The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary has adopted a bylaw that bans artificial intelligence data centres from setting up shop in rural parts of the Beaver Valley.
It follows what longtime regional director Ali Grieve called “probably the largest attendance I had at any public hearing.”
The recent meeting, called to gauge support or opposition to the bylaw, saw people show up not just from Grieve’s area, but across the region. They were all on the same page, she said.
“Those in attendance had some great questions and great comments. And as far as I know, every single person there was 100 per cent supportive of the bylaw, as the community as a whole has been. I haven’t heard any opposition to the idea.”
Throughout the process, Grieve has insisted that the bylaw is not about saying no to technology or investment, but about protecting the community’s ability to make decisions.
While there was no specific proposal to place an AI data centre in the region, Grieve said in general the facilities raise concerns about noise from cooling equipment and their high consumption of electricity and potentially water.
Grieve said AI isn’t going anywhere and properly regulated, it can be a positive. She is hoping that the protections included in the bylaw provide that regulation.
“If a proposal does come forward, our own residents have a voice and then we can decide if it’s right for our community,” she said. “So we’re being proactive, not reactive.”
The bylaw was adopted unanimously last week by the RDKB board, which has previously discussed the issue of AI data centres because a company in Christina Lake is switching gears from crypto currency to become a data centre. It has the necessary zoning in place.
