Diode Ventures has an FAQ page. We read it carefully — every page, every linked document. What we found is a pattern of carefully worded promises that all share the same escape hatch.
Here is what the Diode FAQ actually says about noise, cooling, lighting, and power — and what it frankly leaves out.
The FAQ says: “An acoustical engineer will conduct an ambient noise study once the design of the site is complete in the development permit stage.”
Translation: No noise study exists yet. No noise commitments are being made right now. The promise is to study the problem later — after zoning is approved and the land-use change is permanent.
The FAQ says: “The exact cooling strategy… will be determined at the development permit stage.”
Translation: They do not know — or will not commit to — how they will cool this facility. The single most critical operational decision for a data centre is being deferred.
The FAQ says: “During the development permit stage… a landscaping plan that includes a lighting plan.”
Translation: The visual and light impact on surrounding homes will be figured out later. After the land-use change is locked in.
The FAQ says they are “working closely with AESO” and are “hopeful in receiving a preliminary answer in early 2026” on power availability.
Translation: They do not yet have confirmation the electrical grid can handle this project. The very foundation of the proposal — power — is uncertain.
One phrase keeps appearing in every answer: DEVELOPMENT PERMIT STAGE.
Here is what that means — and what it does not mean.
Under Alberta’s Municipal Government Act, zoning and development permits are separate legal processes. Zoning changes the land-use designation permanently. Development permits check whether a specific building plan complies with existing rules.
And here is the critical fact: Promises made at the zoning stage have NO legal force unless they are written directly into the zoning bylaw or a binding development agreement.
A developer can promise anything at a public hearing — noise walls, advanced cooling, community benefits, local hiring. None of it is enforceable unless council votes to make it a legal condition of approval.
What many residents do not realize is that the development permit stage typically has NO public hearing requirement. It is an administrative review by planning staff. Once zoning passes, the public loses its primary voice in the process. Everything becomes a narrow question of compliance with whatever conditions exist — not an open question of whether the project should proceed at all.
Once zoning is approved, the neighbourhood loses its primary leverage point. Permanently.
This is not speculation. It has played out before.
In Peculiar, Missouri, Diode promised community benefits and local hiring. When the city tried to hold them to those promises, they had to fight for basic commitments. Peculiar ultimately banned data centres entirely.
In Charles City, Virginia, residents heard the same promises — jobs, investment, good neighbour commitments. The same pattern. The same community rejection.
In both cases, communities that trusted “we will figure it out later” found themselves fighting to be heard after the land-use change was already locked in.
Here is what council can do differently. They can write binding conditions directly into the zoning bylaw before any vote. They can require a development agreement — a legally enforceable contract — with specific, measurable commitments before approving any land-use change. All of it can be demanded now, while the public still has a voice.
If Diode promises are real commitments, putting them in writing — in the bylaw, where they carry legal force — should be straightforward.
They have not done that. And their own FAQ tells us why: every critical decision is being deferred to a stage where public input is minimal and commitments are optional.
The bottom line is simple. If Diode promises were binding commitments, they would put them in the bylaw where residents and council can enforce them. They have not. Their own FAQ confirms why.
Read the full evidence and fact-checking at /the-facts/. Learn how to make your voice heard at /get-involved/.