As Premier Danielle Smith lets her friends bypass environmental assessments to build AI data centres that will guzzle millions of litres of water daily, her government tells us with a straight face that they are protecting Albertans from drought.

The Government of Alberta’s announcement about their ‘investment’ in water is not a gift, but a distraction from their deeply troubling agenda of water misuse, deregulation and industrial exploitation.

Alberta faces incredible threats to our water security, our access to clean water and as First Nations, to our inherent water rights—nipiy, mini, aohkíí, tu.

We will not ignore that these issues came from industry’s actions and the government’s own track record of ignoring and abusing Treaty territories for their gain.

True water security cannot be achieved while this government bypasses consultation, facilitates “treat-and-release” of toxic tailings water into our rivers and streams, or lets their friends skip the rules.

We stand in full opposition to the Government of Alberta’s so-called strategy for water. This is a performative partnership that does not equate to the reconciliation of our Treaty rights.