Little Town, Big Data in Olds, Alberta

Little Town, Big Data in Olds, Alberta

From The Gravity Well with Jenny Yeremiy by The Gravity Well

June 4, 2026 · 24 min · Season 3 · Episode 25

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of AI data centres on water sovereignty and local communities in Olds, Alberta.

This episode focuses on water, cumulative impacts, and long‑term consequences of AI data centres, rather than just short‑term economic promises. Olds resident, concerned citizen turned leader of a local resistance around water sovereignty and now AI data centers, Janey Olson, joins me to explain. From my perspective—as a geophysicist and oil and gas environmental liability expert—what’s happening in Olds is both shocking and emblematic of a wider pattern: residents are blindsided by huge, high‑impact projects—Synapse and Data District—framed as “done deals” by local and provincial economic arms before people have real information or a meaningful say. Janey highlights that Synapse is a 1.4‑gigawatt project—equivalent to adding about one million homes’ worth of power demand—and that there are two data centres proposed in her small town. I note more proposals appearing near Calgary, in Bonnyville and Fox Creek, and Wonder Valley in Grande Prairie. A 1.4 gigawatt facility is like adding 1.4 million homes to Alberta’s grid “suddenly” and will affect everyone’s power costs and the province’s competitiveness, and it risks turning Alberta into a “sacrificial lamb” for a federal AI and…

People in this episode

Host: Jenny Yeremiy

Guest: Janey Olson

Topics covered

  • water sovereignty
  • AI data centres
  • economic impacts
  • community resistance
  • energy demand
  • environmental consequences

Keywords

  • AI data centres
  • water sovereignty
  • economic impacts
  • energy demand
  • community resistance

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Synapse, Data District

Places: Olds, Alberta, Alberta, Calgary, Bonnyville, Fox Creek, Grande Prairie

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