Absolute failure’: First Nation slams Alberta and Kevin O’Leary’s data centre moves – Canada’s National Observer

April 24 2026

A First Nation says Alberta is evading Indigenous consultation requirements to push celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary’s massive data centre project forward on their traditional territory.

The Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation’s concern comes as O’Leary’s company draws closer to buying thousands of hectares of former Crown land in northern Alberta for the Wonder Valley project. But instead of being consulted on the sale — as is typically required when the province sells off Crown land — a suite of deals between Premier Danielle Smith’s government and the Municipal District of Greenview mean the First Nation isn’t being consulted enough on the sale or the project.

Sheldon Sunshine, chief of the Sturgeon Lake First Nation, said the failure to consult adequately is just the latest example of a longstanding pattern.

Read More: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/04/24/news/wonder-valley-kevin-o%27leary-alberta-first-nation