and the need to safeguard farming areas from data centre proximity have been heard, and the government intends to make necessary adjustments based on feedback received.

The government is currently formulating guidelines to promote the use of advanced technology in water conservation and establishing specific regulations concerning the distance between data centres and residential areas. Notably, a data centre project in the town of Olds, located north of Calgary, was recently rejected by a provincial regulator due to its proximity to homes.

The NDP Leader, Naheed Nenshi, is anticipated to unveil his party's policy proposals for data centre development prior to the town hall, scheduled for Thursday.