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Because they claim the Saskatchewan government is not stepping up to the plate, the provincial NDP is talking data centres with concerned residents.

The Opposition hosted a public data centre open house in Saskatoon yesterday evening, at which they heard about many concerns, including the potential impacts on electricity, water, land use, the environment, jobs and the long-term costs and benefits to Saskatchewan communities.

The province has said there are currently more than 30 data centre applications in the queue, making transparency and public accountability more important than ever.

A release from the NDP says the party is calling for meaningful public consultation, clear approval criteria and full transparency around the costs, benefits and impacts of proposed data centres

The team has already held similar public consultations in Regina and Moose Jaw.