Councillors in rural county bordering Calgary vote to pause data centres

Rocky View County councillors voted to temporarily pause new data centre proposals until regulations are established, citing a rapidly changing landscape. The moratorium follows strong developer interest in the rural municipality bordering Calgary, which has approved one project but rejected another last year.

BALZAC — Councillors in a rural municipality bordering Calgary have voted to temporarily pause new data centre proposals. The motion passed last week at a Rocky View County council meeting. The moratorium is to be in place until the county establishes regulations for such developments, expected in the coming months. Coun. Alison Whiting, who brought forward the motion, told the meeting that the data centre landscape has changed dramatically over the last year, and the county can get questions answered during the pause. Rocky View County forms a horseshoe around Calgary's northern, eastern and western limits, and it has been attracting strong interest from data centre developers. The municipality has approved zoning for a Beacon AI Centers project in the hamlet of Indus, but last year council voted down another proposal from Kineticor near Balzac. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2026. The Canadian Press