Western Expresso

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by cllew

That data center was built by MTS's Epic Information Solutions division in 2015 and then sold in 2020 when Bell divested 25 data center facilities across 13 sites in 8 cities across Canada.

Now in 2025 Bell is looking at getting back into data centers to run AI starting with 6 in BC and then eventually opening more in existing Bell Canada locations across Canada.

epic was bought out by mts they were building it befor mts had a hand in it

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by pspeid

^^ I wonder if they want my old Commodore 64 (which, by the way, I still "adore")?

send me more info ect

im a board member

[The Jabroni]

Going back to data centres, they have been a dying breed among corporate offices and large organizations. With the sudden impact of AI, they're a hot new topic again.

The downside with the new breed of data centres driven by AI is the use of water cooling and hydro intensive usage to maintain both powering the server infrastructure and cooling them down. Water cooling these systems will be resource intensive as much as using standard HVAC systems to help ventilate and cooldown these systems.

A year ago, Linus from Linus Tech Tips, based out of BC, toured a data centre based out in Toronto. This video gives an idea of the ins and outs of such facilities and their use cases.

• Video Link

Another more recent video he did with the systems at Simon Fraser University in BC, used for research and development.

• Video Link

Working adjacent with these centres with installing cabling and equipment infrastructure, these places are restricted for a reason.

The AI driven data centres can be a benefit, but keep in mind, they can also be resource intensive.

[pspeid]

This is the kind of news I had been hoping for in Manitoba. A big find of critical minerals that checks all the boxes; economically viable, environmentally sound, Indigenous ownership, and almost ready to go. It sound exactly like the type of project Canrey claims he wants to fast track:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/norway-house-magnesium-mining-9.6985096

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by pspeid

This is the kind of news I had been hoping for in Manitoba. A big find of critical minerals that checks all the boxes; economically viable, environmentally sound, Indigenous ownership, and almost ready to go. It sound exactly like the type of project Carney claims he wants to fast track:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/norway-house-magnesium-mining-9.6985096

If there is one thing Liberal governments like its checking off boxes. That is why they rebranded this a Critical Minerals Project.

I would be skeptical of the viability of this until one sees a NI 43-101 mineral reserve estimate. There is a reason the pervious owners abandoned it.

[optimusREIM]

I recently spoke with someone who works in mineral exploration. He told me that we have no shortage of mineral resources waiting to be extracted, on top of the fact that many of these resources are located nearby existing infrastructure. His biggest gripe was that the permitting process to begin a mineral extraction process is very slow and convoluted in Manitoba, compared with its neighbours. He estimated that Manitoba loses a huge number of extraction projects to Saskatchewan and Ontario because they're much easier jurisdictions to get permits for the projects in.

I also learned we have one of the best resource exploration tax credits in the entire continent here, which is great except it's difficult to do anything with the information.

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by optimusREIM

I recently spoke with someone who works in mineral exploration. He told me that we have no shortage of mineral resources waiting to be extracted, on top of the fact that many of these resources are located nearby existing infrastructure. His biggest gripe was that the permitting process to begin a mineral extraction process is very slow and convoluted in Manitoba, compared with its neighbours. He estimated that Manitoba loses a huge number of extraction projects to Saskatchewan and Ontario because they're much easier jurisdictions to get permits for the projects in.

I also learned we have one of the best resource exploration tax credits in the entire continent here, which is great except it's difficult to do anything with the information.

Supposedly this was on the Provinces' "to-do" list. I'm not sure how far along the process they have gone, but maybe this new announcement will light a fire, as it were. The news article is a year old, so hopefully something has happened in the last 12 months.

https://www.gov.mb.ca/iem/explore/files/criticalmineralfuture.pdf

https://globalnews.ca/news/10850096/manitoba-indigenous-mining-involvement/

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by pspeid

Supposedly this was on the Provinces' "to-do" list. I'm not sure how far along the process they have gone, but maybe this new announcement will light a fire, as it were. The news article is a year old, so hopefully something has happened in the last 12 months.

https://www.gov.mb.ca/iem/explore/files/criticalmineralfuture.pdf

https://globalnews.ca/news/10850096/manitoba-indigenous-mining-involvement/

Put it into action. Now. The guy I was talking to said that we could become a "have" province overnight if we were to start tapping the mineral resources effectively.

[FactaNV]

Even better, find a way to value add this minerals so we arent just an American or Chinese resource colony.

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by FactaNV

Even better, find a way to value add this minerals so we arent just an American or Chinese resource colony.

I think that would be a big part too. Refining facilities and basic value add industries would be huge. This is also critical infrastructure. If the province were to at least assist in building those, we would be very well set up. The economic returns would vastly outweigh any investment required in a short time.

[Winnipegger]

Originally Posted by optimusREIM

The economic returns would vastly outweigh any investment required in a short time.

That's not at all how the globalized economy works. Canada extracts natural resources then sends them elsewhere to be refined into higher value added products because it's cheaper that way, that's how it works.

People think that somehow Canada's going to take our raw resources like iron, lithium, and cobalt, and instead of sending them to China where they will be turned into an EV car that's sold for the equivalent of $30,000 CAD, we're going to suddenly build all the plant and infrastructure required to do it ourself? That same EV will then sell for $75,000 and for those of you familiar with how prices work, no one will buy it.

