REGINA, Oct. 15, 2026 | Regina city council voted 5-4 on Wednesday to order a report on how Bell Canada’s expanding AI data centre could affect the city, the Leader-Post reported. The vote does not decide whether the expansion goes ahead, because the project sits outside city limits in the Rural Municipality of Sherwood.

The motion was co-signed by Couns. Sarah Turnbull, Victoria Flores, Shobna Radons and Shanon Zachidniak. Couns. Dan Rashovich, George Tsiklis, Jason Mancinelli and Clark Bezo voted against it, and Mayor Chad Bachynski and Coun. Mark Burton recused themselves over conflicts of interest, per the Leader-Post. 620 CKRM reported the debate ran about seven and a half hours.

According to 620 CKRM, the motion directs city administration to report on Regina’s role and the status of related approvals and agreements, on water, wastewater and stormwater impacts, and on potential cost recovery for infrastructure impacts outside city limits. It also asks the province to release environmental assessment information. The Leader-Post reports there is no firm timeline because the report needs cooperation from Bell and the provincial government.

Council cannot approve or block the project, order a new environmental assessment or take control of it, 620 CKRM reports. Tsiklis argued “the Cities Act keeps us inside our own boundaries,” while Turnbull said: “Just because something’s happening 2.5 kilometres away from Regina doesn’t mean it’s not going to affect Regina.”

Bell AI Fabric plans to expand the site from 300 megawatts to 1.2 gigawatts, adding about nine buildings on roughly 895 acres, according to Bell figures reported by 620 CKRM. Construction could begin as early as 2027, depending on approvals and demand. Bell says cooling would use a sealed closed-loop system, with municipal water used for staff facilities, kitchens and fire protection, but it has not yet given a projected municipal water figure. Power would come from natural gas and still needs provincial environmental approval. 980 CJME reported that air-quality modelling is underway. Bell estimates the project will create 100 head-office jobs in Regina along with 500 permanent campus jobs and up to 1,200 construction jobs.

Dan Rink, president of AI Fabric Infrastructure and Strategy at Bell, told council the company needs a “social licence” to operate and that “nothing that we’re doing here is a secret.” Taya Triffo of No Data Centres on Treaty Land cited a petition with 18,000 signatures and 500 letters asking for an environmental assessment, and called the report “a measure of due diligence.” Supporters at the meeting included engineers and local contractors, and the Regina and District Chamber of Commerce backed the project in a written submission while also supporting the request for more information. Bell opened a community information centre at 2505 11th Ave. on Oct. 15.

Can Regina city council stop Bell’s AI data centre?
No. The data centre is in the Rural Municipality of Sherwood, and 620 CKRM reports council cannot approve or block it. The vote only orders a report.

How big is Bell’s planned expansion?
Bell plans to grow the site from 300 megawatts to 1.2 gigawatts, according to company figures reported by 620 CKRM.