Calling it “one of the largest private sector investment in Canadian history,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Meta’s vice-president of Data Centres, Gary Demasi, announced plans Wednesday for the company to spend $13 billion to build a new data centre in Sturgeon County, just north of Edmonton.
Meta claims the project will employ 3,000 people during the peak of construction and create approximately 300 full-time jobs when its operational.
In addition, the government of Alberta says it will generate approximately $250 million annually in royalties, taxes, levies and fees.
“Meta is also investing approximately $60 million in local infrastructure improvements, including roads and water infrastructure,” said Smith.
“In addition, Alberta ratepayers will see approximately a six-per cent reduction in the transmission portion of their electricity bills through Project Green Light, which is a $4.6 billion, 970-megawatt natural gas fired electricity generation facility that was announced last week by Pemina Pipeline Corporation, Kineticor, and Morgan Stanley infrastructure partners.
“This facility will generate electricity using natural gas produced right here in Alberta — electricity that will help to power this data centre.”
Meta (its full name it Meta Platforms) is a massive global tech conglomerate that is the parent company of such social media platforms as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads.
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With the boom in artificial intelligence, there have been a growing number of proposals to build data centres in Canada — some of mind-boggling scale, often requiring enough electricity to power a whole city.
The dizzying growth of the industry has also prompted increasing pushback over concerns about water use, pollution and the cost and availability of power in nearby communities.
Keith Stewart, senior energy strategist with Greenpeace Canada, has called for a moratorium on “megadata centres” until there are legislated environmental and human rights protections on AI.
“We’re seeing these kinds of promises made all by AI data centre proponents around the world, but the reality is that these are billionaires trying to steal our water and pollute the air so they can double our electricity while taking away our jobs.”
Meta claims its data centre will feature a closed-loop water cooling system so it won’t draw water from the surrounding area, and on-site water use will be limited to domestic uses such as fire protection systems and equipment maintenance applications.
Meta has also promised to spend $60 million to improve local infrastructure, such as roads and water systems.
However, Bek MacIntosh, who has been involved in the fight against a huge data centre near her hometown of Olds, Alta., says the potential impacts of such huge developments go beyond electricity consumption and water use. She’s concerned about the “unknown details,” and typically she says governments are “not supportive in getting the information out to their communities.”
When asked why Albertans should trust Meta in construction of this project, Smith said the area where the new data centre is being built — Alberta’s Industrial Heartland — was specifically designed for heavy industrial use.
“This is being sited in an industrial area that has been established for four decades. There was supposed to be 12 refineries on that site” Smith said.
With files from The Canadian Press.
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And yes…they look like r#tarded dorks with those hats….absolutely look ridiculous. Don’t fit or belong.
How many knee pads did she go thru?!
Quebecers must be cheering ! Alberta will have more money they can grist away in equalization.
lol yeah your “country”
Give up your farms for ai factories
Very steeped in tradition lol
If I have to see her in yet one more cowboy hat, Im going to hurl
1000 data centers and gas power plants, vent the exhaust to ottawa
Indeed these AI factories need endless water and ridiculous amounts of hydro to operate which the u.s. has neither of them, so lets find somewhere where the politicians think a few 100million is alot of money to suck their resources…we wont mention the humming that the enormous amount of power makes that is in bearable to nearby neighborhoods
Waste of money. The hype AI is another boondoggle, just like NFT’s and Bitcoin. AI is powerful, yes, I use it for work. But the economics of the companies running the show just make no sense. None of them make more money then they spend, and the chips inside datacentres become obsolete years before they pay themselves off, because of the sheer intensity with which they are used.
Also, Meta is an American company, and one that is very supportive of the very President that has threatened to annex us. Why do we want any of our dollars going towards a company like that? If you want AI to bring money home to Canada, invest in researching. Invest in startups. Do you know how much of the actual IP behind AI was invented by Canadians? Enough, that we should be ashamed that we let these talented young people take their knowledge to the US, just because we would prefer to invest in the hype, than the people doing the real work. Shameful.
Alberta bringing in $$$$$. The rest of Canada? Not so much!
A fence post with cowboy hat?
$13 billion? How much will go directly into chairman Mark Mao Carnage’s pocket? I’ll wait for the answer.
“How can it cost so much?” The more it costs Meta to build, the better for Canada, you total moron!
How can it cost so much? that would build at least six NHL hockey arenas!!
At least Alberta is drawing in business while the rest of Canada is losing theirs.
Leftist morons’ heads are exploding at this news. Alberta attracts not only record numbers of migrating Canadians, but billions in foreign investment. Choke on the news, losers. hahahahaha
I would suggest if there is water to be cooled it could be done in a greenhouse and grow food year round. During the summer the warmed water could be purified by condensation for consumption.
Meta just poisoned a water system with their data centre.
As a Sturgeon County resident, I say BOOOO
They are going to use a closed-loop water cooling system so water isn’t a concern. They are building their own power plant with excess power available to consumers which will reduce our power rates. They are in the Industrial Heartland away from towns and cities. So there should be no concerns.
It will be nice to have some data centers in Canada incase Trump closes the border with Canada because of Canada’s stubborn refusal to drop trade irritants
Oof.. take from someone who lives near a datacenter… the people within 10 km of it are going to absolutely hate it. Your electricity bill will nearly double (mine went up 80% in under a year), your water bill will rise (mine went up 50%) … but most of all… you will go insane from endless constant humming and droning sounds that stretches for several kilometers, preventing you from falling asleep and tanking your property value as the place becomes almost unlivable.
My advice, move / sell your home NOW if have a datacenter being built – once it is done, NOBODY will want to live there, it’ll be like living next to a landfill.
Barney
July 8, 2026 at 9:23 pm
When Alberta separates it’s economy will be hundred times the size of shitehole canada
The moment you separate, Trumps c*ck will be down yer thr*at.
Burn it the h*ll down!
need a hub control for the new world order, the only ones getting them jobs will be Punjab’s as always but its great it will suck of Alberta’s natural recourses for the rich to benefit
I’m in europe sucking like there’s no tomorrow
When Alberta separates it’s economy will be hundred times the size of shitehole canada
Alberta says it will generate approximately $250 million annually in royalties, taxes, levies and fees.
That is a LOT of money each year. No wonder companies are reluctant to build in Canada.
Good
The need for data centers is only going to keep growing and Canada has all the required resources
The separatists can have Alberta now, AI data centre’s do no good. You will regret this Danny.
Yaaas premier keeping Alberta on the tech map!
Duhhhh I’ll support anyone wearing a cowboy hat
Shovels in the ground and a big fat c0ck up my butt
What the redneck Conservative idiots in Alberta don’t know is that the oil companies are planning on replacing workers with AI which means more oil jobs lost in Alberta. Danielle Smith is f**king you all up the a$$ and you don’t even realize it. Too funny LOL
Good build them ALL in Alberta! Have fun you mouthbreathers!