An Alberta court has rejected a request from Kevin O’Leary’s firm, O’Leary Digital Limited, to dismiss a judicial review concerning consultation and water rights for the proposed Wonder Valley AI data center project in northern Alberta. The $70 billion initiative is planned for the Municipal District of Greenview, where the municipality has been granted permission to extract six million cubic meters of water annually from the Smoky River for the project.
O’Leary Digital sought to dismiss a judicial review application from the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, arguing that the company, as a directly impacted party, was not served within the necessary timeframe. However, the court ruled in favor of the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, stating that the company’s connection to the license was speculative, allowing the judicial review to proceed. Furthermore, O’Leary Digital’s request for intervenor status or to be added as a respondent in the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation’s judicial review was also denied.
Chief Sheldon Sunshine of the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision, emphasizing the importance of upholding treaty rights and ensuring proper consultation. The Chief stated that the judicial review is expected to proceed in December.
O’Leary Digital CEO Paul Palandjian expressed disappointment with the court ruling and disagreement with the continuation of the legal process. Despite this, the company remains committed to engaging in meaningful consultation with the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation and other communities involved in the Wonder Valley project.
Chief Sunshine reiterated the tribe’s call for increased consultation, emphasizing the need for transparency and access to project details and technical reports to assess the potential impacts of the data center development thoroughly.