The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced that Meta will build a $13-billion artificial intelligence data centre north of Edmonton, consuming about a gigawatt of electricity -- 70 per cent of the city's demand -- from a new natural gas plant. The Globe's guest columnist Robert Diab writes that while Meta's project is private, Canada is investing $925-million over five years to develop "sovereign AI data centres" nationwide to remain competitive in the evolving AI economy. Ms. Smith's announcement follows rising opposition to data centres, with New York pausing new constructions, cities in Ontario and California voting to block them, and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew rejecting proposals. The argument against large AI data centres focuses on environmental issues and questionable economic benefits. They consume lots of water and electricity, especially as North America faces increasing heat. Advocates claim to use closed-loop cooling and clean hydro power, while opponents highlight the absence of independent environmental assessments. Mr. Diab warns AI data centres may be overbuilt or obsolete by completion, as more AI processing moves from the cloud to personal devices.