A third protest has been organized against the Bell AI data centre project in the Rural Municipality (RM) of Sherwood near Regina. An organization dubbed “No Data Centres on Treaty Land” announced demonstrators would be protesting the scheduled RM council meeting for Sept. 23. The group held its first demonstration in April, when the RM council voted in favour of approving the initial 300-megawatt (MW) facility. The latest demonstration follows the announcement that the project has now quadrupled in scope, to 1.2 gigawatts. The group claims that the vote to approve the data centre project was “undemocratic, neglectful, and corrupt”, arguing there was a lack of public consultation. Additionally, the group shares deep concerns over power and water usage and environmental impacts. The provincial government has defended the data centre by highlighting the jobs and economic spinoffs that will be created by the now $52 billion project. The province, and Bell Canada, have repeatedly responded to questions of power and water concerns, pointing to Saskatchewan’s “Bring Your Own Power” policy, and the centre’s closed loop coolant system not requiring a continuous supply of water.
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