Protests Erupt in Alberta Against Meta's Planned Data Centre Amid Environmental Concerns

📅 6 days ago

Hundreds rallied in Morinville, Alberta, to oppose Meta's plan for a massive data centre, voicing concerns over environmental impact and rising utility costs.

MORINVILLE, ALTA. — A significant protest took place outside a county office in northern Alberta on Sunday, as hundreds of individuals gathered to express their opposition to Meta's plans for a new data centre. This facility, announced last month, is set to be a massive one-gigawatt data centre located in Morinville, a town within Sturgeon County. Protesters chanted slogans such as "Down, down with corporations," while cars passing by honked in support. Among the signs displayed was one featuring a picture of Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, accompanied by the message: "Expropriate The Billionaire."
Ben Baril, a 20-year-old business student at the University of Alberta and one of the event's organizers, noted the unexpectedly large turnout despite the rainy weather and the long weekend. "We don’t want this data centre here, and we don’t want this data centre anywhere else," he stated emphatically. Local resident Jessica Tomashiro articulated her concerns regarding the high demand for water and electricity that data centres typically require. "My water, my electricity prices are already high, so how much higher can they go?" she questioned, reflecting the anxieties of many residents regarding potential increases in utility costs.
Meta's planned facility, with an investment exceeding $13 billion, is expected to become operational within the next two to three years. This project is notable as it marks the first data centre that Meta is establishing in Canada, amidst a surge of similar developments across the country driven by the growing artificial intelligence sector. In an effort to attract such hyperscale developers, the Alberta government has implemented a "concierge" service to assist companies in navigating provincial regulations.
However, local concerns persist regarding the environmental impact of these facilities, particularly in relation to their substantial electricity and water consumption. Premier Danielle Smith has assured residents that Alberta's grid operator will utilize surplus energy to power Meta's centre until the Greenlight Electricity Centre, a new natural gas-fired plant scheduled for completion in 2030, can take over. Additionally, Smith has stated that the data centre will consume a water volume comparable to that of a standard golf course, supported by a closed-loop water cooling system designed to minimize local water usage.
In response to the protests, Sturgeon County Mayor Alanna Hnatiw emphasized the importance of community involvement in regulatory oversight and the development of international agreements that leverage the benefits of artificial intelligence. Hnatiw recognized the validity of residents' concerns, asserting that they stem from a genuine care for community resources and environmental sustainability. "Strong accountability frameworks provide necessary guardrails to protect citizens and our communities," she remarked.
Despite these reassurances, protesters remain skeptical of both the government and Meta. Baril highlighted the lack of a clear plan for how other data centres slated for development in Alberta will be powered, expressing fears that these facilities could exacerbate the climate crisis. He referenced a recent United Nations University report indicating that the environmental impact of data centres already rivals that of some of the largest nations globally. "The increased power generation is going to just obliterate our climate because of the amount of natural gas that we’re going to be using for this," he stated.
Developers of data centres argue that certain environmental challenges can be addressed through sustainable practices, such as implementing closed-loop cooling systems that recycle water and utilizing excess heat from servers for residential heating during winter months. However, protesters like Baril also voiced concerns about the implications of artificial intelligence on employment, particularly for young people. "AI, for young people especially, represents a threat to our careers as it’s increasingly replacing what were good paying jobs," he explained.
Emily Lachase, who traveled from Edmonton to join the protest, echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the need to preserve human creativity in the face of rising AI reliance. "It’s important for us to keep our own creativity alive and make sure that we keep using our own brains instead of always relying on AI," she asserted. Gerry Hofs, a member of the advocacy group Seniors for Climate Action Now, expressed her disapproval of the data centre, particularly given its association with an American billionaire, stating, "We do not need to be turning our resources over to somebody like that."

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