Proposed Data Centre Land Use Bylaw Changes

November 11, 2026

To the Reeve and Members of Council
County of Grande Prairie No. 1

Re: Formal Opposition to Data Centre Development and Proposed Bylaw 2680-26-046

Dear Reeve and Members of Council,

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the development and expansion of large-scale data centres within the County of Grande Prairie and surrounding municipalities.

I am asking each member of Council to consider very carefully the long-term consequences of these developments, not simply the immediate promises of investment, construction jobs and additional tax revenue.

We live in one of the most beautiful and productive agricultural regions in Alberta. Our rolling hills, grain fields, cattle ranches, forests, rivers and rural communities are not vacant land waiting to be industrialized. They are the foundation of our livelihoods, our food production, our quality of life and our future.

Once agricultural land is converted to large-scale industrial use, the original landscape and its productivity may be difficult or impossible to restore.

I understand that development is necessary and economic opportunities matter. What I question is whether these particular developments are appropriate for our region, and whether sufficient independent research has been completed to determine their long-term consequences.

Our rivers and our future water supply

My greatest concern is water.

The Wapiti River provides drinking water to more than 80,000 people in the Grande Prairie region. It also supports aquatic ecosystems and is part of a watershed already serving municipalities, agriculture and major industries, including oil and gas operations.

The Government of Alberta established a Wapiti River Water Management Plan in 2020 because water withdrawals must be balanced against the need to protect the river, particularly during periods of low flow.

In neighbouring Greenview, a provincial licence issued in April 2025 authorizes the diversion of up to six million cubic metres of water annually from the Smoky River for industrial and commercial purposes within the Greenview Industrial Gateway. That is an authorized maximum, not proof that the water has already been withdrawn. Nevertheless, the magnitude of the allocation demands serious consideration.

How much more water can these river systems sustainably provide?

Where will data centres obtain the water required for cooling? How much will actually be consumed rather than returned? What happens during drought, unusually hot summers, or periods when river flows are at their lowest?

What impact could additional groundwater withdrawals have on neighbouring farms, domestic wells and future drinking-water supplies?

I believe every proposed data centre should be required to provide a complete, independently verified water assessment before any rezoning or development decision is made. That assessment must consider existing industrial withdrawals, future population growth, agricultural requirements, climate variability and the combined impacts of developments across municipal boundaries.

Water is not an unlimited industrial resource. It is essential to life.

Electricity supply and reliability for residents

The County has confirmed that development permit PLDEV20250629, issued September 4, 2026, includes 15 generators and 15 cooling units. Yet the County states that the approved permit does not determine how much electricity or water the facility will require.

That raises serious questions.

Will this facility obtain electricity from Alberta's public grid, generate its own electricity, or use both?

If connected to the provincial grid, what guarantees will residents have that the additional demand will not compromise reliability during extreme cold, summer heat or other periods of high demand?

What new transmission lines, substations or other infrastructure will be required? Who will pay for their construction, operation and maintenance?

If electricity is generated on-site, what fuels will be used, how often will the generators operate, and what emissions will they produce?

Alberta's electricity system already faces substantial proposed demand from data centres. I expect Council to obtain written confirmation from the appropriate provincial authorities that local residents, farmers and businesses will not bear unreasonable costs or reliability risks from these developments.

Heat, air quality, noise and environmental effects

Large data centres generate considerable heat, which must be continuously removed by cooling equipment.

I want to know how much heat these proposed facilities will release into the surrounding environment and whether that heat could cause measurable temperature changes on neighbouring properties.

What would those effects mean for nearby farmland, livestock operations, homes, vegetation and wildlife?

I am not suggesting that regional temperature changes have already been proven. I am asking why such potential effects would not be thoroughly evaluated before facilities are approved.

Similarly, what independent assessments have been completed regarding generator exhaust, fine particulate emissions, nitrogen oxides, continuous low-frequency noise, vibration, industrial lighting and electromagnetic fields associated with new electrical infrastructure?

These are legitimate questions about the quality of life in rural communities, where families and agricultural operations may be located close to industrial developments.

Residents deserve more than assurances that everything will meet regulatory standards. We deserve access to the actual studies, findings, proposed safeguards and ongoing monitoring results.

