Alberta NDP slam planned AI data centre town halls

Aug 7, 2026 | 3:14 PM

Alberta’s Opposition NDP say Albertans will not be fooled by what it calls “last-minute, disingenuous town halls” on AI data centres.

The government announced on Thursday that it would hold three in-person town halls, along with a virtual one. One of the in-person ones would be held in Grande Prairie on Sept. 11.

NDP Shadow Minister for Technology and Innovation Nathan Ip says in a statement that Premier Danielle Smith “has already decided that AI data centres are going ahead whether citizens want them or not.”

Ip accuses the government of creating a “concierge service for foreign billionaires.”

A party spokesman says the NDP held its own town hall in St. Albert this week, with 200 people in attendance.

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There is another one planned for Red Deer on August 12, with an online one set for August 19. The party says that it would like to add more of these meetings to the schedule. More information on those can be found here.

Ip’s full statement appears below.

“Albertans won’t be fooled by the UCP’s town halls, because the premier has already decided that AI data centres are going ahead whether citizens want them or not.

“Instead of being upfront with Albertans, the UCP created a concierge service for foreign billionaires and just started approving projects. That’s wrong and it’s insulting to taxpayers.

“The Alberta NDP is already doing an AI Data Centre Consultation Tour because we believe in listening to Albertans before making big decisions.

“We are taking that feedback and developing a plan that is good for Alberta. That is how good governance and true democracy should be done.”

by Curtis Galbraith

Alberta NDP slam planned AI data centre town halls

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