Dozens of musicians gathered at the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation Community Hall on Tuesday for an engagement session led by community leaders and legal advisors. The session aimed to inform residents about the potential impacts of the proposed Wonder Valley AI data center campus on their traditional land.
Community members expressed lingering uncertainties as the project’s company was not present to address their queries. O’Leary Digital has planned a $70 billion, nine-gigawatt facility in the Municipal District of Greenview, situated approximately 130 kilometers southwest of the SLCN reserve.
During the presentation to the community, SLCN lawyer Francco De Luca discussed the project’s background, concerns, and the regulatory and consultation challenges it still faces. De Luca emphasized the importance of consultation to uphold the Crown’s Aboriginal treaty rights and comply with regulatory processes like the Water Act and Environmental Protection Enhancement Act, designed to safeguard Alberta’s water and environment.
De Luca highlighted the absence of a provincial impact assessment and the ongoing judicial review by SLCN regarding the project’s water license as reasons for his apprehension about the development. Issues such as heat emissions, noise, and impact on wildlife, previously addressed during O’Leary Digital’s open house in June, were reiterated during the presentation.
Chief Sheldon Sunshine of SLCN expressed concerns about the proposed Wonder Valley project, emphasizing its location in the heart of the community’s territory, where hunting and trapping activities occur. He recounted a recent traditional camp his family held near the proposed site, where his grandson harvested a moose, marking a significant event for their family and highlighting the community’s deep connection to the land.
O’Leary Digital CEO Paul Palandjian assured CBC News in an interview that the company had taken precautions to avoid disrupting animal habitats in their site planning and had allocated a specific area on the site map for wildlife preservation.