Community involvement

Hello,

I am strongly concerned that it appears only indigenous communities and the impacts to them are being considered in relation to the Beacon AI Heartland Project. Why are the communities of Sturgeon County, St. Albert, Fort Saskatchewan, etc. not being included in this Impact Assessment? I understand there is a difference of regulation, but there is also an ethical obligation to consult and engage with those whom may be impacted.

Neither IAAC or the proponent have done a sufficient job to notify and thus consult the public whom are likely to experience significant and adverse impacts from this project.

Assessment without the direct and meaningful contribution of the communities whom may experience some of the most direct impacts is not sufficient to determine impacts.

Already, in reviewing the proponent's documents, they state "Water wells in the surrounding area are used primarily for domestic and agricultural purposes. Groundwater and surface-water licences within 5 km of the Project are limited and are associated with small-scale domestic, agricultural, industrial, or municipal uses. The Project is not expected to interact with regional aquifers or affect existing groundwater users" and yet, they make no direct explanation or justification for this statement which stands in stark contrast to their provincially permitted 1,500,000 litres of daily water consumption. It is either negligent or deceitful to conclude there will be no impact to local water users.

It is also alarming that infrasound is not mentioned once within the proponent's documents. Infrasound is known to be produced by datacentres and has been shown to impact human health. I can provide sources.

Furthermore, the superficial analysis of power usage and demand and general oversight for its impact on consumer prices and thus the socio-economic wellbeing for all those in the regional area is also alarming. This is especially true considering the provincial government has stated that royalty revenue is the primary driver for developing these projects. Those in the regional area already experience spikes in the rate they pay for utilities in the winter months due to high demand in response to cold weather. The demand of this datacenter will permanently increase the demand, potentially leading to a permanent increase in utility prices and contributing to declining socio-economic conditions.

I am extremely worried this assessment will not be remotely adequate without the direct, continuous, and meaningful involvement of the local non-indigenous community. Please indicate how IAAC will address these concerns.

Thank you,