RESEARCH BETA · CANADA · SOURCE EXPORT 26 AUG 2026

Where is Canada’s AI infrastructure being built, and what does it require?

A public-interest, source-linked tracker of publicly reported AI-relevant data-centre projects, through the infrastructure beneath the headline: electricity, water, approvals, and place.

Research beta. This is a living, first-pass research project | not a complete national registry or legal assessment. Project details change. Every material claim should be read with its source, date, and verification status.

19First-pass project records
6Provinces represented
1Withdrawn proposal retained
52Source records listed

PROJECT LEDGER

What is publicly reported, and how certain is it?

Locations are intentionally no more precise than public evidence supports. Power figures are preserved as reported | not summed | because an allocation, application, target, connection, and operating load do not mean the same thing.

Map note: This is a static regional index. Markers show approximate public municipal or regional references, not facility addresses, parcels, legal boundaries, or mapped Indigenous territory.
Static Canada project index map showing approximate regional markers for tracker records
Approximate regional project index, based on public reporting. The project ledger below is the source-linked record. This graphic is not a facility siting map, territorial map, or legal reference.
Announced; municipal site preparation permittedHigh evidence

Meta AI Data Centre Campus

Sturgeon County, Alberta

Reported power / capacity
970 MW connection approved; related generation/supply figures should not be summed as load
Water / cooling
Promoter/government state closed-loop liquid + dry cooling and zero day-to-day operational water; not independently audited
Location precision
Regional public location

Sources: SRC-0001, SRC-0024. Sturgeon County reports a May 2026 grading permit; main construction expected Q3/Q4 2026. Alberta registry remains Proposed; no operations claim.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

Proposed; approvals being soughtHigh evidence

Beacon Foothills Artificial Intelligence Hub

Foothills No. 31 / Calgary area, Alberta

Reported power / capacity
400 MW on-site generation reported
Water / cooling
No water detail published in reviewed listing
Location precision
Municipality/region

Source: SRC-0002. CAD 4B refers to Beacon’s six-centre Alberta plan, not necessarily this site.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

Proposed; approvals being soughtHigh evidence

Beacon Heartland AI Data Centre Hub

Sturgeon County / Edmonton region, Alberta

Reported power / capacity
960 MWe reported; confirm MW definition and actual allocation
Water / cooling
No water detail in reviewed listing
Location precision
Regional public location

Sources: SRC-0003, SRC-0025. Data-centre campus remains proposed; associated 920 MW power plant is an AUC application under review, not approved.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

Proposed; associated power application denied; no active municipal development permitMedium evidence

Synapse Olds Data Centre

Olds, Alberta

Reported power / capacity
1 GW data-centre proposal; associated 1.4 GW gas-plant application reportedly refused
Water / cooling
Proponent says closed-loop system requires one fill under 1% of town daily use
Location precision
Municipality centroid

Sources: SRC-0026, SRC-0027. AUC denied associated power application 2026-08-17; Town of Olds reports no active development permit. Do not treat as permanently cancelled without further evidence.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

Announced agreement; current developer/ownership and construction status unverifiedMedium evidence

Captus Site AI/HPC Project

Pincher Creek, Alberta

Reported power / capacity
Company states up to 4 GW potential gas-to-power; ~130 MW anticipated by end-2026
Water / cooling
Company cites non-potable water; no recurring volume disclosed
Location precision
Municipality/region

Sources: SRC-0005, SRC-0028. Separate cancelled Captus power plant from Gryphon AI/HPC opportunity; 2025 SEC filing records assignment of rights/interests.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

Under constructionMedium evidence

Fox Creek Energy and Digital Infrastructure Facility

Regional Municipality of Greenview No. 16 near Fox Creek, Alberta

Reported power / capacity
101 MW on-site gas / ~100 MW computing; company cites 99 MW AESO interconnection, pending direct AESO verification
Water / cooling
Company says closed-loop dry cooling; no withdrawal from nearby bodies
Location precision
Municipality/region

