Technology Minister Nate Glubish, who was booed at Wednesday’s town hall, said the government is considering setback provisions to ensure compute facilities aren’t built near residential areas. (The Canadian Press)

Talking point: Residents at the event expressed concerns about AI regulation, resource use, job losses and pollution. Glubish said the technology needs to be used responsibly. Alberta’s United Conservative Party government has been promoting data centres as a way to spur investment and natural gas demand in the province. Alberta wants to be “the compute capital of Canada,” Glubish told The Logic last month. Meta has already announced a US$13-billion facility near Edmonton. Shortly after, Premier Danielle Smith tried to assuage concerns about data centres’ impact and touted their economic benefits. The provincial government also opened a public consultation on its strategy, with plans for a virtual town hall with Smith next week, as well as an in-person meeting in Grande Prairie next month—right near Kevin O’Leary’s 7.5-gigawatt Wonder Valley megaproject.

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