Representatives from Bell said they would answer any questions from the city
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Regina city council passed a motion Wednesday directing administration to prepare a report on Bell Canada's artificial intelligence (AI) data centre south of Regina and how it will impact the city.
Residents say there are a lot of questions to be answered.
"I want to know that proper assessment has been completed to ensure that this infrastructure will not impact the residents of this city, the environment in which I live in and the resources that I use to survive," Michael Malagride wrote in his submission to city council. "I do not want noise pollution. I want clean water and air."
The data centre is already being built in the RM of Sherwood.
People filled the gallery in city hall's Henry Baker Hall to voice their concerns about the data centre at a city council meeting Wednesday.
Taya Triffo, a member of the community group No Data Centres on Treaty Land, said she was in favour of the report because she believes it will provide concrete answers.
"In an ideal world, in a world that recognizes treaty inherent rights, that recognizes that not everyone can make it to a single meeting on a single day, that free, prior, informed consent is so important," Triffo said.
The motion was put forward by Couns. Sarah Turnbull, Victoria Flores, Shobna Radons and Shanon Zachidniak.
The motion passed 5-4.
Turnbull, Flores, Radons, Zachidniak and Coun. David Froh voted in favour.
Couns. Clark Bezo, Jason Mancinelli, Dan Rashovich and George Tsiklis voted against.
Mayor Chad Bachynski recused himself because of a perceived conflict of interest due to his employment history with SaskEnergy, which may play a role in providing natural gas for of the data centre, according to the mayor's office.
Coun. Mark Burton also recused himself because of a perceived conflict of interest due to his role as a technology architect with SaskTel, which is a competitor to Bell Canada.
During the council meeting, Flores said a report would allow the city to gather information about the data centre and address residents' concerns.
Turnbull said she believes it will help provide “accountability and transparency to the public.”
"It's not an ordinary situation,” she said. “It's not an expensive report."
Councillors opposed to the motion said they were concerned about the time and resources required to complete such a report.
"I don't think that's a wise use of administration and the dollars we've been put in charge of," Mancinelli said.
The report will define the city's role in the $52-billion project. That includes any of the city's relationships and agreements with the project, like water servicing the data centre.
It will also include an assessment of the project's effect on the city's infrastructure and maintenance, including the demand on the water supply.
The motion also asked city administration to look into available options to protect Regina's environment and residents in relation to the project.
Beyond the report, the motion recommended city administration continue consulting with the Saskatchewan government on the project's progress. It asked the province to share the results of the environmental impact assessment it conducts with the city.
WATCH | Video of data centre construction site:
The Saskatchewan artificial intelligence data centre is located just south of Regina in the rural municipality of Sherwood. Bell Canada CEO Mirko Bibic recently announced the expansion of the project, turning the 300-megawatt facility to 1.2 gigawatts of power.
City administration will also ask the provincial government to consider air quality and emissions, stormwater management and effects on the watershed, noise impacts and the data centre's impact on local ecosystems and migration patterns in its environmental assessment.
Council adopted an amendment proposed by Froh directing the city work with Economic Development Regina, Bell, the provincial government, the University of Regina, the Regina Chamber of Commerce and Saskatchewan Polytechnic to identify economic opportunities associated with the project.
Bell AI Fabric's chief operating officer Jaethan Reichel and president Dan Rink spoke at the council meeting to address the environmental concerns brought up in the motion.
According to Bell AI Fabric's submission, power for the data centre beyond the 300 MW provided by SaskPower would come from natural gas at Bell's expense, water for cooling would be kept in a closed loop to minimize waste, and wastewater would be held in a tank and taken to a City of Regina facility. It also says stormwater would be managed on-site.
Rink said the project would not touch the groundwater or tap into the aquifer. He said the water used to cool the data centre would be pre-mixed with food-grade anti-freeze and would be shipped in.
He said the only water consumption by the data centre will be water used at the building's offices.
According to the submission, Bell will be conducting an acoustic assessment. It also said berms, sound enclosures, setbacks and downward-facing exterior lights are managing noise and light concerns.
Rink said Bell would provide the city and the public with information about the data centre project through direct communication and a downtown information centre, no matter the outcome of the vote.
"Nothing that we're doing here is a secret," Rink said.
Letters submitted to city council by delegations from the community expressed concerns about the lack of consultation with First Nations and about the data centre's potential environmental impact.
"My whole life is here. I have no reason to go. You put that thing in my backyard, and there's a very good chance I'm uprooting everything and taking off," Regina resident Dylan Block wrote in his submission to city council.
Others said the data centre is an exciting opportunity for Regina.
"The Bell data centre represents a new and meaningful opportunity to leverage our abundant and low cost energy and land and our cold weather to actively participate in the digital economy," Regina resident Erwin Heuck wrote in a letter submitted to city council.
Gordon Hipperson, president of Hipperson Construction, wrote in his submission that work on the data centre allowed his company to employ 30 new workers, all from Saskatchewan. The company was contracted by Bell Canada for the early stages of construction.
George Gordon Developments Ltd. chief executive officer Don Ross submitted a letter in support of the data centre, writing "we have band members working on the site today that otherwise won't be employed."
George Gordon Developments is a construction company from George Gordon First Nation that was contracted by Bell Canada to help build the data centre.
Since the data centre is being built in Sherwood, the City of Regina doesn't have the power to make decisions about its construction, even if council passes the motion requesting the report.
Sherwood Reeve Ray Orb previously said in an interview with CBC News that more consultation with community members and landowners will be conducted after the recent announcement that the project will be expanding.
Premier Scott Moe has been supportive of the data centre, comparing the construction of the data centre to building a railway across Canada to protect the nation's sovereignty.
"That same nation-building purpose calls for a new kind of infrastructure — infrastructure that protects our data and secures our sovereignty," he said.