Bell Canada advances AI data centre construction in Saskatchewan amid political debate

Jeremy Harrison stood before a skeletal steel structure at Bell Canada's 65-hectare AI data centre site near Regina, emphasizing the scale of the project and the presence of about 500 workers. Bell's group president John Watson announced that the first two of four data halls are slated to begin operations in the first half of next year, with CoreWeave and Cerebras as primary tenants. The centre, designed to deliver 300 megawatts, is part of a plan that could eventually grow to 1.2 gigawatts, though no timeline has been set for that expansion.

Provincial officials claim the project will create 500 permanent jobs on site and up to 3,000 off-site positions, plus 100 management roles if Bell moves its AI headquarters to Regina. Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski praised the initiative as a boost for innovation and talent retention. However, the opposition NDP has criticized the rapid approval process, urging town-hall meetings and a moratorium to address concerns about electricity costs and environmental impact. Bell assures the facility will use a closed-loop cooling system and will not raise power rates.