Alberta’s Smith to take part in virtual town hall on AI data centre development

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and her technology minister are set to take part in a virtual town hall Thursday about developing artificial intelligence data centres in the province.

It’s the third of four town halls the government has organized to tell Albertans about its approach to attracting and regulating the major computing facilities and hear feedback.

At the first two events, Technology Minister Nate Glubish was hit with criticism and demands for safeguards from locals.

Some said they don’t trust the government to address environmental risks or water usage concerns.

The virtual town hall is the only one the premier is scheduled to join.

Her United Conservative Party government has been trying to position the province as an ideal destination for data centres, saying they could generate new jobs and billions in royalties and taxes for the province.

The Opposition NDP says Smith has rushed ahead and rubber-stamped data centre projects without first hearing from Albertans.

In July, Smith announced the province is welcoming tech giant Meta’s proposed $13-billion campus north of Edmonton.

Smith told reporters Wednesday that the town halls are about finding “blind spots” in the government’s existing rules for development.

She said the province has heard the concerns about water use and the need to protect farming communities from having data centres as neighbours.

“I’m sure that we’ll hear a few more, but we’re doing (the town halls) so that we can make adjustments if we need to,” she said.

Smith said her government is already considering how it comes up with guidance for companies to use the latest technology to limit water use, as well as specific rules for how close a data centre can be to residential areas.

A data centre project proposed in the town of Olds, north of Calgary, was rejected last week by a provincial regulator over proximity to homes.

NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi is expected to release his party’s policy proposals for data centre development on Thursday before Smith’s town hall.