Agricultural land and the character of our communities

Agriculture has supported this region for generations.

Our farmers and ranchers are not temporary occupants. They invest in their land, produce food, support local businesses and contribute to the long-term strength of our communities.

The County adopted a new Municipal Development Plan in April 2026 intended to guide development for the next 50 years.

How does converting productive agricultural land into large-scale industrial facilities support that long-term vision?

How will Council assess the loss of farmland, interference with farming operations, heavy industrial traffic, property drainage, potential impacts on neighbouring property use and the eventual restoration of these sites?

Economic development must not be measured solely by what a developer proposes to invest. It must also be measured by what the community may permanently lose.

Accountability and responsibility

This is where I believe Council must be especially clear.

If these projects are approved and, years from now, the community experiences unacceptable consequences involving water availability, air quality, noise, electricity infrastructure or environmental damage, who will be held responsible?

Will it be the developer? The municipality? The provincial government? Or will residents and taxpayers be left to live with the consequences and pay for the solutions?

I am asking Council to establish enforceable safeguards before permitting future developments, including:

Independent environmental and cumulative water-impact assessments, made publicly available before rezoning decisions.

Verified electricity-demand figures and written grid-reliability assessments.

Detailed disclosure of cooling technology, water consumption, generator fuel sources, emissions and waste-heat discharge.

Protection of productive agricultural land, domestic wells, surrounding residences and livestock operations.

Enforceable operating limits, independent monitoring, publicly available results and meaningful consequences for violations.

Financial security sufficient to cover remediation, site restoration and decommissioning, without transferring those costs to taxpayers.

Regional consultation with neighbouring municipalities, water authorities, agricultural representatives, affected residents and Indigenous communities.

Public disclosure of each councillor's position and a recorded vote on future data-centre rezoning decisions.

I recognize that some environmental, water and electricity approvals fall under provincial rather than municipal jurisdiction. That does not remove Council's responsibility to consider available evidence, exercise its land-use authority carefully and insist on answers from the agencies responsible.

I also recognize that the new Data Centre Campus zoning proposal would require future developments to undergo rezoning rather than being automatically permitted in existing industrial districts. Greater public scrutiny is important, but a new zoning category must not simply become a pathway for approving developments without sufficient safeguards.

My position remains that further large-scale data-centre development should not be approved within our County.

A responsibility to future generations

I want to leave Council with something more personal to consider.

You live in these communities too.

Your children and grandchildren may grow up here. They may drink water from these same river systems, breathe this same air, raise families on this land and depend on the same agricultural economy that has supported generations before us.

When you consider these developments, I ask that you look beyond the next budget, the next election and the next investment announcement.

Think about this region 20, 30 and 50 years from now.

Will our grandchildren have reliable access to clean drinking water?

Will our rivers remain healthy enough to support the communities and ecosystems that depend on them?

Will our agricultural land remain productive?

Will families still be able to enjoy the clean air, open spaces and quiet rural environment that make this region worth calling home?

And when those future generations look back at the decisions being made today, will they see a Council that exercised wisdom, caution and responsibility? Or one that allowed permanent changes without fully understanding the consequences?

These decisions cannot be judged only by the economic benefits promised today. They must also be judged by the environmental and financial responsibilities we leave behind.

My request to Council

I request that this letter be entered into the public record and considered in connection with the December 2, 2026 public hearing on proposed Bylaw 2680-26-046.

I further request that Council decline future data-centre rezoning applications unless comprehensive, independently verified assessments are publicly available and demonstrate that the proposed development can operate without unacceptable risks to water resources, electricity reliability, agricultural land, air quality and surrounding communities.

I ask for a written response explaining what safeguards Council intends to establish, what independent evidence it will require, and how elected officials will ensure long-term accountability.

I am not opposed to progress.

I am opposed to calling something progress when we have not established what it may cost our communities, our environment and future generations.

We have inherited an extraordinary part of Alberta. We have a responsibility to preserve what makes it extraordinary.

Please treat that responsibility with the seriousness it deserves.

Sincerely,

Roberta Brunin

Resident of the Grande Prairie Region