Construction of Bell Canada’s AI data centre in Saskatchewan scaling up

Saskatchewan's Crown investments minister, Jeremy Harrison, celebrated progress on an artificial intelligence data centre project with Bell Canada on Thursday, southeast of Regina. The $1.7-billion, 300-megawatt facility, one of the country's largest data centres, was described as "amazing" by Harrison, who stood in front of a steel-beam framework. The site, covering 65 hectares, has 500 workers on-site at any given time.

The first two data halls are expected to begin operations in the first half of next year, while the facility could be expanded to 1.2 gigawatts, quadrupling its size and requiring a dedicated natural gas plant. Bell Canada's group president, John Watson, said the expansion would bring bigger economic benefits, supporting 500 permanent jobs at the site and up to 3,000 off-site and community jobs.

The expansion would also see Bell move its AI fabric headquarters to Regina, creating 100 management jobs. Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski hailed the project as a hub for innovation and growth, promising the development would retain talented young people and attract new workers and families to the city.

The project has faced criticism over its potential environmental and electricity grid impacts, as well as concerns about a lack of public consultation. However, Harrison stated that people already support the project, with elected representatives speaking on behalf of their constituents reflecting the broad support out there. The Opposition NDP has called for a moratorium on large-scale centres, urging the province to hold town hall meetings to address citizens' concerns about power bills and area impacts.