{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/630ceae33fe37400122828c6/6a5998817a878a33803a3cb0?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Meta's Gas-Guzzling $13 Billion Data Centre Coming to Alberta","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/630ceae33fe37400122828c6/1784256249158-173228df-0fe3-4319-a151-fe07e6f4b85b.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>Danielle Smith announces a $13 billion Meta data centre in Sturgeon County, Alberta, set to be the largest in Canada.</p><p><br></p><p>In contrast to Carney’s federal A.I. strategy, which promised clean, sovereign, and ethical A.I.,&nbsp; Smith refers to the Meta project as a “digital refinery,” fuelled by a natural gas plant that will be built to power it.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Instead of digital sovereignty, is Canada going to end up being a branch-plant, resource economy at the service of Big Tech?&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Plus, the best Canadian films you probably haven’t seen, and Big Tech’s new hiring target: philosophers.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Host: <a href=\"mailto:jesse@canadaland.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Jesse Brown</a></p><p>Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Mixing and Mastering), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor)</p><p>Guest: <a href=\"https://betakit.com/author/douglas-soltys/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Douglas Soltys</a></p><p><br></p><p>Further reading:&nbsp;</p><ul><li><a href=\"https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/big-tech-calgary-stampede-data-centres-9.7262762\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Big Tech joins Calgary Stampede oil bash, as Alberta courts data centres | CBC News</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href=\"https://globalnews.ca/news/11958562/meta-sturgeon-county-data-centre-groundbreaking/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Meta to build $13 billion data centre in Alberta, largest outside the U.S. | Globalnews.ca</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href=\"https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/premier-danielle-smith-defends-13b-meta-data-centre-sturgeon-county\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">'Responsible corporate citizen:' Meta, Premier Danielle Smith defend $13B Alberta mega data centre plan</a> - Edmonton Journal</li><li><a href=\"https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/bakx-york-ai-data-centres-alberta-solomon-9.7222388\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Supersized data centres are coming to Canada. One province is at the epicentre | CBC News</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href=\"https://betakit.com/meta-to-build-canadas-largest-data-centre-north-of-edmonton/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Meta to build Canada’s largest data centre north of Edmonton | BetaKit</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/meta-instagram-change-ai-settings-9.7265448\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Meta axes feature that allowed tagging Instagram users to generate AI images of them | CBC News</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li><a href=\"https://thetyee.ca/News/2026/07/10/Vancouver-Growing-Anti-AI-Movement/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Vancouver’s Growing Anti-AI Movement | The Tyee</a>&nbsp;</li><li><a href=\"https://futurism.com/health-medicine/meta-ai-data-center-pathogen-bacteria-water\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Meta’s AI Data Center Caught Leaking Deadly Bacteria Into Water Town Uses for Irrigation</a> - Futurism&nbsp;</li><li><a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/05/business/philosophy-majors-ai-jobs.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Revenge of the Philosophy Majors</a> - NY Times&nbsp;</li><li><a href=\"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/film-and-tv/film/article-best-100-canadian-films/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The 100 best Canadian films ever made - The Globe and Mail</a>&nbsp;</li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Join Jesse Brown at the University of Waterloo for:</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Campus Town Hall - Civil Conversations</strong></p><p>7pm | July 21st, 2026</p><p>University of Waterloo</p><p>Pearl Sullivan Engineering Building</p><p>PSE 7303</p><p>Supported by Heterodox Academy</p><p><br></p><p>Sponsors:</p><p><a href=\"https://fizz.ca/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Fizz Mobile</a>: Visit<a href=\"https://fizz.ca/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> fizz.ca</a> and activate a first plan using the referral code CAN40 to get 40$ off and 10GB of free data.</p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://douglas.ca/Canadaland\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Douglas</a>:&nbsp; Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today.&nbsp; Visit<a href=\"http://douglas.ca/Canadaland\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> do</a><a href=\"https://douglas.ca/canadaland\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">uglas.ca/canadaland</a> to claim this offer.</p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"http://shopify.ca/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Shopify</a>: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at<a href=\"http://shopify.ca/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> Shopify.ca</a></p><p><br></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>If you value this podcast,<a href=\"https://canadalandnetwork.supercast.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> Support us</a>! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at<a href=\"https://canadalandstore.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> our store</a>, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.&nbsp; </p><p><br></p><p><br></p>","author_name":"CANADALAND"}