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A proposed AI data centre at Valley View Centre site in Moose Jaw will not move ahead because it has been denied the electrical capacity required to operate, Saskatchewan Justice Minister and Moose Jaw North MLA Tim McLeod says.
McLeod said there has been “a lot of misunderstanding” surrounding the proposal and argued misinformation has fuelled concern in the community.
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He said a local company submitted a proposal for an AI data centre that still requires development permit approval from the City of Moose Jaw. However, the project would also require up to 150 megawatts of electricity from SaskPower.
“My understanding is that the application requested up to 150 megawatts of power,” McLeod said. “What I’ve been told is that this application is not being seriously considered … that request for power was denied.”
Without that power allocation, the proposed facility cannot proceed at the Valley View location, he said.
“Without the power, there can be no AI data centre, so there’s not going to be an AI data centre at Valley View.”
McLeod said Saskatchewan remains an attractive destination for AI-related investment because of its available electrical capacity, but large power requests are reviewed carefully.
“Our government isn’t opposed to AI data centres broadly,” he said. “We know that the future is going to have AI data centres in it.”
He said Saskatchewan has received numerous inquiries about similar projects because of its available power capacity, particularly as interest in AI infrastructure grows across Western Canada.
However, each proposal is evaluated on its own merits.
“We will make sure that those applications are very carefully considered for a responsible allocation of the power necessary,” McLeod said. “We’re not going to support a data centre in a community where it’s not appropriate.”
Although the City of Moose Jaw continues to consider the development permit application, McLeod said the lack of an approved power allocation means the proposed Valley View project will not move forward.
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)
In April, work started at the site of Bell Canada’s AI data centre in the RM of Sherwood, just one day after the RM 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.
Bell said Regina’s Hipperson Construction had been hired for early works and building construction management. 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.
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.
— with files from CJME News
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