Bell Canada plans to purchase 895 acres to expand AI data centre outside Regina

Bell Canada plans to purchase 895 acres to expand AI data centre outside Regina

Rezoning application reveals plans

Bell Canada's AI data centre is set to get even bigger, according to documents filed with the Rural Municipality of Sherwood.

The facility, located on a 160-acre (65 hectare) parcel of land south of Regina, is being built at a rapid pace, with two of the six approved data halls set to come online in the first half of 2027.

Documents filed as part of a re-zoning application indicate Bell Canada has already entered into conditional agreements to purchase land around the existing parcel.

The expansion is approximately 895 acres or 362 hectares, meaning the AI Fabric Data Centre will have a total footprint of approximately 1,055 acres or 426 hectares.

At an estimated $52 billion, the development will be the largest private capital investment in Saskatchewan history.

A diagram of Bell Canada's overall site plan for its AI data centre campus in the RM of Sherwood. The map, created by TrueNorth Sustainable Infrastructure Inc, has the phrase "Project Solis" on the bottom. The map was part of documents filed with the RM of Sherwood. (Rural Municipality of Sherwood)

The RM approved the rezoning application during a special online meeting Wednesday.

Protesters have previously disrupted RM of Sherwood council meetings, demanding answers amid what they see as a lack of consultation.

Sherwood Reeve Ray Orb confirmed to CBC News that the disruptions at previous gatherings motivated Wednesday's special virtual meeting.

"This time we had a lot of people online and they were unfortunately not able to comment. We will have a meeting … in the very near future where we will have some open consultation," Orb said in a phone interview.

He said rezoning is just the first step and there will be further consultation meetings with the public as well as the existing landowners.

Bell must also consult with First Nations, Orb said.

Bell's Sask. AI data centre expansion raises hopes, concerns for George Gordon First Nation members

Taran Ulrich, who has helped organize protests against the data centre, spoke with CBC on Wednesday as he left the RM's office.

Ulrich expressed frustration that he'd been unable to speak during Wednesday's meeting. He admitted he would have had "nothing nice" to say.

"It seems like entirely a way to just circumvent any sort of criticism," he said. "Any sort of pushback at all."

Ulrich pointed to property records he purchased from the RM of Sherwood, highlighting his concerns about the planned expansion.

According to the records, the land owners include Kevin and Kenda Eberle as well as Kevin and Catherine Chekay.

Sask. touts rapid Bell AI data centre construction, dismissing critics

Kevin Eberle is a former Reeve of the RM of Sherwood while Kevin Chekay is a current councillor and deputy reeve.

Orb confirmed that Chekay recused himself for the re-zoning application during Wednesday's special meeting as well as during previous discussions about the AI data centre.

Ulrich said that's not good enough.

"It's highlighting the fact that capital can do whatever it wants," he said.

What is planned for the expansion

The intended expansion would allow for up to nine additional data centre buildings and support infrastructure.

Those buildings would be built in phases, with the first being built as early as 2027, according to the RM document.

The Canadian telecom giant says the new buildings will add up to 730 megwatts of capacity to its already approved six data halls, which will require 470 megawatts of power. The total power demand of the data centre campus would be 1.2 gigawatts.

Bell Canada and the provincial government have already confirmed the initial 300 megawatts will be supplied by SaskPower. Bell Canada will then be responsible for providing the remain 900 megawatts through the construction of its own gas-powered generation system.

Bell plans expansion of Sask. AI data centre, making it largest private investment in province's history

The documents indicate the generators will be at a "separate Saskatchewan site" located "further from Regina."

"This site is naturally located with natural gas pipelines, which is quite beneficial," John Watson, Bell Canada's group president, said earlier this month.

An internal access road would link the existing campus and any new construction.

Any land not under construction would remain in crop, according to the documents, and the families that currently own the land would retain the right to farm it under a leaseback clause.

Alexander Quon is the provincial affairs reporter for CBC Saskatchewan. He has been a reporter with CBC Saskatchewan since 2021 and is happy to be working in his hometown of Regina after half a decade in Atlantic Canada. He has previously worked with the CBC News investigative unit in Nova Scotia and Global News in Halifax. Alexander specializes in freedom of information requests and data reporting. He can be reached at: alexander.quon@cbc.ca.