Sources: SRC-0006. Under construction; intended initial workload is Bitcoin mining with future AI/HPC flexibility. Direct regulator records remain to be retrieved.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

Existing data-centre expansion announced; planned online later 2026High evidence

Kamloops AI Factory

Kamloops, British Columbia

Reported power / capacity
Cluster reports 85 MW initial allocation and >150 MW total by 2032
Water / cooling
Closed-loop liquid cooling claim reported at cluster level
Location precision
Municipality centroid

Sources: SRC-0007. Cluster-level 85 MW initial / >150 MW by 2032 must not be allocated to this site; no site-specific permit/grid record verified.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

Announced / plannedHigh evidence

M3 AI Factory

Mount Pleasant, Vancouver, British Columbia

Reported power / capacity
Cluster reports 85 MW initial allocation and >150 MW total by 2032
Water / cooling
Cluster-level closed-loop cooling/district energy/recycled-water plans
Location precision
Neighbourhood centroid

Sources: SRC-0008. Planned end-2026 opening per TELUS; no site-specific permit/grid record verified.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

Announced / plannedHigh evidence

150 West Georgia AI Factory

Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia

Reported power / capacity
Cluster reports 85 MW initial allocation and >150 MW total by 2032
Water / cooling
Cluster-level closed-loop cooling claim
Location precision
Neighbourhood centroid

Sources: SRC-0009, SRC-0029. Planned 2029 opening. Prior City land-use action permits Bulk Data Storage but is not a TELUS construction/utility/operating approval.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

Unverified lead; quarantine / merge-pendingMedium evidence

Bell AI Fabric B.C. Supercluster

Kamloops and Merritt, British Columbia

Reported power / capacity
More than 500 MW cluster target; figures may overlap with >400 MW two-site target
Water / cooling
No water metric in reviewed source
Location precision
Regional public location

Second-pass review found no primary evidence for a Bell B.C. supercluster; may be a mislabel/duplicate of TELUS B.C. cluster. Do not map or feature as verified.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

Under construction / early worksHigh evidence

Bell AI Fabric Data Centre

Rural Municipality of Sherwood near Regina, Saskatchewan

Reported power / capacity
300 MW utility power
Water / cooling
Company states closed-loop cooling with no groundwater/aquifer interaction
Location precision
Municipality/region

Sources: SRC-0011, SRC-0030. IAAC says physical activity had substantially begun by 2026-06-05; Bell-reported RM approval still awaits municipal source.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

Announced / proposed; no municipal or utility approval verifiedHigh evidence

BUZZ HPC GTA AI Gigafactory

Greater Toronto Area; Toronto | Waterloo corridor, Ontario

Reported power / capacity
~320 MW utility capacity; >100,000 GPUs at full build-out reported
Water / cooling
Company states closed-loop no-water-use approach
Location precision
Regional public location

Sources: SRC-0012, SRC-0031. Keep separate from 7.2 MW Toronto site. Exact municipality is undisclosed; Oakville context does not locate the project.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

PlannedMedium evidence

DarkNX Ontario AI Data Centre Campus

Ontario; locality undisclosed, Ontario

Reported power / capacity
300 MW campus planned
Water / cooling
Direct-to-chip cooling with high-efficiency chillers; no water-consumption metric disclosed
Location precision
Province only

Source: SRC-0013. Company-announced planned campus only; no municipality, permit, grid award or construction evidence located.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

Announced; reservations openMedium evidence

NorthVault AI Campus

Ontario; locality undisclosed, Ontario

Reported power / capacity
43.75 MW energized by Q3 2027 stated; long-term 120 MW path
Water / cooling
Company claims closed-loop zero-water design
Location precision
Province only

Source: SRC-0014. Operator release requires fresh direct read before relying on operational-status claim; no municipality/utility evidence located.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

Acquired site; future upgrade/build-out plannedHigh evidence

BUZZ HPC 7.2 MW Toronto Data Centre

Toronto / Greater Toronto Area, Ontario

Reported power / capacity
7.2 MW installed capacity
Water / cooling
Liquid cooling stated; no quantified water figure disclosed
Location precision
Municipality/region

