Rocky View County is asking residents how it should manage data-centre development as existing facilities operate and several large proposals move through different stages of planning and review. The county is holding five open houses under its Emerging Sector Strategy, which examines where data centres could go, what size projects may be suitable and what municipal rules should govern them.
The third session was scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 4 to 8 p.m. at The Track Golf Course in Langdon. The consultation is not a vote on any individual project. It asks about broader planning matters, including location and scale, water, stormwater, noise, emissions, traffic and site design.
Dominic Kazmierczak, the county’s executive director of community services, said the strategy is examining “how, if we are to bring data centers into the county, where they should go and how we should manage them?” He said council has not set a position, adding, “I wouldn’t say that council has set a position yet, but (that we are) looking at how to manage data centers effectively.”
Rocky View County commissioned a research report for the strategy. It considers data-centre development in relation to land use, infrastructure, agriculture, water, economics and municipal policy. Kazmierczak said water use has emerged as a concern among residents. “Water usage is a massive concern of residents, and that’s what we’ve heard previously,” he said. “Obviously, then there’s noise and air quality impacts as well from data centers, so we’re really looking (at) how to manage that.”
Residents at the Langdon session raised those issues, along with questions about infrastructure and the need for more facilities. Wayne Edwards said he was concerned about whether the area could support the proposed Wild Rose Power Hub, including its water and wastewater needs. “I’m worried about the water. I’m worried about the wastewater. We already declined a new subdivision because the county said we don’t have the infrastructure for the new development. So how do we have it for a data center?” he said.
Edwards also cited noise and the potential loss of agricultural land. Mary Lee Wilkie questioned the number of data centres being proposed. “In general, I’m just telling you, we do not need so many. Why do we need so many of them set up in Alberta, in Canada? Why? Nobody answers that question,” she said.
Her husband, Hugh Wilkie, supported the development, saying it could benefit local taxpayers. “It’s going to keep my taxes in Langdon low,” he said. The differing views reflect questions the county is considering as it weighs potential economic benefits against effects on infrastructure, land and nearby residents.
Similar concerns and support emerged at the first open house, held Sept. 29 at Balzac Community Hall. Mona Levitt, who travelled from the Innisfail-Olds area, focused her concerns on hyperscale facilities. “I don’t agree with hyperscale data centers. They’re too large. They emit too much sound. There’s the heat dome, light dome. There’s water use,” she said. “I don’t really see the need for the hyperscale AI data centers.”
Her husband, Larry Levitt, said their area had already debated a hyperscale data-centre proposal and welcomed the county’s information session. “I think this kind of a presentation is great because it gives the community a little bit of information of what’s coming down the track, what the implications of these things are, and (we) can respond to council and make some recommendations,” he said. “And hopefully they listen to what their concerns are.”
Crossfield resident Bill Crawford said data centres could bring economic benefits if water and electricity requirements are addressed. “So as long as we get that right, then I think it’s a good opportunity and excellent for tax base and for employment,” he said. He also backed the county taking time to develop its approach, saying, “I think the moratorium was a really good idea, but I just don’t want to see them throw the baby out with the bathwater; that would be a huge mistake.”
Crawford said the industry had not done enough to explain data centres and their potential effects to decision-makers. “I think that the industry did a very poor job of educating the decision makers up until now,” he said. “In fact, they still haven’t done a very good job of that.”
The consultation is taking place as Alberta pursues investment in AI data centres. The provincial government has made attracting the industry an explicit policy goal through its AI Data Centres Strategy and has introduced rules for how large new projects can access Alberta’s electricity system. In Rocky View County, proposals are already moving through municipal planning and provincial regulatory processes.
The Wild Rose Power Hub proposal is about two kilometres southwest of Langdon along Township Road 232. The proposed site covers approximately 194 hectares, or 479 acres, and is intended primarily for a data centre. On July 8, 2025, county council approved terms of reference for a developer-led, developer-funded area structure plan. That decision set planning work in motion but did not approve construction. The proposal remains in the county’s planning process, which is expected to include a council public hearing.
The Beacon AI Hub near Indus is further along in municipal planning. On June 17, 2025, council approved its area structure plan and redesignated approximately 900 acres to the county’s Special, Data Centre land-use district. Those decisions established the municipal planning and zoning framework, but did not approve every subsequent development or the energy infrastructure required.
Beacon’s proposed power supply is under a separate provincial review. The developer has applied to the Alberta Utilities Commission for a natural gas-fired power plant with proposed generating capability of 1,494 megawatts. The commission says the plant would normally provide about 1,200 megawatts to proposed on-site data halls for artificial-intelligence and high-performance-computing operations. The AUC has held an oral hearing, and its review remains underway. Rocky View County handles municipal planning and development decisions within its jurisdiction; the commission decides whether the power plant should be approved and what conditions may apply.
Beacon Data Centers told CTV News it welcomes the county consultation as a chance for residents to help shape its approach to digital infrastructure. The company said its Indus project would provide 235 long-term jobs at the campus and significant municipal taxes over the project’s life. It said the design includes efficient cooling, noise mitigation and other technologies. “Our goal is to deliver lasting local benefits through a project that takes its responsibilities to neighbours seriously,” the company said.
Data-centre development is already underway in the county through eStruxture’s CAL-2 and CAL-3 projects in east Balzac. Other proposals have not advanced. In September 2025, council rejected the proposed Kineticor Data Centre Campus in the county’s northeast, a project covering 448 hectares, or 1,107 acres. Council cited the proposed location and potential impacts on agricultural producers.
This past July, council tightened rules by making data-centre campuses in the Special Data Centre district a discretionary use. That gives council discretion to approve or refuse development permits. Council also temporarily paused decisions on new S-DAT redesignation applications, which seek to rezone land specifically for data-centre development, while the county completes the Emerging Sector Strategy and prepares a new regulatory framework. The pause does not apply to land-use redesignations already approved, including the Beacon lands.
Feedback from the open houses and an online survey will be shared with council and summarized in a report. County administration will use that feedback, research and other information to develop options for council as it considers how future data-centre development should be managed. The fourth open house is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 8, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Irricana Lions Community Hall, 300 1 St. The fifth and final session is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 15, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Springbank Heritage Club, 244168 Range Rd. 33. The county is also accepting responses through its online survey.
Based on reporting by CTV News Calgary.