First Nation demands more info on Bell AI data centre near Regina: ‘We have to live here’

A Saskatchewan First Nation wants more information, including potential environmental impacts, as Bell Canada continues construction of an AI data centre outside of Regina.

The Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation in Fort Qu’appelle, Sask., penned the letter to Bell Canada and Bell Canada Enterprises, or BCE Inc., Oct. 2.

It called on the company to allow the nation to make its own assessment of the AI data centre project being constructed in the RM of Sherwood.

The letter copied provincial and federal officials, including Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The nation’s process would involve Bell applying for, and being granted, a permit, as well as meetings with its Elders oversight committee, its chief said.

“These data centres are going to be impacting the traditional territories,” Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation Chief Rodger Redman told Global News in an interview.

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“Our issue is that we haven’t even addressed that yet. Yet these projects are coming through. That’s what I’m saying — that these issues have to be addressed.”

The letter states the Sherwood data centre is being built on unceded, traditional Dakota territory.

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As a result, the nation is seeking documents, including ecological and cultural baseline studies, in addition to assessments of the expected effects across all the project phases.

“Industry and government, with other companies, will move on to the next area. We have to live here,” Redman said.

“Nothing is going to be able to grow in this area. The farmers aren’t going to be able to grow crops. Our people aren’t going to be able to sustain, provide sustenance from the animals because they’re going to be contaminated.

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Bell Canada previously said the centre will run with an air-cooled heat rejection system to reduce the amount of water used for normal operation.

The cooling fluid will be trucked in and added to the system, where it will remain until it must be replaced, according to Bell’s website.

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The Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation is requesting further information on that system. Namely, it wants engineering specs, details on how the system will be maintained and how the water will be disposed of, when necessary, according to its letter.

“When we talk about sustainability and looking for the future, it’s not just to deal with and create large amounts of money. Because when you contaminate the land, the water, the air, every living thing that’s surrounding that area, the economies are going to change. Health care is going to change,” Redman said.

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Bell was also asked to provide expected replacement schedules for equipment at the facility. The nation’s letter asked the company for details on how equipment will be determined to be ready for disposal, instead of being repaired or refurbished to extend their lifespans.

“I actually don’t want to leave a cesspool of toxic waste for my grandchildren. I don’t think anybody does. So, we need to do our due diligence in looking at impacts of these projects (of) this size and what it means,” Redman added.

The letter ended by calling on Bell to engage with the Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation or to provide the requested documentation within 30 days.

In an email statement for Global News, Bell Canada said it is “committed to ongoing, meaningful engagement with local communities, including First Nations” as it continues developing AI infrastructure.

“Bell AI Fabric projects are developed in accordance with all applicable regulatory and environmental requirements, and we will continue to provide relevant information about potential impacts through the appropriate processes,” the company’s statement continued.

Global News reached out to the Saskatchewan government for comment, but none was received at the time of publication.