Source: SRC-0015. Keep separate from later 320 MW GTA proposal; acquisition does not establish upgrade completion or permits.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

Withdrawn / not proceedingMedium evidence

Almaguin Data AI Data Centre

Armour Township, Ontario

Reported power / capacity
2 MW initial; proposed 10 MW expansion
Water / cooling
Developer stated under 10,000 L/day water use
Location precision
Municipality centroid

Sources: SRC-0016, SRC-0032, SRC-0033. Municipal record was conditional only; CBC reports withdrawal. Preserve as historical record pending direct withdrawal instrument.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

Under constructionHigh evidence

QScale Q01 Building B

Lévis, Quebec

Reported power / capacity
60 MW IT capacity
Water / cooling
Liquid-cooled racks; no consumption figure; planned waste-heat recovery
Location precision
Exact public address

Sources: SRC-0017, SRC-0034. QScale reports construction well underway; no municipal/Hydro-Québec decision identified in this pass.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

In serviceHigh evidence

Cologix MTL8

Montréal, Quebec

Reported power / capacity
21 MW capacity; type not further specified
Water / cooling
Hydroelectricity-powered and LEED Gold; no cooling/water metric disclosed
Location precision
Neighbourhood/area

Sources: SRC-0018, SRC-0035. Cologix reports 21 MW MTL8 is in service; no municipal occupancy record located.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

Proposed; EIA determination review in progressHigh evidence

Spruce Lake AI Data Centre Project

Spruce Lake Industrial Park, Lorneville / Saint John, New Brunswick

Reported power / capacity
390 MW proposed total supply: 190 MW on-site gas generation + 200 MW proposed NB Power supply; operator website separately says up to 400 MW
Water / cooling
Filed EIA: proposed closed-loop cooling; ~3,500 m3 initial fill estimate; water/air/wetland/wastewater approvals prospective, not issued
Location precision
Industrial park / regional

Sources: SRC-0036, SRC-0037. Official EIA record governs: 390 MW proposed and review in progress. Do not classify grid supply, permits, construction or operation as approved.

Last verified: 2026-08-25

STORIES TO WATCH

Four public records behind the headlines.

These are source-led entry points, not conclusions about project outcomes. Each story keeps the difference between a proposal, an approval, an environmental filing, and an operating facility visible.

ALBERTA | REGULATION

Olds: a proposal is not a power approval

The AUC refusal of Synapse’s associated power application shows why project status needs more than an announcement. The Town of Olds reports no active development permit application.

Read CBC reporting

ONTARIO | LOCAL PLANNING

Armour Township: conditions, questions, withdrawal

A smaller proposed AI facility became a public planning story. Municipal records documented information still requested before a reported withdrawal.

Read local reporting

NEW BRUNSWICK | WATER & POWER

Saint John: a project in environmental review

The Spruce Lake filing describes 390 MW proposed supply, planned cooling, and approvals still required. It does not yet establish issued permits or grid allocation.

Read CBC reporting

SASKATCHEWAN | LAND USE

Sherwood: how a large AI site entered planning

Municipal planning records provide a pre-construction baseline. The federal registry later recorded that physical activity had substantially begun, not that a full impact assessment approved the project.

Read CBC reporting

UNDERSTAND THE NUMBERS

Five public resources for reading data-centre claims.

These links explain power, cooling, water and grid terminology. They are not evidence about any individual Canadian project in this tracker.

IEA | Energy and AIGlobal demand, grid bottlenecks and forecast uncertainty.LBNL | U.S. Data Center Energy Usage ReportPUE, direct versus source WUE, and energy-water trade-offs.NERC | Long-Term Reliability AssessmentLarge-load forecasting, connections and system planning.U.S. DOE | Cooling Water EfficiencyA plain-language cooling-system and WUE explainer.LBNL | Data-centre workload water useWhy a single water number rarely tells the whole story.

