Dozens of band members gathered at the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation Community Hall on Tuesday for an engagement session regarding the proposed Wonder Valley AI data center campus and its impact on their traditional territory. The company behind the project was absent, leaving community members with unanswered questions.
The $70-billion, nine-gigawatt facility by O’Leary Digital is planned in the Municipal District of Greenview, approximately 130 kilometers southwest of the SLCN reserve. During the session, SLCN lawyer Francco De Luca discussed the project’s history, concerns, and the regulatory challenges it faces.
De Luca emphasized the importance of consultation to protect the Crown’s Aboriginal treaty rights and regulatory processes like the Water Act and Environmental Protection Enhancement Act, which safeguard Alberta’s water and environment. He expressed worries about the project due to the exemption of a provincial impact assessment and the ongoing judicial review of the project’s water license by SLCN.
Environmental concerns such as heat emissions, noise, and wildlife impacts were highlighted during the presentation, echoing discussions from O’Leary Digital’s previous open house in June. The proposed development, spanning 64 square kilometers along Highway 40, lies within the core of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation’s territory, affecting traditional activities like hunting and trapping.
Chief Sheldon Sunshine of SLCN recounted a recent family camp near the project site, where they harvested medicinal plants and his grandson hunted a moose. He emphasized the significance of these activities to the community and expressed concerns about losing access to the land.
O’Leary Digital CEO Paul Palandjian stated in an interview that the company has planned the site to avoid disrupting animal corridors and allocated space for wildlife preservation. However, community members remain apprehensive about the potential impacts of the Wonder Valley project.
