Saskatchewan’s opposition NDP is calling for a moratorium on new large-scale artificial intelligence data-centre projects until the province establishes clear rules and responds to community concerns. The demand comes a day after Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Scott Moe announced that Bell Canada will quadruple the size of its facility in the Rural Municipality of Sherwood.
The proposed expansion is the largest of its kind in the province and has placed water use, electricity demand and local decision-making at the centre of Saskatchewan’s emerging AI infrastructure debate.
A pause before more land is committed
NDP leader Carla Beck said the pause would give the Saskatchewan Party an opportunity to create a transparent framework for applicants, including requirements for disclosing potential effects on communities before construction begins. She argued that the rules should survive changes in government rather than rely on promises made during individual project approvals.
If the government accepts the NDP’s requests, Beck said, it could set a lasting standard for transparency and community accountability.
“There’s more regulations to set up a lemonade stand in this province right now than (there) seems to be to build an AI data centre.”
The request reflects growing tension between Saskatchewan’s desire to attract technology investment and the concerns of rural residents who say they are being asked to accept major infrastructure without enough information. That tension is likely to intensify as more developers seek access to land, electricity and other provincial resources.
Corman Park puts unanswered questions in focus
The day after Beck’s announcement, NDP innovation, technology and AI critic Brittney Senger spoke outside a site being proposed as a potential hyperscale AI data centre in the RM of Corman Park, north of Saskatoon. She warned that the project could reshape local services and infrastructure while leaving residents with few answers.
“That would be a massive project that would have significant impacts for Saskatoon and surrounding communities, but the people who live here have been left with far more questions than answers.”
Senger cited concerns raised during recent engagement sessions, including a Saskatoon town hall held earlier in September. Residents want clearer information about possible effects on local water supplies, the power grid and household electricity bills. They also want to know what employment and other economic benefits would materialise, as well as the project’s wider environmental consequences.
According to the opposition, those concerns do not amount to blanket opposition. Some residents are willing to consider a data centre if it can demonstrate a clear benefit to the community.
“Why are the people who live in these communities, where data centres are being built, denied a say in their future?”
Senger said the province must make consultation more than a formality. She said communities need visibility into negotiations and a meaningful role in deciding whether a project proceeds.
“The government needs to slow down. They need to consult the public.”
“The public deserves to know what those conversations are, and they deserve a say in what’s going on in their communities.”
Power, water and data sovereignty
Water remains one of the most immediate questions surrounding