METHOD & LIMITS

Evidence before certainty.

We distinguish company announcements, municipal actions, utility or regulator records, environmental filings, and journalism. A project is not described as approved, connected, constructed, or operational unless the cited record supports that specific status.

Territorial and geographic layers are source-attributed context | not authoritative legal determinations. They do not determine title, rights, consultation, consent, project legality, or environmental effects.

How to read this beta

  • Exact map pins are not used when the public record names only a region, municipality, or neighbourhood.
  • Company-reported capacity, cooling, water, job, and emissions claims remain labeled as claims unless independently verified.
  • Federal/provincial map layers and municipal acknowledgements are never used alone to assign a Nation to a project.
  • Sources are visible so this work can be corrected in public.

SOURCE LIBRARY

Sources, claims, and caveats

This release includes the current first-pass source ledger. Open any source to inspect the original material. The underlying research database is maintained as a working source record and may change as corrections are verified.

SRC-0002DC-CA-0002

Beacon Foothills Artificial Intelligence Hub

Government of Alberta · Government project listing · Primary

Proposed AI hub and reported generation capacity

Government listing; confirm exact site and current approvals
SRC-0003DC-CA-0003

Beacon Heartland AI Data Center Hub

Government of Alberta · Government project listing · Primary

Proposed AI hub, location region and stated 960 MWe capability

Government warns map pin is not precise
SRC-0004DC-CA-0004

Synapse Data Center development announcement

Town of Olds · Municipal announcement · Primary

Proposed AI/cloud data-centre project and proponent claims

Town announcement; grid/power status needs regulatory verification
SRC-0014DC-CA-0014

NorthVault AI announces Ontario campus

NorthVault AI · Company announcement · Primary

Staged AI campus capacity and conditional energization timeline

Company says final delivery remains conditional
SRC-0019DC-CA-0019

Spruce Lake AI Hub

Beacon Data Centers / VoltaGrid · Project website · Primary

Proposed Saint John AI hub, up-to-400 MW design and cooling claims

EIA and grid evidence needed before treating project claims as approvals
SRC-0020Methodology / policy

Alberta data-centre grid policy

Government of Alberta · Government policy · Primary

Dedicated-generation/storage approach and AESO allocation context

Current policy page; confirm project-specific allocation separately
SRC-0023Methodology / policy

ISED large-scale sovereign AI data-centre intake

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada · Government program · Primary

Federal >100 MW intake; does not name selections or approvals

Do not imply applicants are selected, funded or approved
SRC-0024DC-CA-0001

Data centre development in Sturgeon County

Sturgeon County · Municipal planning / permits · Primary

Master-site milestones and May 2026 grading permit for site preparation; construction expected Q3/Q4 2026; operations target 2029

Municipal page; avoid reproducing street address and do not treat as operating status
SRC-0026DC-CA-0004

Synapse Data Center Power Plant Project, Decision 30732-D01-2026

Alberta Utilities Commission · Regulator decision · Primary

AUC denied associated 1,400 MW gas plant / 1,800 MW emergency-diesel application

Decision concerns power project; does not by itself permanently cancel every possible data-centre concept
SRC-0027DC-CA-0004

Current Status | Proposed Data Centre Developments

Town of Olds · Municipal status page · Primary

Town reports no active development permit application for proposed Olds data-centre projects

Current municipal status; does not establish future outcome
SRC-0028DC-CA-0005

Form 10-Q

Gryphon Digital Mining / SEC · SEC issuer disclosure · Primary

Reports May 2025 assignment of Gryphon rights/interests related to the Captus site

Current developer/ownership remains unverified without newer records
SRC-0029DC-CA-0009

150 W Georgia St text amendment

City of Vancouver · Municipal planning decision · Primary

Council approved amendment allowing Bulk Data Storage use

Predates TELUS announcement; not a TELUS construction, power-service or operating approval
SRC-0030DC-CA-0011

