Weytkp. Bonjour. Hello everyone,
This time of year always makes me smile. The warmer weather is beautiful and campus is waking up. The trees are budding, the river is running high and people are outside in the sunshine again.
Best wishes to everyone heading into the last week of classes – there’s more to feel proud of than we probably pause to notice.
Since my last update
Construction begins on new data centre
Construction has begun on a new data centre at 1452 McGill Road, part of Bell Canada’s Bell AI Fabric, helping build Canada’s sovereign AI backbone – the compute infrastructure that will support research, innovation and industry across the country.
Projects like this raise important questions worth sitting with. As AI infrastructure expands, communities like ours are asking what it means for the environment, local economies and universities. Here are some reflections:
What about the environmental impact of data centres?
The environmental concerns around data centres are real: about 56 per cent of electricity powering U.S. data centres comes from fossil fuels, and their average carbon intensity is roughly 50 per cent higher than the U.S. national average for all economic activity (EESI, 2025). That’s the default when no one sets conditions.
The data centers on our campus are a little different. The Bell facility uses closed-loop cooling with no ongoing municipal water draw. This is confirmed by the City of Kamloops’ Development & Sustainability Director. The data centers also can feed waste heat into TRU’s existing and future buildings, employs local labour and runs on BC Hydro’s hydroelectricity – not a fossil-fuel grid.
This is TRU setting a new standard, and leading in responsible AI.
Why Kamloops?
Kamloops has real geographic advantages including low-latency fibre, reliable and clean power, moderate climate and low natural disaster risk. The community benefits include local jobs and economic spinoffs. Large-scale data centres requires many workers, and estimates suggest a local multiplier effect of 3.5 additional jobs for every direct job inside the facility (ITIF, 2025). In this case, many of these local tradespeople are TRU graduates or our friends and family.
What could this mean for TRU students and researchers?
Through TRU’s arrangement with Hillside Data Centre, lease proceeds flow to the TRU Foundation for student bursaries and research funding. Our researchers gain access to research-grade computing on campus – something simply unavailable at most primarily undergraduate institutions. And there’s a practical workforce piece: students who train alongside AI infrastructure are better positioned for careers where this is increasingly baseline.
There is strong interest across campus in AI and environmental sustainability. TRU horaizon and the Sustainability Office are partnering closely to ensure our AI work supports TRU’s net zero commitments, not undermines them. We look forward to more conversations with the community.
Virtual Lunch ’n’ Learns – Safe Start Framework
We are hosting the final session of the virtual Lunch ’n’ Learn series for the Safe Start Framework on Wednesday, April 15 from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. Session 4concentrates on common myths and misunderstandings around AI. Recordings will be available soon, along with additional resources.
The team received great questions from approximately 75 people who joined over the last three sessions. We received feedback that switching up timing is better to accommodate more schedules – going forward, we will do just that.
Till next time
As we move further into the year, our focus with TRU horaizon remains on three areas.
- We continue to build an AI governance foundation the university can rely on. The Safe Start Framework is now live and evolving as teams use it to guide real decisions. Work is also underway to develop TRU’s broader governance approach through existing university processes.
- We are focused on growing a community that is confident and capable with AI. This means expanding conversations, events and workshops across campus, and growing the TRU horaizon community of colleagues who want to help shape the direction. Thank you for the emails, comments and advice. Keep them coming.
- We are working to position TRU as an active contributor to Canada’s AI ecosystem through partnerships, pilots and initiatives with the Research Office and Administration. More to share when we have more to show.
Thank you to everyone who continues to engage, ask questions and share ideas. The momentum across campus is encouraging. Please continue sharing your questions or suggestions at horaizon@tru.ca .
Xyemstwécw. We respect each other, the land, knowledge and the peoples of our region. That commitment continues to guide how we approach new technologies and their impact on our community.
Kukwstsétselp. Merci. Thank you,
Andrea Li
Special Advisor to the President on AI