• $463M Port of Saint John project aims to boost New Brunswick exports

  Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
  Date: 2026-10-21 21:29:02.0
  Tags: [National, New Brunswick, Infrastructure, Transportation, Trade, Economy]

  Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon and New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt announced a $463 million infrastructure initiative called the Saint John Trade Corridor, marking the first project funded through the federal Trade Diversification Corridors Fund. The federal government is contributing $254 million, the Government of New Brunswick is providing $116.5 million, and project delivery partners are supplying the remaining $92.5 million. Key components of the project include dredging the main channel at Port Saint John to allow two-way traffic at high tide, constructing a new 2,787-square-metre Canada Border Services Agency container examination facility, stabilizing shorelines to protect rail capacity at the NBSR Bayshore Rail Terminal, replacing over 100 kilometres of existing rail, and reconstructing the Simms Corner intersection to alleviate congestion and improve safety.

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• New Brunswick data centre debate highlights cross-country tension over AI facilities

  Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
  Date: 2026-10-19 11:49:46.0
  Tags: [New Brunswick, Energy, Technology, Infrastructure, Environment, Economy]

  New Brunswick Crown-owned electric utility NB Power has received 10 confidential applications from data centre projects requiring up to 900 megawatts of power, sparking cross-country tension and citizen opposition. Notable proposals include a $2 billion artificial intelligence hub by Beacon Data Centers and VoltaGrid featuring a 400-megawatt data centre in Saint John, a $2.7 billion, 375-megawatt proposal by Faster Than Light in Fredericton, and a 50-megawatt campus proposal by U.S. firm Cross River Infrastructure Partners. While the provincial government works on a data centre policy framework to spur economic growth and tax revenue, grassroots groups like Save Lorneville are demanding a moratorium due to environmental and power grid concerns.

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• Eastern Canada business leaders call for ‘single economy’ between Atlantic provinces

  Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
  Date: 2026-09-25 14:16:00.0
  Tags: [Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Economy, Trade, Labour, Infrastructure, Energy, Immigration]

  The Atlantic Economic Panel, appointed by federal minister Sean Fraser and chaired by Crane Cove Holdings Ltd. president Don Mills, released a report calling for the creation of a 'One Atlantic Canada' single economy by 2035 across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. To combat low productivity, labour shortages, and regulatory barriers, the report outlines seven major recommendations, including a $1-billion Atlantic Prosperity Fund, a $25-billion integrated electricity system managed by a region-wide independent system operator, the removal of all trade and labour mobility barriers, and regional infrastructure partnerships. Additional targets include growing the region's population past 3 million with a 1.8 percent annual growth rate, doubling exports to Europe to over $30 billion, mobilizing $100 billion in new natural resource investments, and enhancing the aerospace, defence, shipbuilding, and artificial intelligence sectors.

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• MP calls on New Brunswick to reject proposed AI data centre in open letter to premier

  Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
  Date: 2026-09-18 20:42:41.0
  Tags: [New Brunswick, Energy, Technology, Infrastructure, Economy]

  Conservative Member of Parliament John Williamson has written an open letter urging New Brunswick Liberal Premier Susan Holt to reject a proposed artificial intelligence data centre in Saint John by Beacon Data Centers. Williamson warned that the facility's 200-megawatt demand on the provincial power grid—part of a total 390-megawatt requirement where Beacon AI proposed to generate 190 megawatts on site—would overwhelm public utility NB Power and trigger severe electricity rate hikes for local residents. Williamson criticized Premier Holt for promoting the unapproved project at a Toronto investment summit, arguing that the provincial government must play hardball to shield ratepayers from major price increases.

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