The Rural Municipality of Sherwood council unanimously gave final readings on 5 November to bylaws rezoning 895 acres of agricultural land for Bell Canada’s AI data centre expansion outside Regina, the Regina Leader-Post reported. The vote followed a public hearing at the municipality’s office and changes the land’s permitted use to light industrial, allowing Bell to pursue a planned 1.2-gigawatt facility. The council also amended its existing development and servicing agreement with Bell to accommodate as many as nine additional data halls.
Key points
- Sherwood’s council approved the rezoning unanimously after more than a dozen people spoke at the public hearing.
- Four council members were appointed by Saskatchewan’s government after resignations in March. A municipal election is scheduled for 9 November.
- Bell says it will complete a provincially mandated environmental impact study before proceeding with the expansion.
Sherwood adds 895 acres to Bell’s agreement
Sherwood approved an initial development and servicing agreement in April, when Bell’s project was planned as a 300-megawatt facility. The amended agreement incorporates Bell’s larger proposal. Councillor Kevin Chekay, who owns some of the land Bell is seeking to buy south of Regina, recused himself and was absent from the vote. Bell has already completed framing on three halls at its $1.7-billion AI centre, AI Affairs previously reported.
The rezoning removes the final municipal approval hurdle for the expansion, according to Dan Rink, whom the Regina Leader-Post identified as president of AI Fabric at Bell Canada. Rink said Bell will complete an environmental impact study required by Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Environment before proceeding further. Bell’s contracted tenants at the site are Cerebras and CoreWeave, both American companies. Rink said Bell owns and operates the campus on its own network under Canadian law when responding to concerns about foreign control of data.
Bell’s full expansion plan is valued at $50 billion, though Rink said investment would depend on client interest. He estimated the expanded facility would occupy 1,055 acres and bring Sherwood $8 million a year in property taxes. He also projected $3 billion in provincial sales tax from construction, followed by recurring taxes as infrastructure is refreshed every three to four years. Those figures are Bell’s projections, rather than revenue or taxes already collected.
Residents and First Nations challenge consultation
More than a dozen people addressed the council during the hearing. Speakers raised concerns about the project’s scale and proximity to Regina, its environmental effects and the extent of public engagement. Standing Bear Dakota Nation and Carry the Kettle First Nation have publicly sought engagement by Bell and the provincial government under the Crown’s duty to consult. The municipality had previously faced protests outside its office and disruption at a council meeting.
Interim reeve Ray Orb disputed complaints that the municipality had shut the public out. He said earlier meetings were closed after disruptions. Police admitted speakers to the 5 November hearing one at a time, telling the Regina Leader-Post that fire-code occupancy limits accounted for the restriction. The question put to councillors that day was whether to change permitted land use and amend Bell’s agreement, while the environmental study remains a separate provincial requirement.
Bell told the hearing it was considering either fuel cells on the site or a power plant elsewhere to supply the expansion, SaskToday reported. Rink said those options would need provincial approvals and environmental assessment. He described the cooling arrangement as a sealed system whose water would be recirculated, with municipal water used for drinking and fire protection rather than cooling. Residents also questioned the project’s electricity and water demands at the hearing.
Appointed councillors vote before 9 November election
Four Sherwood council members were appointed by Saskatchewan’s government after the reeve and three councillors resigned in March, CBC News reported. The appointments came 10 days before the council approved the earlier, smaller development. CBC identified Rink as Bell Canada’s president of AI infrastructure and strategy. Councillor Mitch Huber, one of the appointees, said the appointments had nothing to do with the data centre and that nobody had directed his decisions.
Saskatchewan’s opposition New Democrats questioned the timing of the expansion vote ahead of the municipal election scheduled for 9 November, Moose Jaw Today reported. Erika Ritchie, the party’s Government Relations critic, argued that an appointed majority was making a consequential decision just before voters chose a new council. Government Relations Minister Eric Schmalz said the province was required to appoint caretakers when resignations left a council without a quorum, and that they could continue its business until an election.
Bell expects its first data halls at the campus to come online in spring 2027. The company is targeting late 2027 or later for construction under its future expansion plans.
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