Published on May 15, 2026
Bell Canada has named its lead construction partners for the Bell AI Fabric data centre in the Rural Municipality of Sherwood, Saskatchewan, marking a pivotal step forward for one of the most consequential digital infrastructure projects in Canadian history. Bird Construction Inc founded in Moose Jaw in 1920 and one of Canada’s most established construction firms, has been selected as the lead construction partner for the 300 MW facility, which is set to serve anchor capacity customers Cerebras and CoreWeave. Alton Tangedal Architect Ltd. (ATAL), a Regina firm with over 25 years of provincial experience, has been appointed Architect of Record, while George Gordon Developments Ltd. (GGDL) will deliver site services and maximize Indigenous business participation throughout the build. Regina-based Hipperson Construction was among the Saskatchewan contractors announced for earlier phases. The first phase of the facility is expected to come online in the first half of 2027, with the full 300 MW build representing a cornerstone of Bell’s stated ambition to anchor sovereign, made-in-Canada AI compute capacity. Beyond the Sherwood facility, Bell and Bird have formalized a long-term strategic partnership under which Bird will serve as Bell’s preferred construction partner for a multi-year, Canada-wide AI data centre buildout, with warrant arrangements covering up to 2,625,000 Bird common shares tied to project delivery milestones over five years.
Prairie Provinces Move to the Front of Canada’s AI Infrastructure Race
The Bell AI Fabric announcement reflects a broader shift in where Canada’s digital infrastructure is being built. Saskatchewan’s relatively low electricity costs, available land, and political appetite for large-scale investment have made the province an increasingly attractive destination for data centre developers, a dynamic that mirrors the pattern seen in Alberta over the past decade where industrial scale and energy access drew successive waves of capital. The Sherwood facility is not the only signal that the Canadian Prairies are positioning for the AI era. The Government of Saskatchewan’s ongoing energy and economic development framework has actively courted technology and data investment, and Bell’s choice of local partners including ATAL and GGDL reflects a deliberate effort to anchor economic benefit in the region rather than import it. For Bird Construction, the partnership advances what the company describes as its Mission Critical platform, building on a growing portfolio of complex, mission-sensitive projects across industrial and buildings markets. At 300 MW of planned capacity, the Sherwood facility would rank among the largest single data centre developments in Canadian history, comparable in strategic ambition to the hyperscale facilities that major cloud operators have built in Quebec and Ontario, where hydroelectric power has historically been the draw. This North American expansion trend is also evident in the United States, where Apple has a new data center in Waukee, Iowa, reinforcing how major tech companies are accelerating hyperscale investment in power-secure inland markets beyond the traditional coastal data hub corridors. The inclusion of George Gordon First Nation through GGDL also positions this project as a model for Indigenous economic participation in major infrastructure contracts, a standard that is increasingly expected on federally influenced projects across the country.
Project Fact Sheet
- Project Name: Bell AI Fabric Data Centre, Sherwood
- Location: Rural Municipality of Sherwood, Saskatchewan, Canada
- Project Value: Not publicly disclosed; represents one of Canada’s largest digital infrastructure investments
- Client / Owner: Bell Canada (BCE Inc., TSX/NYSE: BCE)
- Lead Construction Partner: Bird Construction Inc. (TSX: BDT)
- Architect of Record: Alton Tangedal Architect Ltd. (ATAL), Regina
- Key Capacity: 300 MW total planned capacity
- Anchor Customers: Cerebras, CoreWeave
- Phase 1 Target: Online in the first half of 2027
- Indigenous Participation: George Gordon Developments Ltd. delivering site services; Indigenous workforce participation prioritized by Bird Construction and Bell
- Strategic Scope: First project under a multi-year, Canada-wide Bell AI Fabric buildout partnership with Bird Construction
Project Team
- Client / Owner: Bell Canada (Bell AI Infrastructure and Strategy, led by Dan Rink, President)
- Lead Construction Partner: Bird Construction Inc. (Teri McKibbon, President and CEO)
- Architect of Record: Alton Tangedal Architect Ltd. (Trevor Monroe, Principal Architect)
- Indigenous Site Services Partner: George Gordon Developments Ltd. (Don Ross, CEO)
- Early Phase Saskatchewan Contractor: Hipperson Construction, Regina
- Regulatory / Exchange Oversight: Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) approval required for Bird warrant issuance
- Anchor Tenants / Capacity Customers: Cerebras Systems; CoreWeave
