First Nation demands more info on Bell AI data centre near Regina: ‘We have to live here’

The Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation, a First Nation in Saskatchewan, has demanded more information from Bell Canada regarding an upcoming AI data centre near Regina. In a letter sent on October 2, the nation asked for details on potential environmental impacts, including ecological and cultural baseline studies. The data centre, being constructed in the RM of Sherwood, is built on unceded Dakota territory, according to the nation's chief, Rodger Redman.

Redman expressed concern that the project's effects would not be assessed until later stages, as the Indigenous community needs to sustain its way of life. He emphasized that the contamination from the data centre's byproducts, such as water, land, and air pollution, could negatively impact the community's health care and economy.

Bell Canada has previously stated that the data centre will use an air-cooled heat rejection system to minimize water usage, but the Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation wants additional information on the system's engineering specs, maintenance, and water disposal methods. The nation has requested this information within 30 days.