08/03/2026
MORINVILLE: Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside a northern Alberta county office to voice strong opposition to tech giant Meta’s plans to construct a massive one-gigawatt artificial intelligence data centre.
The demonstration took place in Morinville, located within Sturgeon County, where the Facebook parent company announced its multi-billion-dollar infrastructure project. Rallygoers carried signs—including one depicting Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg with the message “Expropriate The Billionaire”—while chanting slogans against corporate expansion.
❗️Key Concerns Raised by Protesters
✔️Resource Strain and Utility Costs: Residents voiced deep anxieties regarding the immense electricity and water consumption required to power and cool high-performance AI chips, fearing it will drive up local utility bills.
✔️Environmental Impact: Organizers highlighted concerns over greenhouse gas emissions and the heavy reliance on natural gas power generation to support the facility, arguing it runs counter to climate goals.
✔️Job Security and AI Expansion: Younger participants and students pointed out that the rise of artificial intelligence poses a direct threat to traditional career paths and professional stability.
❗️Government and Corporate Response
The $13-billion-plus project is slated to come online within the next two to three years. Premier Danielle Smith previously stated that Alberta’s grid operator will supply surplus energy to run the facility initially, ahead of a dedicated natural gas-fired facility—the Greenlight Electricity Centre—beginning operations in 2030. Proponents also note that the data centre features a closed-loop water cooling system designed to mirror typical consumption levels of a regional golf course.
Despite assurances from officials regarding accountability frameworks and resource management, local opposition groups maintain that community consultation was inadequate and that local ratepayers will ultimately bear the infrastructural burden.
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