Vancouver Protests Telus AI Data Centres Over Water Concerns

Hundreds of people marched through Vancouver over the weekend to protest Telus’s planned AI data centres, raising major concerns about water use, energy demand, land use, and the rapid growth of artificial intelligence infrastructure. The protest began at Waterfront Station, moved through downtown Vancouver, crossed toward Granville Island, and ended at Vancouver City Hall, where speakers addressed the crowd. The group behind the demonstration, No AI Data Centres in Vancouver, estimated that about 750 people attended the march. Organizers say the protest is only the beginning, with another march already planned for June 27.

The controversy centres on Telus’s plan to build a major sovereign AI infrastructure network in British Columbia. The project includes two AI data centres in Vancouver and an expansion of an existing facility in Kamloops. One Vancouver facility is planned for the former Hootsuite headquarters in Mount Pleasant and is expected to come online later this year, while another is planned for 150 West Georgia Street in 2029. The wider network is expected to scale to more than 60,000 GPUs and 150 megawatts of computing capacity by 2032. The project is part of the federal government’s Enabling Large-Scale Sovereign AI Data Centres initiative, which aims to strengthen Canada’s domestic AI infrastructure and help Canadian companies and researchers compete in the global AI economy.

Protesters argue that the public has not received enough information about the environmental impact of the facilities. Their biggest concerns include water consumption, rising electricity demand, noise, heat, and whether dense urban land should be used for data centres instead of housing or community needs. These concerns are especially strong because Metro Vancouver is already under Stage 2 water restrictions and could move toward Stage 3 restrictions in June. Protest organizer Torin LaRocque questioned why large amounts of water should be used for AI facilities when residents are being asked to conserve. Other protesters also criticized what they see as the growth of “AI slop” and the power of large corporations in shaping the future of technology.

Telus has defended the project, saying the facilities are designed to be among the most sustainable AI data centres in the world. The company says the sites will be powered by 98 per cent renewable electricity from BC Hydro and will use closed-loop liquid cooling systems to reduce water usage. Telus also says the facilities will use 90 per cent less water than traditional data centres, save an estimated 300 million litres of water each year, and capture waste heat to support Vancouver’s Neighbourhood Energy Utility in Mount Pleasant and Creative Energy’s downtown district energy system. According to Telus, the project could help heat the equivalent of 150,000 homes while supporting Canada’s control over sensitive data.

Still, political and community leaders at the protest expressed skepticism. B.C. Green Party Leader Emily Lowan said governments appear to be chasing the AI boom without fully understanding the risks, and her party is calling for a moratorium on data centre construction until stronger rules are in place. Vancouver Coun. Sean Orr also attended the march and said residents have been contacting him with concerns about water, noise, heat, land use, and the meaning of data sovereignty. While Orr said he is trying to keep an open mind, he questioned whether data centres are the best use of valuable land in a dense city like Vancouver.

The debate in Vancouver reflects a wider issue facing communities across North America as AI companies and governments race to expand computing power. Supporters argue that sovereign AI infrastructure is necessary for national competitiveness, data protection, and future innovation. Critics argue that the environmental and social costs need to be studied more carefully before projects move forward. For now, the Vancouver protests show that the growth of AI infrastructure is no longer just a technology issue. It is also becoming a public debate about resources, climate responsibility, land use, and who gets to shape the future of cities.

Works Cited

Chai, Daniel. “Huge Protest Against Vancouver AI Data Centres Sparks Response from Telus.” Daily Hive, 25 May 2026, dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-ai-data-centre-demonstration-march-telus. 

CBC News. “Protesters Rally Against Planned AI Data Centres in Vancouver.” CBC News, 24 May 2026, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/protest-against-ai-data-centres-in-vancouver-9.7210309. 

Holliday, Ian. “Hundreds March in Opposition to AI Data Centres in Vancouver.” CTV News, 23 May 2026, www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/hundreds-march-in-opposition-to-ai-data-centres-in-vancouver/. 

“Data Centre Protest in Vancouver.” Vancouver Sun, 2026, smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/vancouversun/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/png-0523n-datacentreprotest-926_303327640.jpg.

“TELUS AI Factory Rendering at 150 West Georgia.” BetaKit, 2026, cdn.betakit.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/TELUS-AI-Factory-rendering_150-Georgia-V3.png