Why top companies are choosing Alberta: David Knight Legg on Meta’s $13 billion move
Meta’s $13 billion Alberta data centre proves private investment thrives when government gets out of the way — no handouts, just jobs and real growth.
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Article by Rebel News staff
Tonight on The Ezra Levant Show: Meta’s $13 billion Alberta project, the failure of crony capitalism and Alberta’s resurgence as a tech powerhouse, with guest David Knight Legg.
Here’s something you haven’t seen in Canada for a long time, a colossal industrial investment that didn’t come with a government handout. Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, is putting $13 billion into a new data centre in Sturgeon County, Alberta. Not in Ontario, not in Quebec and not with a single federal minister claiming credit. No billions in taxpayer subsidies. Just private capital, real jobs and a bold new stake in the digital economy.
One of the largest private sector investments in Canadian history is coming home to Alberta.@Meta has chosen Alberta for its first Canadian AI data centre, a historic $13 billion investment that will create thousands of jobs, strengthen our economy, and help position our… pic.twitter.com/f8iDO7M7tE
— Danielle Smith (@ABDanielleSmith) July 8, 2026
Contrast that with what’s become the norm in Canada. Under Justin Trudeau and Mark Carney, industrial projects have meant government projects, taxpayer-funded battery plants and wind farms, mostly in Ontario and Quebec, with politicians demanding their cut of the credit. Tens of billions shovelled into factories that only exist because governments paid them to. That’s not progress. That’s crony capitalism.
But Meta’s announcement flips that script. This isn’t a backroom deal cooked up in Ottawa. There’s no major projects office smoothing the path, no prime ministerial intervention. Instead, what Alberta has built is a climate for investment, tax cuts, regulatory reform and a pro-business attitude that says if you want to build, build. And build they have. Meta’s data centre will mean 3,000 construction jobs at the peak, more than 300 permanent roles and $60 million in local infrastructure upgrades. Not a cent of it paid for by taxpayers. In fact, the money that governments are bragging about is tax revenue and salaries, not outflows but inflows.
David Knight Legg, who helped shape Alberta’s investment strategy, spells it out: Alberta’s approach is paying off. Private investors are coming back. Meta isn’t alone. Dow, Linde Corporation and Air Products have all chosen Alberta recently, drawn by the same formula: low taxes, stable regulation and abundant energy. Alberta has done what the Irish Development Agency did for Ireland, turning the province into a magnet for global capital with policy, not handouts.
This is the clearest sign yet that Canada can compete when government gets out of the way. Meta’s centre isn’t just another warehouse of servers. It’s a next-generation, AI-optimised hub, one gigawatt of power, fully matched by renewable energy and designed for zero operational water consumption. It’s the 33rd in Meta’s global fleet but the first in Canada and the largest outside the United States. This is exactly the kind of project politicians say they want, high-tech, green and future-focused. Only this time, they didn’t write the cheque.
What those advocates for government-led industrial policy won’t tell you is this: When you let the market work, when you set the right incentives and when you stop treating business as a cash cow, real investment follows. Alberta is proving it. And Meta’s $13 billion bet is just the start.
GUEST: David Knight Legg - Energy/Security/Economic Development. Advisor to governments, energy, finance & tech firms. Chairman of Elements Capital Advisors, Chairman IQ2
COMMENTS
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David Heinze commented 2026-07-10 00:57:20 -0400I think David did a good job of making the case for Alberta Independence. I wonder if he is coming around?
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Bruce Atchison commented 2026-07-09 21:08:41 -0400Alberta has proven that capitalism is the best system for the masses. Socialism sucks all the money to the top tier folks and impoverishes the little people. I’m glad my province is proving the lunatic socialists wrong about data centres.
