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Bell Canada’s newly-announced expansion of its AI data centre in Sherwood, Sask. (just outside of Regina), is being called not only the largest digital infrastructure play in the country but possibly the largest domestic infrastructure build, period. The project’s scope has been quadrupled — to 1.2 gigiwatts from 300 megawatts, at a cost of $52 billion versus $1.7 billion — and makes Regina the national headquarters for Bell’s AI initiatives.

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The announcement is just the latest in a steady stream of data centre proposals proliferating across Canada, driven by the rise of AI and the insatiable demand for the compute needed to run it. But each one brings more questions from the public about energy and water use, economic benefits and the overall impact on local communities. 

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Here’s a look at the current data centre ecosystem in Canada — where some of the biggest projects are in the works and why policy experts say data sovereignty should be a top priority.

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How many data centres have been built in Canada so far, and how many more are in the works?

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While there isn’t an official list or database (and private sector projects can be harder to track), a few independent analyses peg the number around 200 to 300 active projects across Canada.

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“There is a real challenge in understanding not only how many data centres there are, but what types as well,” said Graham Dobbs, senior research associate in innovation and technology at Signal49 Research.

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At York University’s Schulich School of Business, assistant professor Lyndsey Rolheiser and postdoctoral researcher Alexander Carlo mapped out Canada’s data centre landscape and identified 194 active facilities, 14 under construction and 199 announced projects as of June.

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The lion’s share of active data centres are located in Canada’s three largest provinces: Ontario (41 per cent), Quebec (30 per cent) and British Columbia (15 per cent). Alberta is home to just 10 per cent, but the province accounts for more than 92 per cent of planned capacity, according to Rolheiser and Carlo’s report.

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Certain high-profile projects have made headlines. In July, Meta Platforms Inc. announced plans to build its first data centre in Canada, a $13-billion complex in Sturgeon County, Alta. Telus Corp. is expanding an existing facility in Kamloops, B.C., and is developing two new ones in Vancouver.

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How many data centres are Canadian vs. American?

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It depends on how you define a “Canadian.” Some facilities may be wholly domestically owned, but others may have multiple owners, financial backers, and companies that lease out the space to run their equipment. For example, Dobbs said a data centre could be run by a Canadian company that rents the space from a foreign multinational. Data centres can also be acquired and repurposed.

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The York University study found that the providers who develop, own and operate smaller facilities are predominantly headquartered outside Canada.