How Danielle Smith’s risky bet on data centres could backfire

Detailed summary

Premier could face same fate as Republicans ousted in sweeping fashion during U.S. midterms, rebuked in part for data-centre friendly policies

During the August long weekend, Connie Challice and several of her neighbours cornered Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in the back of a horse-drawn wagon during the stampede parade in Strathmore, Alta.

Ms. Challice owns a horse-carriage business, and she was at the reins, her four black Clydesdales pulling the Premier’s wagon. She was determined to get 20 minutes with Ms. Smith.

Ms. Chalice lives in Indus, a rural community just outside Calgary. The community is facing what Ms. Challice considers an existential threat: a massive data centre project with a 1,494-megawatt gas-fired power plant on site. That’s enough electricity to power a city the size of Edmonton, and it would be located just over a mile away from her home. The project is currently awaiting approval from the provincial utilities regulator.

She thought she was aligned with the Premier on their vision for the province. Ms. Challice is a long-time United Conservative Party member, she sits on her local UCP constituency board. She’d proudly pulled the Premier in the Calgary Stampede three years in a row.

But her faith in the Premier’s leadership has since wavered. Ms. Smith listened to her concerns while she was in the back of the wagon, but has ignored Albertans’ worries about data centres ever since, said Ms. Challice.

The sprawling facilities are bad for rural communities, cause pollution that affects livestock, crops and people, she said, adding that there has also been a “complete lack of transparency and a lack of communication to the landowners” regarding their development.

Ms. Challice is not alone in her disdain for data centres, and her growing distrust for the Premier who has backed their development.

And backed them she has: Ms. Smith has drawn the interest of the world’s largest tech companies to the province, promising an abundance of natural gas for power generation, land, cool temperatures and a business-friendly environment that are perfect for multibillion-dollar investments.

And more…

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Globe and Mail (Report on Business). To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.