You can't just magically refine your own resources into higher value added products when it's already being done in China or India for a fraction a tenth of the price. Those products are fined much more cheaply, which then gets back to western markets at significantly lower prices. If you want to do it in Canada under the guise of "job creation", you have to swallow massive capital costs (who does the swallowing? Canadian consumers via higher prices or Canadian taxpayers via higher taxes to pay for government subsidies?) at great risk of having little to no benefit.

People just don't understand globalized trade in a small open economy. There's a reason it doesn't make economic sense to take our raw resources and refine them domestically - it's because it's cheaper to get other countries to do it, then buy back the higher valued output at a cost that is cheaper than what it would take to do it ourself. Why unnecessarily disturb this? So we can get more slightly-above average paying jobs for high school drop outs on factory floors, steel mills, refineries, and smelters?

[FactaNV]

Originally Posted by Winnipegger

That's not at all how the globalized economy works. Canada extracts natural resources then sends them elsewhere to be refined into higher value added products because it's cheaper that way, that's how it works.

People think that somehow Canada's going to take our raw resources like iron, lithium, and cobalt, and instead of sending them to China where they will be turned into an EV car that's sold for the equivalent of $30,000 CAD, we're going to suddenly build all the plant and infrastructure required to do it ourself? That same EV will then sell for $75,000 and for those of you familiar with how prices work, no one will buy it.

You can't just magically refine your own resources into higher value added products when it's already being done in China or India for a fraction a tenth of the price. Those products are fined much more cheaply, which then gets back to western markets at significantly lower prices. If you want to do it in Canada under the guise of "job creation", you have to swallow massive capital costs (who does the swallowing? Canadian consumers via higher prices or Canadian taxpayers via higher taxes to pay for government subsidies?) at great risk of having little to no benefit.

People just don't understand globalized trade in a small open economy. There's a reason it doesn't make economic sense to take our raw resources and refine them domestically - it's because it's cheaper to get other countries to do it, then buy back the higher valued output at a cost that is cheaper than what it would take to do it ourself. Why unnecessarily disturb this? So we can get more slightly-above average paying jobs for high school drop outs on factory floors, steel mills, refineries, and smelters?

I view it as a national security issue honestly.

[Winnipegger]

Originally Posted by FactaNV

I view it as a national security issue honestly.

That's great for you, but up until Jaunary 2026, very few Canadians actually cared about "national security". It was only when Trump got elected and starting using inflammatory rhetoric against Canada that we all suddenly perked up and thought "maybe we should do something about this". But like all things, it comes with a trade off.

For so long Canadians have emphasized public healthcare, likely to the detriment of the military. Sure, there may be a temporary reversal of priorities thanks to our neighbors down south, but mark my words Canadians will go back to caring even less about the military and "national" security within months of a friendly democrat becoming president.

I highlight doubt the majority Canadians would be willing to eat even higher costs for products that used to be produced cheaper abroad but are now forced to be produced domestically for "national security purposes". People want things to be made in Canada, but they don't want to pay for things made in Canada.

Of course it would be nice if everyone wore a Canada Goose jacket (made right here in Winnipeg), or drove a Lexus RX (made in Cambridge) or bought premium cleaning products made by Altitude (made in Montreal). But the reality is the average person is shopping for the lowest cost items at Wal-Mart and Superstore, so Canadian-made options are often reserved for higher incomes.

[optimusREIM]

Well thankfully national security isn't about how the general public views it. It's a statement of fact. It is a fact that this is a national security issue if we become dependent on hostile or quasi hostile nations for our refined raw materials. I am not anti markets (far from it in fact) nor anti-trade (I think free trade is absolutely necessary to the maximum extent allowable), but we should not be subjecting our national security interests to the whims of China.

That said, I am not convinced there is no economic value to be had by having processing ability nearby the actual resource being extracted. It may be 'cheaper' to export it, but again, we need to consider what the soft costs of doing so are.

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by optimusREIM

I think that would be a big part too. Refining facilities and basic value add industries would be huge. This is also critical infrastructure. If the province were to at least assist in building those, we would be very well set up. The economic returns would vastly outweigh any investment required in a short time.

Easy to say. Refineries are expensive and there is a ton of red tape in Canada. Also many NIMBYs don't want them. In fact Canada's only copper smelter in Quebec is closing.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by Stormer

Easy to say. Refineries are expensive and there is a ton of red tape in Canada. Also many NIMBYs don't want them. In fact Canada's only copper smelter in Quebec is closing.

all our smelters are at end of life and industry dont wana spend money to be green cheaper to send it to the 3rd world where they can do what ever they wana do

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

all our smelters are at end of life and industry dont wana spend money to be green cheaper to send it to the 3rd world where they can do what ever they wana do

Exactly

[Wigs]

I was wondering if any of you Manitobans want to educate American forumer, chris about Manitobans.

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?p=10547014#post10547014

[The Jabroni]

I'm steering clear. The obvious subject matter of that entire thread just brings too much trouble.

We already have enough of that through other means of social media. The user in question will only drown in ignorance without even knowing it, even if we offer them a life saver.

Not worth the time and energy in my opinion.

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by The Jabroni

I'm steering clear. The obvious subject matter of that entire thread just brings too much trouble.

We already have enough of that through other means of social media. The user in question will only drown in ignorance without even knowing it, even if we offer them a life saver.

Not worth the time and energy in my opinion.

I agree. A quick glance at the rhetoric made it pretty clear there would be nothing productive abut engaging this person.