The Chief of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation northwest of Edmonton says his community is considering legal action to stop a massive project to build an AI centre on its territory.
According to the website developed for the centre, the project, called Wonder Valley, will provide highly skilled jobs, bolster tax revenues and use natural gas and geothermal power to operate the 7.5 gigawatt facility. Businessman Kevin O’Leary is developing Wonder Valley.
Sturgeon Lake Chief Sheldon Sunshine said the project is on their hunting territory that is still being used – and the community wasn’t consulted on the project.
“I think the consultation process is failing our people. We are contacted pretty much after things are all planned out and steps are taken and yet they come to us to minimize the impact,” he said. “We should be in discussion early on. Especially with a project of this magnitude.”
Sunshine said their hunting and trap lines would be impacted and the amount of water needed for a project of this size – 58 buildings – would be considerable – water the community uses.
“It’s going to have a huge impact on the area. We won’t be able to use it ever. In and around that area, the surrounding area. When we hear the amount of resources they are talking taking up, that’s going to have a significant impacts on my community,” he said. “That water is one of the water sources for our area. It’s a big concern.”
Chief Sunshine said he wrote a letter to the Alberta government indicating the lack of consultation and asked that that the people of Treaty 8 be respected.
“We just want to make sure that those things are looked after in a sustainable way,” he said. “We’ve been here for a millennia, and we are not going anywhere. We are going to be living off the land hopefully. The cumulative impacts we’ve had on our territory are very significant, and this is going to be huge on our way of life.”
The municipal district of Greenview told APTN News in an email that they have consulted with Sturgeon Lake and followed all regulatory processes from the province.
APTN reached out to Richard Feehan, Minister of Indigenous relations in Alberta – and Kevin O’Leary Ventures but they have not responded.
