Alberta’s Minister of Technology and Innovation says their government believes data centres make sense for the province, and they want to see Alberta participate in the economy of the future.
Nate Glubish thinks that if done right all Albertans can benefit, however, he stresses that “done right” is the key.
Glubish was in Olds on Tuesday, April 7th and heard from the community during a Town Hall meeting. He says “well I’ve heard that folks have some concerns with the proposal as presented by Synapse (Data Center Inc.) and I understand where folks are coming from. What I want folks to take away from tonight is that the government is not invested in whether this project or any other project succeeds.”
When it comes to data centres, he points out that it all comes down to location, location, location. He says “this is the site that is the closest that I have ever seen to a residential subdivision, so I understand why folks have hesitation and they want to learn more and they want to have a say in the process. The good news is the process, the regulatory process, hasn’t even begun yet. If it does begin, if the applicant actually gets accepted into the regulatory process, then every single resident from this community will have the opportunity to weigh in and have their say and I will personally make sure to work with my colleague – the local MLA Tara Sawyer – to make sure she has all the information to equip local residents so that they can participate in that process.” According to Glubish, there are lots of locations in Alberta that are no brainers – that are just amazing options for this type of infrastructure. He says “I have the opportunity to work with project proponents who are developing really interesting data centre sites all over the province.”
About 150 people were in attendance at the Olds College Alumni Centre for the Town Hall meeting on Data Centres and Alberta’s Digital Future which was hosted by Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills MLA Tara Sawyer. Glubish says “we want to make sure that any AI data centre that proceeds in this province follows the rules and doesn’t cut corners, no exceptions. So I’ve heard that there are some folks that are frustrated with this proposal and I understand why. We’re going to make sure that all the rules are followed.”
Sawyer states that the point of the Town Hall was to explain “what the process is?” for any data centre. She says “first of all, I was quite pleased with the turnout. I thought that we had really good conversation with everybody. I hope that they feel like they got their questions answered. You know, we were being very transparent and open and it was a very respectful conversation which I greatly appreciate. So I hope they have a better understanding of the process.”
The Alberta Utilities Commission closed the initial application by Synapse Data Center for its proposed project in the Town of Olds on March 6th. The letter to CEO Jason van Gaal from the AUC stated that the application by Synapse Real Estate Corp contained significant deficiencies when it comes to meeting requirements for items including environmental evaluation, noise impact assessment, and the participant involvement program. The commission pointed out that it was not making a determination on the merits of the application at that time, but it was assessing whether the information provided meets its requirements.
On January 27th, Synapse Data Center Inc. announced its proposed plans to construct Canada’s largest data centre in north east Olds along Highways 27 and 2-A with a $10 billion dollar private sector investment over an estimated two-year construction period.
