Did you know that Kamloops may soon be home to 3 new AI data centres? They’re to be part of Bell Canada’s national network of data centres, starting with a cluster of 6 in BC—half of them in Kamloops. They are coming ‘thick and fast,’ with the first to be built at the old Weyerhaeuser headquarters location on Mission Flats road. It will be operational by June, according to Bell. Then two more will be built at or near TRU, opening in 2026 and 2027; one of these has already received provisional approval.
The first centre will certainly provide some benefits: 150 tradespeople will be employed to build it and another 15 people will work there long-term. And of course, AI has been touted to increase innovation, improve medical diagnosis, and generally make life easier in a myriad of ways. The centres at TRU will no doubt be connected to learning and teaching at the university.
But – alarm bells are going off. Like many groups, the Conference Board of Canada warns that data centres “require big tracts of land, huge amounts of energy and vast amounts of water to keep cool”. This is certainly a concern for BC, as even with the new Site C dam the province is apparently facing challenges keeping up with its energy needs. And especially in the interior of the province, water is a serious issue; the current drought has led to Thompson River water levels being unusually low this winter.
Drain on local water reserves is the main factor driving opposition to an AI data centre proposed for Nanaimo, and to one currently being built in Etobicoke (Toronto) that is approved to use 39.75 litres per second to cool its banks of computers. And of course it is treated, potable water that is consumed – a concern for many. Similar problems face California, where water is also a precious commodity. In fact, decline in freshwater is a global issue just as AI data centres are multiplying and expanding.
According to the Canadian Bar Association, the lack of legislation requiring data centres – and the companies that build them – to report/reduce water and power consumption is a major red flag. They note that because water is abundant in Canada there is less pressure for regulations here, unlike in the EU which now requires data centers to file reports on resource usage.
Will promises being made now about the amounts of water and power used by Kamloops based data centres be kept? Perhaps we need to ensure that there are some policies or regulations to fall back on, just in case.
Transition Kamloops is forming an action team to explore this issue further. Please get in touch if you want to be part of that team.
