Your turn: Data centres, public art, and more

This week's batch of calls for public engagement includes a series of virtual and in-person town halls about the development of data centres in Alberta, plus a survey about public art along the Valley Line Southeast LRT.

Amid protests against data centres and calls for more transparency, the provincial government announced a series of town halls in the coming weeks.

Nate Glubish, minister of technology and innovation, will answer questions from the public about the multibillion-dollar projects, which may require massive amounts of electricity and infrastructural support to operate. "Albertans deserve real answers on what these new infrastructure investments mean for them," Glubish said. The province also launched a website with the province's answers to common questions about data centres, including a section on how to have your voice heard.

In-person town halls will take place in Ponoka on Aug. 19; in Sturgeon County — site of Meta's proposed $13-billion data centre and accompanying $4.6-billion power plant — on Aug. 20; and in Grande Prairie on Sept. 11, near the location for the proposed Wonder Valley AI Data Centre. Premier Danielle Smith will join Glubish to host a virtual town hall on Aug. 27. Members of the public must register online by 12pm on Aug. 25 to participate.

The Alberta NDP held its own consultations in St. Albert on Aug. 4 and Red Deer on Aug. 12, where it heard concerns about environmental impact, electricity rates, and a lack of public input. It will hold an online session on Aug. 19.

Sturgeon County has welcomed Meta's project as a job creator and revenue generator. "We facilitate projects that bring value to our region through job creation, long-term tax revenue, environmental stewardship, and infrastructure improvements that all of us benefit from," Sturgeon County Mayor Alanna Hnatiw said in a news release. "We're excited to work with our new neighbours as we continue to make that vision a reality." In response to questions about why residents weren't consulted, Hnatiw said in July that public input was invited when the county updated its zoning bylaws in 2022 and 2025.

Ben Baril, a student who helped lead the Sturgeon County protest on Aug. 2, said protesters plan to attend the Sturgeon County town hall on Aug. 20. "If they were genuinely interested in public opinion on this, then they would have held the public consultation before they had already approved all of these projects," he told CBC.

Here are some other opportunities to provide input in the Edmonton metro region:

• Aug. 18: Stony Plain is hosting a community party at Fairway Drive Playground from 5pm to 7pm to collect feedback on an update to its municipal development plan.
• Aug. 19: The Alberta NDP is holding an online town hall about AI data centres at 6pm.
• Aug. 20: The City of Leduc is hosting an open house at the Civic Centre from 4pm to 8pm on a proposed youth centre in Kinsmen Park.
• Aug. 20: The Alberta government is hosting a town hall on AI data centres in Sturgeon County at 6pm.
• Aug. 27: The Alberta government is hosting a virtual town hall on AI data centres at 6pm.
• Until Aug. 30: The Edmonton Arts Council is asking southeast Edmonton residents to complete a survey to inform public artwork being created by artists Gloria Mok, Emily Storvold, and Riaz Mehmood for nine utility complexes along the Valley Line LRT Southeast.
• Until Aug. 31: Edmonton is conducting its 2026 business census.
• Sept. 2: The City of Leduc is hosting an open house on a proposed youth centre in Kinsmen Park at the Civic Centre from 4pm to 8pm.
• Until Sept. 13: The City of Leduc is conducting a survey on a proposed youth centre in Kinsmen Park. City employees will also gather feedback from residents, community organizations, and youth through targeted outreach.
• Ongoing: Stony Plain is accepting feedback on an update to its municipal development plan. The town says it has collected more than 1,500 comments so far.
• Ongoing: YEG Chinatown Re:VITA is conducting a survey on housing and development in south Chinatown.

"Your turn" is Taproot's weekly collection of public engagement opportunities in the Edmonton region. Watch this space every week for opportunities to make your views known. If you know of a request for public input, send it to hello@taprootedmonton.ca.