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A resident of the RM of Sherwood has more questions than answers about the AI data centre being developed close to his home.
“We just wanted to make sure that our interests were protected because we had concerns about how this data centre was going to affect our quality of life and our property values,” Doug McKell said.
His great-grandfather homesteaded the area in 1883, and its been apart of his family since.
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In January, McKell first heard about the development of the Bell Canada data centre when a rezoning application was presented to RM of Sherwood’s council.
He and other neighbours in the area asked the RM to take a list of their concerns to Bell Canada to get some answers before the project entered the final stage of development.
McKell and his neighbours had concerns with water usage, light pollution, road infrastructure and noise that would come with the data centre.
“We’d like to be able to view the approved development plan with the ability to have any changes made if we think we’re not being protected well enough,” McKell said. “We’ll be able to take a look at it, but how much we’ll be able to provide for input and get changes made – I don’t know.”
McKell said the RM of Sherwood would not put a motion on record with their concerns and how the data centre would deal with it – but it was refused by council three times.
“Everybody’s so gung-ho on this thing when nobody knows anything about what it’s going to look like,” he said. “We’re frustrated with the lack of transparency at the onset.”
The RM of Sherwood’s council no longer has enough members to meet quorum, with the three council members and the reeve resigning from their positions last week.
No current or former RM of Sherwood council members would comment on why four members resigned last week. (980 CJME file photo)
There is no indication that the resignations and the data centre are connected.
The minister of government relations said it will support the RM by finding interim council members who can help municipal services continue until a byelection can be held.
980 CJME reached out to the current and former councillors with the RM but no one has offered explanations for the resignations.
Addressing concerns
During the projects announcement on March 16, Bell CEO, Mirko Bibic, said he was aware of concerns about the facility’s water consumption.
He said the centre will use “a closed-loop cooling system” that doesn’t draw from the municipal water supply.
Bibic said highly purified water will be shipped in containers to use at the centre for cooling.
Premier Scott Moe speaks at an event about the new AI data centre, with Bell CEO Mirko Bibic. Mar. 16, 2026 (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)
McKell said he was concerned about how Bell would handle surface drainage off the building and its parking lot during big rain events at the facility.
“That water in a big rain event is going to run off and go somewhere,” he said. “(I) wonder what that’s going to do to our farmland and culverts on the roads.”
Roads leading to and from the proposed property are all gravel.
McKell said he also wants to know what kind of upgrades will be made to account for more traffic, during construction and during the facility’s operations.
According to McKell, the RM of Sherwood administrator took the meeting minutes that had submission from local residents to Bell Canada, but McKell said he doesn’t know if he and his neighbour’s concerns will be addressed.
“I guess we’ll just have to see when we get a chance to look at the approved development plan and go from there,” he said.
