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Manitoba Premier Kinew Says No to Hyperscale AI Data Centre South of Winnipeg
The premier said the project would bring little benefit and could harm Manitoba’s environment and rural communities, while an online petition drew more than 13,500 signatures.
- On Thursday, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew rejected a proposed massive AI data centre southeast of Winnipeg, citing environmental concerns and limited economic benefits for Manitobans.
- Vancouver-Based Consensus Core Technologies Inc. and AI Inc. planned the facility on a 141-hectare tract of farmland north of Ile des Chênes in the Rural Municipality of Ritchot, powered by natural gas turbines.
- Local opposition mounted against the project, with an online petition gathering more than 13,500 signatures citing noise, light, and air pollution concerns threatening the region's unique way of life.
- Kinew argued hyperscale facilities may become "albatrosses," preferring smaller government-managed compute of 1.5 megawatts and encouraging on-device AI use instead of relying on cloud services.
- Consensus CEO Wayne Lloyd said the company is reviewing the decision and looks forward to a "robust engagement process" with Manitoba, while the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce urged a thoughtful provincial AI strategy.
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Manitoba Rejects Large-Scale AI Data Centre Near Winnipeg for Environmental Reasons
The construction of an artificial intelligence data centre on a 141-hectare tract of farmland southeast of Winnipeg will not proceed, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says. The immense scale of the project, the energy it will require, and its effects on the community of Île-des-Chênes outweigh the benefits, Kinew told reporters at the Manitoba legislature. “There’s a big threat to the environment and not much benefit to the economy,” Kinew said at a J…
·New York, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources8
Leaning Left5Leaning Right1Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution63% Left
Bias Distribution
- 63% of the sources lean Left
63% Left
L 63%
C 25%
12%
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