Bell AI Fabric Data Centre Project (Registry #90514)

Impact Assessment Agency of Canada · Federal assessment registry decision · Primary

Registry says physical activity had substantially begun; describes proposed 300 MW AI data centre in RM of Sherwood

Not an environmental approval or effects finding
SRC-0031DC-CA-0012

Data Centres in Oakville

Town of Oakville · Municipal planning status · Primary

Town had not received a data-centre development application and passed interim control by-law

Does not locate or identify the BUZZ/HIVE GTA proposal
SRC-0032DC-CA-0016

Council Meeting Minutes of March 10, 2026

Township of Armour · Council minutes · Primary

Conditional support-in-principle only; council requested Hydro One capacity, water/septic, noise and other details

Not a land sale, permit, capacity confirmation or construction approval
SRC-0037DC-CA-0019

Spruce Lake AI Data Centre Project

Stantec for Beacon New Brunswick Inc. and VoltaGrid LLC · Filed EIA registration · Primary project filing

Filed proposal: 390 MW = 190 MW on-site gas + 200 MW proposed NB Power supply; proposed closed-loop cooling initial fill about 3,500 m3

Proponent/consultant filing, not a regulator determination; permits still prospective
SRC-0038DC-CA-0001

Truth & Reconciliation

Sturgeon County · Municipal acknowledgement · Primary

County acknowledgement names Treaty 6 territory, Alexander and Michel First Nations, and Métis Nation of Alberta Districts 8 and 11

Municipal acknowledgement only; not a project-specific territory, title, rights-holder, consultation or consent determination
SRC-0039DC-CA-0007

Heritage and Culture

City of Kamloops · Municipal acknowledgement · Primary

City states it is located on Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc territory within unceded ancestral lands of the Secwépemc Nation

Municipal acknowledgement only; not project-specific
SRC-0040DC-CA-0008

Acknowledging the unceded territories

City of Vancouver · Municipal acknowledgement · Primary

City acknowledgement names xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw and səlilwətaɬ Nations

Municipal acknowledgement only; not a project-specific determination
SRC-0041DC-CA-0015

Land Acknowledgement

City of Toronto · Municipal acknowledgement · Primary

City describes Toronto as traditional territory of many nations and says it is covered by Treaty 13 and Williams Treaties

City-wide acknowledgement; Toronto/GTA project location is not precise enough to assign a Nation to project
SRC-0042DC-CA-0018

Les Autochtones à Montréal

Ville de Montréal · Municipal historical context · Primary

City historical source recognizes millennial First Nations presence on the Island of Montréal

Historical city context only; identifies no project-area rights-holder or territorial finding
SRC-0043DC-CA-0019

Truth and Reconciliation

City of Saint John · Municipal acknowledgement · Primary

City says Saint John/Menaquesk is situated on Wolastoqiyik/Maliseet traditional territory

City-wide acknowledgement only; not an exact Lorneville overlay or project-specific rights/consultation finding
SRC-0048Learning

Energy and AI

International Energy Agency | Intergovernmental analysis | Primary technical analysis

Global context on AI, electricity demand, grid bottlenecks and uncertainty

Global modelling, not a measurement or forecast for any Canadian project
SRC-0049Learning

2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | Technical report | Primary technical analysis

Definitions for PUE, site and source WUE, and energy-water trade-offs

U.S.-only report; PUE/WUE are not complete environmental impact measures
SRC-0050Learning

Long-Term Reliability Assessment (2025 LTRA)

North American Electric Reliability Corporation | Reliability assessment | Primary technical analysis

Regional context for large-load forecasts, connections and resource adequacy

North American planning context, not provincial permitting or project approval

CORRECTIONS & COLLABORATION

Help make the record stronger.

Have a primary source, a correction, a public record we missed, or an interest in collaborating? We welcome careful contributions from communities, researchers, journalists, policy practitioners, utilities, and project proponents.

Email allo@ivantouko.ca. We will respond after a short rest and review each submission against the project’s verification approach.