Alberta’s push to attract large artificial intelligence and data-centre projects is facing growing public scrutiny, with recent polling showing significant concerns among residents about electricity costs, environmental impacts and the use of the provincial power grid. A Leger survey of 1,000 Alberta residents conducted in July found that Albertans were closely divided over the pace of large AI data-centre development. Forty-two per cent said the province should temporarily pause approvals while an independent public review examines potential impacts on electricity prices, grid reliability, water use and emissions. About 40 per cent preferred continuing to approve projects under existing rules to avoid losing investment and jobs to other jurisdictions.
Electricity costs emerged as one of the strongest concerns. Only 12 per cent of respondents said large data centres should be allowed to use Alberta’s electricity grid under the same terms as other major industrial customers. Twenty-three per cent said operators should be allowed to connect if they pay the full additional cost of electricity, transmission and required infrastructure, while 29 per cent said data centres should arrange their own dedicated electricity supply and cover the associated costs. Another 22 per cent said large AI data centres should not be approved in Alberta. The poll also found that about four in five Albertans were concerned about potential increases to household electricity bills and the environmental effects of large AI data centres. These concerns come as Alberta promotes itself as a destination for major technology investments and seeks to expand its role in the rapidly growing artificial intelligence industry.
At the same time, the polling suggests that public opinion is not uniformly opposed to data centres. In the case of Meta’s proposed $13-billion facility in Sturgeon County, 44 per cent initially supported the project, compared with 36 per cent who opposed it. After respondents were given additional information about the proposed investment, construction employment, permanent jobs and energy commitments, 57 per cent described the project as a good deal for Alberta, while 27 per cent disagreed.
Meta announced plans in July to build what it described as its first Canadian data centre in Sturgeon County, with an investment of approximately $13 billion. The company said the project could employ about 3,000 workers during peak construction and create roughly 300 full-time positions once operational.
The debate has intensified as more projects are proposed across the province. Supporters point to investment, economic diversification, tax revenue and the potential development of Alberta’s technology sector. Critics have raised questions about electricity demand, grid capacity, water use, environmental impacts and whether existing electricity customers could face higher costs. A more recent CBC survey of 1,200 Albertans, conducted between September 8 and 21, also found significant public interest and concern surrounding proposed data-centre developments. The survey was conducted using a hybrid methodology and was designed to be representative of Alberta by region, age and gender. The polling comes as Alberta continues to position itself as a major destination for AI infrastructure. Industry representatives have argued that the province’s access to natural gas, available land and existing energy infrastructure provide advantages for large-scale computing operations. At the same time, researchers and energy-sector analysts have warned that rapid growth in electricity demand could create challenges for the provincial grid if new generation and infrastructure do not keep pace. The results indicate that the debate in Alberta is less about whether data centres can bring economic benefits and more about how those benefits should be balanced against electricity costs, infrastructure requirements and environmental considerations.