Industry context: Local backlash against AI infrastructure can affect permitting timelines and public perception of AI deployments, a practical risk for engineers and planners working on on-premises or regional cloud capacity. CityNews reported that hundreds of protesters gathered near the Vancouver Art Gallery on June 27, 2026, in a second demonstration within a month opposing proposed AI data centres; CityNews says a related petition has gathered 15,000 signatures. CBC reports the projects are a partnership between Telus and the federal government and that one site, the former Hootsuite headquarters in Mount Pleasant, is slated to come online by the end of 2026 while a second facility at 150 West Georgia St. is planned for 2029. Protesters quoted by CBC and CityNews cited concerns about water use, energy demand and lack of public consultation, and CBC cited an International Energy Agency figure that data centres used 140 billion litres of water globally in 2023.
Democratic lawmakers push federal moratorium on AI data center construction