EDMONTON — Recent polling suggests men are more likely than women to support an AI data centre in Alberta, with 46% of male respondents backing the idea and 29% of female respondents. The survey conducted Sept. 8 and 21 by Janet Brown Opinion Research, commissioned by CBC, found that 57% of the 1,200 respondents supported the development of data centres in Alberta, with "strongly oppose" receiving the most responses at 31%. Results showed sub-50% support across all demographics/psychographics, but the gap between males and females was the largest, with men showing the most support among all groups and women tying for the second-lowest. Other high levels of opposition to the facilities came from students (71%), individuals making less than $60,000 annually (64%), and public sector workers (64%). Trends showed that the level of opposition decreased as the respondents' age or annual income increased. .Meta Platforms announced in July its intentions to build a $13 billion data centre in Sturgeon County, powered by a $4.6 billion Pembina natural gas pipeline. This contributes to the UCP government's goal of attracting $100 billion worth of data centre investments to Alberta by 2030. "There's some case studies in the US where some poor execution led to projects that were not in the public interest," said Glubish during an interview with the Western Standard in August. "We are confident that we have done the homework to put forward the right protections that safeguard Albertans' interests, and we're not afraid to get out there and have that conversation with Albertans." .The survey followed town halls held by Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish, along with Premier Danielle Smith and other UCP ministers, across Alberta to reassure Albertans about the government's AI data centre strategy. It found that respondents were most concerned about the environmental or electricity cost impacts of data centres (35%), and 33% said they feared the AI's potential impact on society. The UCP have attempted to mitigate these concerns. Water is the main environmental concern, and the government said no project can get water access by getting a permit; it must meet certain standards to receive one. Additionally, new data centers tend to require less water for cooling because they reuse it through a closed-loop system. They claim their policy addresses electricity concerns through its ”supply your own energy" for data centres regulations, along with grid operators calculating the amount of available energy that can be allotted to projects without impacting Albertans, and requiring proponents to pay any additional costs or fees needed to connect to the grid. As for concerns about AI's impact on society, Smith said her government is working to educate Albertans about the technology's benefits, rather than the fears. They are also working to protect Albertans' data.
