jmcomic������������

Vancouver-based TELUS is working with the Canadian government and local developer Westbank Corp. on three proposed AI data centres in B.C.

One is an expansion of an existing centre in Kamloops and two are new facilities in Vancouver.

TELUS president and CEO Darren Entwistle said in an announcement, “The unprecedented demand that completely sold out our first AI factory in Rimouski (Quebec) proves that Canadian innovators want cutting-edge AI built right here on Canadian soil.”

The projects are part of the federal government’s .

Its purpose is to strengthen Canada’s domestic AI infrastructure and keep Canadian AI computing power and sensitive data in this country and not in someone else’s.

Data centres contain rows of computers that store and process large amounts of digital information.

The Kamloops AI data centre, which is already operating, will be expanded and come online later in 2026.

The first new Vancouver AI data centre will be located at a six-storey office building in Mount Pleasant.

It will be launched in late 2026 and gradually expand until completion in 2028.

Powered by renewable energy, it will connect with

The second proposed Vancouver facility will be in Yaletown, near BC Place Stadium.

It will be built on top of and connect to Creative Energy’s expanded and upgraded district energy steam plant.

Its 14 kilometres of underground steam distribution pipes provide hot water and heat to over 200 buildings in downtown Vancouver.

A closed-loop liquid cooling system will reduce cooling energy consumption by 80 per cent, compared to how data centres are traditionally cooled.

Jim Tsaknis, vice-president, broker and data centre expert with Colliers Canada, says Vancouver can expect more data centres to locate in the city in the future.

“As the sector matures, there will be more demand for the right land to construct data centres,” says Tsaknis. “But there are limited amounts of the right kind of land, because Vancouver is located on a floodplain.”

With over 18 kilometres of waterfront bordering the Pacific Ocean and the Fraser River, an estimated 10,000 buildings lie on designated 100-year floodplains (once every 100 years), and thousands more are at risk.

Tsaknis says data centres are very expensive to build with very sophisticated technical requirements.

“MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) are of paramount importance in data centres,” he says.

Tsaknis says B.C. can expect to see more relatively small and more efficient data centres that use less energy in the future.

The construction industry will benefit, too, because of the slowdown in residential construction.

EllisDon says it is one of Canada’s largest data centre builders.

“The technical complexities and strict quality and commissioning requirements, coupled with speed of execution and strong safety requirements make data centre construction very challenging,” says Dan Jolivet, EllisDon’s senior VP and area manager, life sciences and technology. “There is also a high level of expertise required during equipment procurement, careful labour planning and very detailed scheduling of these projects.”

Data centres use a lot of electricity, but BC Hydro says it has enough for both the growing number of data centres in B.C. and for everyone else.

Data centres represent a relatively small share of total load now, it says.

“There are about 12 conventional data centres in operation in B.C. today, using roughly 20 megawatts (MW), alongside cryptocurrency and emerging AI applications.”

BC Hydro has connected about 166 MW from seven cryptocurrency sites, with another 107 MW in advanced stages, for a total of roughly 273 MW.

The provincial utility says it and the B.C. government are taking “a planned approach” to manage the increased demand for electricity from the growing number of energy-intensive industries that are locating in B.C.

BC Hydro has about 13,400 MW of installed electricity capacity, “and is taking significant steps to meet growing demand.”

It says bringing the John Horgan Dam and Generating Station into service, adding 14 projects (approximately 8,500 Gigawatt-hours) and expanding energy efficiency programs will increase total capacity by 25 per cent.

In 2022, it placed a moratorium on new cryptocurrency mining connections.

And in January 2026, the B.C. government and BC Hydro launched a competitive allocation process to manage electricity demand from

Prospective data centre projects are required to participate in the competition, which will be administered by BC Hydro.

The process is intended to support new development and, at the same time, to protect electricity capacity for such established industries as mining, LNG and forestry.