Regina council to hear from community about how Bell Canada AI data centre will affect city

Regina council to hear from community about how Bell Canada AI data centre will affect city

Members set to vote on motion requesting report on project's impacts

People will be voicing their concerns about Bell Canada's AI data centre south of Regina at a city council meeting Wednesday.

A motion put forward by Couns. Sarah Turnbull, Victoria Flores, Shobna Radons and Shanon Zachidniak recommends that city council direct administration to prepare a report on the artificial intelligence project in the rural municipality of Sherwood and how it will impact Regina.

That's something some city residents would also like to know.

"I want to know that proper assessment has been completed to ensure that this infrastructure will not impact the residents of this city, the environment in which I live in, and the resources that I use to survive. I do not want noise pollution. I want clean water and air," Michael Malagride wrote in his submission to city council.

The motion would have the report define the city's role in the $52-billion project. That includes any of the city's relationships and agreements with the project, like water servicing the data centre.

The report would include an assessment of the project's effect on the city's infrastructure and maintenance, including the demand on the water supply and distribution system.

The motion also asks city administration to look into available options to protect Regina's environment and residents in relation to the project.

Beyond the report, the motion recommends city administration continue consulting with the Saskatchewan government on the project's progress. It asks the province to share the results of the environmental impact assessment it conducts on the expanded project with the city.

Drone video of Bell Canada AI data centre construction site

City administration would also ask the provincial government to consider air quality and emissions, stormwater management and effects on the watershed, noise impacts and the effects of the data centre on local ecosystems and migration patterns in its environmental assessment.

Letters submitted to city council by delegations from the community expressed concerns about the lack of consultation with First Nations and about the data centre's potential environmental impact.

"My whole life is here. I have no reason to go. You put that thing in my backyard, and there's a very good chance I'm uprooting everything and taking off," Regina resident Dylan Block wrote in his submission to city council.

Others said the data centre is an exciting opportunity for Regina.

"The Bell data centre represents a new and meaningful opportunity to leverage our abundant and low cost energy and land and our cold weather to actively participate in the digital economy," Regina resident Erwin Heuck wrote in a letter submitted to city council.

Gordon Hipperson, president of Hipperson Construction, wrote in his submission that work on the data centre allowed his company to employ 30 new workers, all from Saskatchewan. The company was contracted by Bell Canada for the early stages of construction.

George Gordon Developments Ltd. chief executive officer Don Ross submitted a letter in support of the data centre, writing "we have band members working on the site today that otherwise won't be employed."

George Gordon Developments is a construction company from George Gordon First Nation that was contracted by Bell Canada to help build the data centre.

Don Ross, chief executive officer of George Gordon Developments Ltd., at a news conference at the Bell Canada AI data centre this month. He says in a letter to Regina city council that the project has given band members employment. (Alexander Quon/CBC)

Delegates from Bell AI Fabric are also set to speak at the city council meeting.

Chief operating officer Jaethan Reichel and president Dan Rink will discuss a proposed expansion of the data centre to 1,055 acres and address the environmental concerns brought up in the motion.

According to their submission, the power for the expansion will come from natural gas at Bell's expense, water for cooling will be kept in a closed loop to minimize waste, and wastewater will be held in a tank and taken to a City of Regina facility. It also says stormwater will be managed on-site.

According to the submission, Bell will be conducting an acoustic assessment. It also said berms, sound enclosures, setbacks and downward-facing exterior lights are managing noise and light concerns.

The submission from Bell AI Fabric offers to provide more information to the city throughout the construction process.

Construction continues at the data centre on Oct. 1. (Alexander Quon/CBC)

Since the data centre is being built in Sherwood, the City of Regina doesn't have the power to make decisions about its construction, even if council passes the motion requesting the report.

Sherwood Reeve Ray Orb previously said in an interview with CBC News that more consultation with community members and landowners will be conducted after the recent announcement that the project will be expanding.

Premier Scott Moe has been supportive of the data centre, comparing the construction of the data centre to building a railway across Canada to protect the nation's sovereignty.

"That same nation-building purpose calls for a new kind of infrastructure — infrastructure that protects our data and secures our sovereignty," he said.

City council will vote on the motion at Wednesday's meeting.

Laura Gillis is a Regina-based journalist. You can reach her at laura.gillis@cbc.ca.