Meadow Lake MLA Jeremy Harrison recently found himself front and centre when it comes to the future of artificial intelligence in Saskatchewan. Earlier this week, Harrison was alongside Premier Scott Moe when he and Bell Canada CEO Mirko Bibic announced a major expansion of Bell’s AI Data Centre project in Saskatchewan, bringing the total estimated capital investment to more than $50 billion.
The expansion will establish the headquarters for Bell AI Fabric in the Regina area and create thousands of jobs while positioning Saskatchewan as a national leader in artificial intelligence, data sovereignty and secure, reliable energy. “This historic investment will create thousands of good jobs and new opportunities for Saskatchewan people,” Moe said. “It will also strengthen Canadian data sovereignty by keeping Canadian data here at home, stored by a Canadian company and protected under Canadian rules. When it comes to data storage, keeping that home ice advantage means Canadians set the rules and remain in control.”
This was echoed by Harrison. “This historic, $52-billion expansion is one of the largest private-sector investments in Saskatchewan’s history and a powerful endorsement of our province’s economic potential,” Harrison, who also serves as Crown Investments Corporation minister, said. “Bell’s decision to invest at this scale reflects confidence in Saskatchewan as a place to do business, grow and succeed. This investment will create jobs, drive economic activity and deliver longterm benefits for communities across our province.”
The project will retain the original 300 megawatts (MW) of power from the provincial grid and includes a phased development of up to 900 MW of additional capacity provided by Bell through Saskatchewan’s ‘Bring Your Own Power’ principle. This creates a pathway to a 1.2 gigawatt (GW) Canadian AI infrastructure hub in the province. The expansion is expected to create up to 500 permanent jobs associated with data centre operations and power generation, as well as an estimated 3,000 additional jobs in areas including security, logistics and maintenance. The Bell AI Fabric headquarters will also be home to approximately 100 management positions.
“Projects of this magnitude strengthen Saskatchewan’s position as a leading destination for investment in Canada,” Harrison continued. “We are creating the conditions for growth, attracting transformative investments and building long-term prosperity for future generations.” The expansion was approved by the Government of Saskatchewan under the Data Centre Framework, released in August. The framework establishes six principles for major data centre investments in Saskatchewan: Canadian ownership and Canadian headquarters; data sovereignty; local jobs and partnerships; operating experience; bring your own power; and centralized provincial intake through the Crown Investments Corporation and the Ministry of Trade and Export Development. Once established, Bell’s AI Data Centre will help strengthen Canadian data sovereignty and data security while supporting the continued growth of Saskatchewan’s technology sector.
“This nation-building project will help safeguard the digital infrastructure our families, businesses and public services depend on, while helping Saskatchewan build and power Canada’s digital future for generations to come,” Moe said. As with any major development, applicable municipal permitting processes and bylaws will apply. Projects meeting the definition of a development under applicable legislation may also be subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment. The announcement follows the Canada Investment Summit, announced earlier this year by Prime Minister Mark Carney in partnership with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board, with a goal of catalyzing $1 trillion in total investment in Canada over the next five years.