AI data centre protest march coming to downtown Vancouver Saturday
Hundreds expected at June 27 march from Art Gallery to City Hall raising concerns about copyright theft, electrical grid, water use.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Vancouver will see a second large-scale protest against proposed AI data centres on Saturday, June 27, with traffic disruptions expected throughout downtown and Fairview.
Organizers No AI Vancouver say the "collective protest" aims to raise awareness of vital concerns about the rampant, unregulated deployment of AI. "The development of this technology, especially in Vancouver [which is] home to some of Canada's most creative industries, raises significant red flags," the group said.
They're specifically troubled by the blatant theft and distribution of copyrighted works negatively impacting artists, writers, and filmmakers. They're also questioning the centres' impact on the electrical grid and local water supplies—particularly concerning given Vancouver's current Stage 3 water restrictions.
The demonstration will begin at the Vancouver Art Gallery at 1 p.m. and march to Vancouver City Hall at Cambie and West 12th Avenue. Hundreds of protesters are expected. Speakers will include B.C. Green Party Leader Emily Lowan, Vancouver municipal election candidates Solomon Yi-Kieran and Stephanie Allen, union representative and digital artist Eddy Pedreira, and others.
The group's petition calling for a stop to the Vancouver AI Data Centre has gathered nearly 14,000 signatures. In May, Telus announced it was working with the federal government and Westbank on a proposed cluster of AI-focused data centres. The three-site B.C. network is expected to eventually scale to more than 60,000 graphics processing units and 150 megawatts of computing capacity by 2032.