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Aug. 26, 2026

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Glubish defends data centre attraction at skeptical town halls

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Representatives of the provincial government were met with boos, jeers, and profanity at the first two of four town halls about AI data centres. Many attendees at the Aug. 20 meeting — in Sturgeon County, where Meta has proposed a $13-billion data centre and accompanying $4.6-billion power plant — told Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish that they oppose data centres in the region due to concerns about depleting water, land, and electricity.

Amid expletives and heckles, Glubish defended the projects, saying they will provide jobs and be regulated to ensure they don't have a negative impact on the environment. "All I can offer is that I'm going to do the best of my ability to ensure that any development in data centres is done responsibly," said Glubish, who is the MLA for Strathcona-Sherwood Park. "I care deeply about this province." Not every attendee at the town halls has opposed data centres — Ponoka resident Craig Paterson told CBC News he was on the fence when he attended the town hall in that community. "On one hand, data centres can be a great asset," he said. "However, I'm concerned about the impact on water, power, and the overall quality of life in surrounding areas." Mark Plamondon, executive director of Alberta's Industrial Heartland Association, said the public pushback against AI data centres has been surprising, noting that up until now, there has been "very strong community support and social licence" for industrial development in the area.

The province has launched a website providing its answers to common questions about data centres. The website says companies are choosing Alberta because of its abundant energy supply, cooler climate, research depth and industrial muscle, and regulatory environment. It adds that the Meta data centre in Sturgeon County will deliver about $250 million annually in royalties, taxes, levies, and transmission fees. "Refusing to build (data centres) would not make AI go away. It would just mean the jobs, taxes and investment land somewhere else, while Albertans keep using digital services powered by someone else's economy," the website says. Premier Danielle Smith is set to participate in a virtual town hall scheduled for Aug. 27. Those interested in attending were required to register by Aug. 25.

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Economic development

  • Emissions Reduction Alberta will invest $15.7 million in five Edmonton-based projects advancing hydrogen, advanced manufacturing, and sustainable construction technology. Azolla Hydrogen will receive $3 million to deploy a methanol-to-hydrogen fueling system and rapid deployment station to expand access to affordable high-pressure hydrogen refuelling. Mangrove Lithium will receive just over $3 million to demonstrate the use of an industrial byproduct as a low-carbon material for concrete production. Quantiam Technologies will receive $3.4 million to develop technologies that convert captured carbon dioxide and clean hydrogen into low-emissions, low-cost methanol. VulcanX Energy Corp will receive $2.5 million to demonstrate a next-generation methane pyrolysis reactor that produces low-emission hydrogen and high-value solid carbon. Zylotex will receive $3.75 million to scale up production of lower-emissions cellulose materials from agricultural residues.
  • Richard Ozero of Parkland County's Good Morning Honey said Alberta honey is among the products hit by new U.S. tariffs after Canada-U.S. trade talks broke down. A 50% tariff now applies to about $6 million worth of Alberta honey exported annually to the U.S. "The Canadian honey has to go somewhere," Ozero told CTV News Edmonton. "If it's backed up back into Canada, now we're facing a glut of honey here, and that's going to suppress prices if we can't find other international buyers or encourage Canadian honey consumption." Economist Moshe Lander said Alberta has "gotten off very, very lightly" overall, as oil, gas, beef, and cattle remain tariff-free.
  • The Métis Settlements Development Corporation has announced a new partnership with Stony Plain-based Carvel Electric, a Métis-owned electrical contractor operating across Alberta's energy, industrial, and commercial sectors. The organizations aim to combine MSDC's network with Carvel's contracting expertise to bring Métis-owned businesses into more electrical and construction opportunities.
  • Four regional contractors — Acheson-based Prairie North Construction and BTO Contracting and Edmonton-based Eng-Con Holdings and Ventura Power and Gas — are merging to form Theoden Infrastructure. The combined company will have 350 employees and more than 250 pieces of heavy equipment, with the partners retaining their existing trade names during a 12- to 24-month transition.
  • Game Con Canada organizer Chris Meilleur said the event is expected to grow in the coming years, as the event has signed an agreement to stay in Edmonton through 2031. Next year's installment is set to expand from 55 to 250 booths, and in 2028, the event will fully take over the Edmonton EXPO Centre. There will also be a third day added to the North American Games Industry Summit, an event preceding the convention that included networking opportunities for indie game developers. This year, that networking resulted in seven Canadian developers landing publishing deals, Meilleur said. The hosts of the Good Game Edmonton podcast said the convention has been compared to high-profile events such as the Montréal International Game Summit and the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Municipalities

Headlines

  • Fort Saskatchewan residents will say their annual farewell to the city's turf-trimming sheep during a parade on Sept. 7. The city has used a flock of sheep to manage vegetation in parks for nearly 30 years.
  • The City of Spruce Grove confirmed an invasive goldfish infestation in the Easton stormwater management facility and plans to treat it with a pesticide called Rotenone in the second week of September. Goldfish are considered an invasive species in Alberta due to their potential to spread disease, degrade habitat, and contribute to algal blooms.
  • Sherwood Park's Kelsey Mitchell, who won Olympic track cycling gold in Tokyo in 2021, is back on the bike at Edmonton's new Alberta Velodrome after competing in bobsled at the Milan Cortina Winter Games. The 32-year-old said she might not have returned to cycling without the facility, which opened in January as part of the $153-million Coronation Park Sports and Recreation Centre.
  • Perfect Storm Athletics will expand its inclusive cheerleading program to its Sherwood Park location. "This is a really great opportunity to give this chance to pretty much anybody, regardless of their ability, physical or otherwise, to participate in what we feel is an incredible sport," owner Leanne Campbell said.
  • Alberta health authorities issued an alert about a possible hepatitis A exposure at Roasti Coffee Co. on Brentwood Boulevard in Sherwood Park. Those who consumed food or drink at the location on Aug. 4 or Aug. 13 between 8am and 4pm may be eligible for a post-exposure vaccine and are asked to call Health Link at 811.
  • Sturgeon County published information about the provincial referendum set for Oct. 19. Elections Alberta is administering the vote; residents with questions are directed to the Elections Alberta website.
  • Strathcona County author Mandy Eve-Barnett used three unusual real-life news stories as the basis for The Giving Thief, a coming-of-age suspense novel about a teenager whose impulsive decision affects his family and community. Eve-Barnett, who has published 12 books since 2011, will launch the book at the Words in the Park Book Fair on Sept. 5.
  • Repeated thunderstorms and record rainfall have been kind to some Alberta farmers but catastrophic for others. "We must have prayed too hard, and we got a little too much moisture," Dwayne Kalinski of Bonnyville told CBC. By mid-August, the insurance company had written off 10% of his crops, and he expects it to get worse. "There's going to be close to 20% of the crop gone right off the top. So yeah, it's pretty devastating."

Happenings

Here are some events coming up soon:

And here are more to keep in mind:

Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.

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