How a First Nation is pushing back against Canada's largest AI data centre
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Nation → push → centre
Standing Buffalo Dakota First Nation is threatening legal action if environmental assessments aren't shared
Dianne Goodwill and her great-granddaughter look out at the lakes surrounding their First Nation, breathing in the air on a warm autumn day.
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Goodwill → threaten → day
The 73-year-old elder doesn't take the clean air and water for granted.
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elder → take → air
She and others from Standing Buffalo Dakota First Nation say Bell Canada's construction of the Canada’s largest AI data centre has sparked concern about potential water, air and light pollution.
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construction → say → pollution
“It’s not exactly here, but it's within miles,” Goodwill said.
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Goodwill → ’ → miles
“It's not [a] good idea to have something that big around our area.”
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It → have → area
The data centre is being built in the RM of Sherwood just outside of Regina, about an hour’s drive from Standing Buffalo.
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centre → build → Buffalo
“We need to stand and speak on those important things because it is for the benefit of the future of our children,” Goodwill said.
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Goodwill → need → children
Her 14-year-old great granddaughter said the school in Standing Buffalo has been trying to prevent the use of AI.
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school → say → AI
“It's quite harmful [be]cause what AI can do is dangerous," said Meleah Isnana, who’s in Grade 9.
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who → say → Grade
"Like photoshopping, making different photos and using AI to spread misinformation.”
People fishing at Pasqua Lake in Standing Buffalo Dakota First Nation in October.
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People → photoshoppe → October
Rodger Redman says he's concerned the water may be polluted by Canada's largest AI data centre.
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water → say → centre
Standing Buffalo Chief Rodger Redman has been advocating against the data centre.
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Redman → advocate → centre
He said he wants to protect the traditional land he grew up on from potential pollution once the facility is up and running.
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facility → say → pollution
“We have to live here, live in this toxic waste that’s going to be left,” Redman said.
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Redman → have → waste
“Anything that has that living spirit, we have to safeguard that, because whatever happens to them is going [to] happen to us.”
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happens → have → us
Redman formally raised his concerns with Bell on Oct. 2, requesting the scientific studies, regulatory approvals and environmental information necessary to examine the project’s impacts on what he said is Standing Buffalo’s unceded traditional territory.
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he → raise → impacts
The First Nation is one of few in the province not under a formal treaty, but is protected under the Indian Act.
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Nation → protect → Act
Redman said he’s prepared to take Bell Canada to court if current environmental assessments aren’t shared, with a plan to pursue a moratorium on the project.
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assessments → say → project
“Work with us, give us these answers, let us do our own assessments, recognize the rights of the Indian people,” Redman said.
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Redman → work → people
“We’re the narrative of our own legislation.”
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We → ’re → legislation
Chief Rodger Redman of Standing Buffalo Dakota First Nation looks out into the land he grew up on.
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he → look → land
Bell Canada declined an interview with CBC, but said in a statement that it has offered to meet with the First Nation and Standing Buffalo has yet to take the company up on the offer.
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Buffalo → decline → offer
Bell Canada said an environmental assessment will be made public with the project’s next expansion phase.
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assessment → say → phase
The $52-billion facility stands as Canada's largest single private sector capital investment.
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facility → stand → investment
Bell Canada told CBC that “protecting the land, water and the people who live nearby has guided the design of this campus from the start.”
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who → tell → start
The company pointed to a sealed, closed-loop water cooling system to minimize waste.
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company → point → waste
It said the system can run for more than 10 years without the fluid needing to be changed or topped up.
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fluid → say → years
Bell Canada also said it is working with First Nations in Saskatchewan.
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it → say → Saskatchewan
The George Gordon First Nation Development Corporation partnered with Bell on the project and said it is opening up work for Indigenous people in a new sector.
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it → partner → sector
“These projects are going to happen,” said Don Ross, the company’s CEO.
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Ross → go → ?
“So we can either be in front of them or we can sit across the street and complain about them being built.”
George Gordon First Nation owns land that borders the site.
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that → sit → site
Ross said about 85 Indigenous people have already been hired to help build the data centre.
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people → say → centre
“We want to be employed and trained and have careers just like the rest of Saskatchewan people,” he said.
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he → want → people
“That’s what we’re doing with Bell.”
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we → ’ → Bell
He says the data centre has already hired about 85 Indigenous workers (Halyna Mihalik/CBC)
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centre → say → workers
Ross said he’d like to see an HR plan from Bell to confirm how many Indigenous people it will commit to hiring once the centre is running, so that he can begin helping people with relevant degrees ready themselves for the jobs.
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people → say → jobs
Bell Canada told CBC that once the centre is running it will create 280 to 500 permanent roles between the data centres and power generation, along with up to 100 management roles at a new Bell AI Fabric head office in Regina.
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it → tell → Regina
Ross said environmental oversight between the First Nation and Bell was a part of their agreement.
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oversight → say → agreement
He noted that a hum can be heard from the site, but said mitigation measures like berms are in place to address that issue.
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measures → note → issue
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
