Several Saskatchewan contractors hired to help build Bell data centre near Regina

Crews using heavy equipment have begun moving earth at the site of Bell Canada’s AI data centre in the RM of Sherwood, and the company has named several Saskatchewan contractors selected to help build the project.

In a news release, Bell said Regina’s Hipperson Construction has been hired for early works and building construction management.

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“This project is the kind of generational build that Saskatchewan contractors have prepared a lifetime for,” Hipperson president Gord Hipperson said in the release.

Other Regina firms involved in the project are Soletanche Bachy Canada, Ardel Steel, Amrize and WaterMark Consulting. Also named were Maxie’s Excavating and Red Pelican, both based in Saskatoon.

This aerial photo shows construction of sound barriers along the edge of the Bell Canada data centre site in the RM of Sherwood on April 30, 2026. (Bell Canada/Submitted)

But while a number of Saskatchewan contractors have been selected, a Manitoba firm will be supplying pre-engineered building components for the project. Bell said it already has a relationship with Behlen Industries of Brandon, Man. for its AI fabric projects at multiple locations.

Work began at the site April 21, just one day after the RM of Sherwood council approved a development agreement with Bell at a meeting that saw the doors locked due to capacity issues and a loud protest outside the RM’s office in Regina.

Protestors concerned about artificial intelligence and against a proposed AI data centre in the RM of Sherwood demonstrated outside a council meeting on April 20, 2026 as councillors inside voted for the agreement to move ahead. (Geoff Smith/980 CJME)

The agreement was meant to address concerns from neighbouring landowners.

Company working to provide jobs and economic opportunities for First Nations

Bell says it is focused on Indigenous participation in the project, as it works with the George Gordon First Nation, as well as the provincial government and local municipalities.

Company officials have also formed a committee in partnership with George Gordon Developments, and the group held its first meeting in April.

The company and First Nation are hoping to develop the workforce and partner on post-secondary education.

George Gordon owns the land where the data centre will sit, just southeast of Regina’s city limits.

Bell said the centre will generate as much as $12 billion in economic impact over the long term, with at least 800 jobs expected to be created during construction.

The first data hall at the centre is expected to come online in the first half of 2027.