Why Aren’t Albertans Being Asked About AI Data Centres?

When residents of Olds learned that a proposed AI data centre could be built across the street from their homes, many say they didn’t hear about it from their municipality or through a public consultation.

They heard about it from Premier Danielle Smith’s social media account.

The Premier proudly announced what was being described as Canada’s largest AI data centre. But for many of the people who would live beside it, the announcement came as a surprise.

Residents have since raised concerns that the mere prospect of the project has already affected the value of their properties.

A similar story unfolded in Sturgeon County, where residents say they only learned about Meta’s proposed $13-billion AI data centre after the project had already been approved.

That raises a much bigger question:

Why aren’t Albertans being asked whether this is the future they want for their province?

Unlike many major industrial projects, AI data centres in Alberta are not subject to a province-wide public consultation process or a provincial environmental assessment simply because they are AI data centres. As a result, many residents feel decisions that could permanently reshape their communities are being made without their input.

As more Albertans learn about the scale of these projects, questions continue to emerge.

What will they mean for electricity demand?

What will they mean for electricity prices?

How much water will they use?

How close can they be built to homes?

How many permanent jobs will they actually create once construction is complete?

These are questions Albertans deserve answers to before dozens more projects move ahead.

Supporters argue AI data centres will create investment, strengthen Alberta’s economy, and position the province as a global technology leader.

Critics point to examples from other jurisdictions where communities have questioned whether the long-term benefits matched the promises, raising concerns about electricity demand, public subsidies, land use, water consumption, and the relatively small number of permanent jobs created once construction was finished.

Even traditionally conservative jurisdictions are beginning to slow down. Texas has paused approvals for some new AI data centre grid connections while it studies their impact on the electricity system. Other jurisdictions have adopted stricter review processes as concerns over infrastructure, water, and community impacts have grown.

This debate isn’t happening in isolation. Albertans continue to express concern about thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells that remain unreclaimed across the province.

Many are also worried about coal mining on the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains. A new poll released today found a majority of Albertans oppose mining on the Eastern Slopes, and that if the issue were put to a referendum this fall, it would likely pass.

Which raises another question. If the provincial government is willing to ask Albertans to vote on constitutional questions this fall, why not ask them about the future of Alberta’s economic development?

Why not seek a clear mandate on AI data centres?

Why not ask Albertans whether they support building dozens of massive AI campuses across the province?

Likely because the government knows the answer they get won’t be the one they want. Maybe the answer they want is to line the pockets of foreign billionaires. I don’t think that will fly with Albertans.

And if jobs are the government’s primary argument, Albertans may reasonably ask why the Premier is championing one industry while her government’s renewable electricity moratorium halted projects that industry groups said represented billions of dollars in investment and thousands of potential jobs.

Whether you support AI data centres or oppose them, one thing should unite all Albertans: the people who will live with these projects deserve to have a meaningful say in whether, where, and how they are built.

The future of Alberta should be decided by Albertans, not after the decisions have already been made, but before.