Documentary Reflection

August 28, 2026 By: Makena Stratton

For this exercise, I am focusing on the media about the AI data centre that is being built in Kamloops. Even though I am not currently living in that area, I have spent the last three years living there and heard a lot about it, and find it a very interesting topic. Firstly, looking at a CBC article, the AI data centre in Kamloops is one of six being built across BC, and this one will be located on the Thompson Rivers University campus. This article focuses on how useful the AI data centre will be and how it differs from others in North America, stating it will not cause a lot of disruption with the noise it can produce. However, it also states the AI data centre will run off of the province’s hydroelectric power, which could leave people questioning how this could also impact the environment and the province’s natural resources. 

Additionally, I looked at an article from an alternate BC news media source, The Tyee, which discusses more in depth about the AI data center in Kamloops. The Kamloops AI data centre will run on a closed-loop system that recycles water rather than using large amounts of it; however, these centers will still consume large amounts of energy. Although it has been discussed that the daily water use and electricity will be regulated like other industrial businesses, Kamloops has not released more developed policies for this. 

For the AI data center, my position has mixed feelings about this. As both articles mention, this AI data center will create many jobs for people, but the way in which these centres are going to be powered still is not fully explained, and neither are the environmental impacts. The government should clearly outline guidelines for the environment before approving these centers. As mentioned in The Tyee, the province is already stretching the supply of renewable power to industries, so adding something as big as an AI data center may have harmful consequences to the environment even if they find a different way to supply their own energy.  This reminded me of the beginning of chapter 15 where Steinberg noted how much of an impact logging had between the 1940s and 1960s. It shows the difference in economic drivers throughout history, yet how they seem to always have an environmental impact. Forestry still remains a large economic driver in BC, but with the rise of AI data centers, there is a shift moving forward. However, there are still similar concerns with forestry today, as a CBC article points out that there is a newly proposed provincial forest model to aid the forestry industry. The forestry industry is still recognized as something that provides residents with many jobs, but on the other hand, there is a lot of concern with the environmental impacts, which is the same for AI data centers. This goes to show that most of the government’s major economic drivers are going to have both positive and negative impacts; they will provide many jobs for residents, but can be harmful to the environment over time, especially if there are no clear policies in place.

Media Sources: 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/kamloops-ai-data-centre-tru-9.7167647. 

https://thetyee.ca/News/2026/07/20/BC-Communities-Plot-How-Tame-Data-Centres/. 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-forestry-model-wildfire-mitigation-9.7323776.