Canada’s First Nation in Sturgeon Lake is opposing a data center build in Alberta in an open letter to the Alberta premier Danielle Smith.
The Municipal District of Greenview and O’Leary Ventures announced plans to build a data center, natural gas plant, and geothermal project in the Greenview Industrial Gateway (GIG) in December last year.
Part of the proposed GIG site includes land shared with the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation (SLCN), an Indigenous community.
The SLCN is opposing the transfer of land as it breaches constitutional rights protected by the 1899 Treaty No.8, such as the right to exercise the indigenous way of life.
For example, part of the GIG also includes access to the Smoky River. In his open letter, Chief Sheldon Sunshine said: “We rely on the water from the Smoky River; and it is one of the few areas accessible to exercise our way of life, which has been systemically eroded by unmitigated cumulative effects resulting from the provincial government’s authorizations of industrial development in our territory."
Treaty 8 also protects the First Nation’s right to be consulted prior to the transfer of land.
Chief Sunshine said: “There has been no consultation. The way they act and talk; it’s as if our land and water is there for the taking, and we are expected to get in line to receive the so-called economic benefits. Our people are here to remind [Kevin] O’Leary and the Greenview of the international treaty, Treaty No.8, that allows us all to share this land. There is protocol. There are legal requirements. They are not being followed.”
Sunshine and the First Nation are now asking for copies of the application and permit between O’Leary Ventures and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, as well as copies of the supposedly obtained water silences and regulatory applications.
Kevin O’Leary and Smith have both praised President-Elect Trump, leading Sunshine to question the pair’s coordination, citing concerns about Trump’s threats to annex Canada.
Better known as Mr. Wonderful, entrepreneur O’Leary said he plans to offer and generate 7.5GW of low-cost power to hyperscalers over the next five to ten years from his ‘Wonder Valley’ project.
The initial phase is expected to cost $2 billion, with more than $70 billion of investment over the lifetime of the project.
The GIG is expected to reach full buildout in 2027-2028. By then, it aims to have a total capacity of 8.5GW and produce one billion cubic feet of natural gas, as well as hosting 58 data centers.
Alberta has recently attracted data center investment due to its cool climate, land, and access to renewable energy. Last month, TransAlta, a Canadian utility, reported it was in talks with “multiple hyperscalers” interested in developing data center campuses across Alberta.
Smith legislated in July last year that if data centers wished to set up shop in Alberta, they would need to “Bring [their] own electricity, bring [their] own generation. Partner with a generating company.”
As of May, at least six proposals for data centers in Alberta, with a total capacity of 2GW, were in various stages. By October, a handful of major projects, including three of 500MW or more, joined the grid operator’s connection queue. In total, Alberta has 22 data centers, 12 in Calgary and nine in Edmonton.