Summerside won't have battery storage for its solar power this winter after Sunbank fire

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Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
Date: 2026-10-30 19:32:11.0
Tags: [Prince Edward Island, Municipal, Energy, Infrastructure, Environment]

Following a battery fire at the Sunbank solar farm in September that burned for two weeks, the City of Summerside will enter the winter season lacking 5 megawatts of dispatchable battery storage capacity. Summerside Electric, which generates roughly 60 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources, has secured a conditional firm service agreement with Maritime Electric to help bridge the energy gap, alongside utilizing its 15-megawatt standby generation facility. The city faces ongoing provincial energy challenges tied to mainland transmission infrastructure and submarine cables, prompting long-term considerations for energy independence and grid resiliency.

Le BAPE annonce le début d'une nouvelle période d'information publique

Source: Quebec - Fil de presse gouvernemental
Date: 2026-10-22 09:47:00.0
Tags: [Quebec, Municipal, Infrastructure, Transportation, Environment]

The Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE) has announced the start of a public information period regarding the City of Gatineau's project to widen La Vérendrye West Boulevard between Gréber Boulevard and Paiement Ascent. This public consultation allows citizens, organizations, and stakeholders to review project documentation, ask questions, and submit comments on the environmental and municipal impacts of the roadway expansion. The consultation period is part of the formal provincial environmental assessment and review process overseen by the BAPE.

‘Just not acceptable’: Backlash grows over Nova Scotia AI data centre project

Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
Date: 2026-10-19 20:13:17.0
Tags: [Nova Scotia, Municipal, Energy, Infrastructure, Technology, Environment]

Energy and infrastructure company EverWind announced a $10 billion private investment to build a large-scale data centre campus at its existing Point Tupper site near Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia, with AI firm Anthropic signed on as a long-term tenant. The project is planned to begin with an initial 95-megawatt phase in late 2027, scaling up to a full development capacity of 420 megawatts by 2028, and includes a $2 billion investment to advance EverWind's onshore wind energy projects. Opposition parties and community advocates are pushing back, demanding an emergency sitting of the Nova Scotia Legislature due to concerns over public consultation, grid reliability, electricity rates, and water resource impacts.

New provincial recycling program stirs grumblings in northern Alberta community

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-10-15 19:54:15.0
Tags: [Alberta, Municipal, Environment, Infrastructure]

Following the implementation of Alberta's provincially-mandated Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, management of packaging and paper products shifted to the not-for-profit organization Circular Materials on October 1, 2026. In the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, collection services are now serviced by Collective Waste Solutions Inc., with approximately 38,000 old municipal bins collected and stored at the regional landfill between September 22 and October 6. Residents in communities like Fort McMurray have experienced operational disruptions, including delayed blue cart deliveries and uncollected legacy bins remaining on properties.

Jasper wildfire recovery: the complex rebuild happening above and below the town's streets two years on from disaster

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-10-14 17:30:21.0
Tags: [Alberta, Municipal, Infrastructure, Housing, Emergency, Environment]

Two years following the July 2024 wildfires, the Municipality of Jasper continues its infrastructure and housing recovery efforts, spearheaded by Director of Recovery Douglas Olthof. The federal and Alberta governments announced $7.9 million on September 1 to recommission a wastewater lagoon, addressing storage capacity and flood risks. Recovery initiatives include property-specific soil testing supported by Parks Canada and the Canadian Red Cross, municipal neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood upgrades to curb stops and shut-off valves, and the addition of 45 new housing units through a newly approved apartment building. Concurrently, the municipality has launched a public Town Plan survey via engagejasper.ca, active until October 25, to replace the 2011 Jasper Community Sustainability Plan and guide future development.

Le BAPE publie son rapport sur le projet de réfection du mur de soutènement en amont du barrage Simon ‑ Sicard à Montréal

Source: Quebec - Fil de presse gouvernemental
Date: 2026-10-14 11:54:00.0
Tags: [Quebec, Municipal, Infrastructure, Energy, Environment]

The Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE) has published its investigation and public hearing report regarding the Phase 2 retaining wall reconstruction project upstream of the Simon-Sicard dam in Montreal, proposed by Hydro-Québec. The report details the environmental review process and public consultations conducted for the infrastructure rehabilitation project on the territory of the City of Montreal. The publication marks a key regulatory milestone in the assessment of the dam safety and structural repair initiative.

2nd potential AI data centre worries Saint John residents: ‘We have questions’

Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-10-05 20:52:15.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, Municipal, Energy, Technology, Environment, Infrastructure]

Residents in Saint John, New Brunswick, represented by the advocacy group Save Lorneville, are raising concerns over a second proposed large-scale artificial intelligence data centre following the revelation of plans by U.S.-based Cross River Infrastructure Partners. The proposed project has initially requested 50 megawatts of network-firm power through correspondence with Opportunities New Brunswick, adding to ongoing public scrutiny over an already proposed 390-megawatt data centre and gas plant at the Spruce Lake Industrial Park by VoltaGrid and Beacon Data Centers. Local advocates and residents have cited a lack of updated regulatory frameworks, unknown impacts on municipal water and electrical grid capacity, and potential risks to greenhouse gas emissions and public health.

Community Infrastructure Strengthened Through Investment in Wastewater Infrastructure in Nain

Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
Date: 2026-10-01 15:00:37.0
Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Municipal, Infrastructure, Housing, Environment, Indigenous]

The governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador, alongside the Inuit Community Government of Nain, have announced a combined investment of approximately $3.9 million to upgrade the sanitary sewer system in Nain. Funded through the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund—which allocates $123.1 million to Newfoundland and Labrador—the project involves replacing damaged sewer mains and manholes, installing inflow protectors, and completing surface grading. These upgrades are designed to reduce sewer backup risks, protect local marine ecosystems, improve climate resilience, and support future population growth and housing development in the community.

'AI is here to stay': Cherry-picking Glubish tells concerned Grande Prairie crowd to call their MLAs about data centres

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-09-17 15:32:29.0
Tags: [Alberta, Technology, Energy, Environment, Infrastructure, Municipal]

Approximately 300 residents attended a contentious Sept. 11 town hall in Grande Prairie regarding the proposed 65-square-kilometre Wonder Valley AI data centre project backed by Kevin O'Leary. Alberta's Minister of Technology and Innovation, Nate Glubish, defended the initiative by stating artificial intelligence is here to stay and pointing to a closed cooling system meant to mitigate water use from the Smoky River. However, local participants and critics, including resident Casey Klein and SAIT research scientist Dr. Robert Davies, raised concerns that the facility—which holds interim and preliminary municipal licences to draw up to 6 million and 24 million cubic metres of water annually—would impose cumulative environmental impacts through thermal energy emissions, low-frequency fan noise, and heavy resource exploitation within the Municipal District of Greenview and the Peace Country Region.

Conditions have improved, but fire still not out at Summerside solar farm, says city's CAO

Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
Date: 2026-09-09 09:35:25.0
Tags: [Prince Edward Island, Municipal, Energy, Emergency, Environment, Infrastructure]

A prolonged fire at the City of Summerside's Sunbank solar farm battery bank, which began on Monday, September 7, 2026, continues to burn under monitoring by Summerside Fire Services and Summerside Police Services using drone thermal imaging. While conditions and wind directions have improved, allowing the city to avoid a mandatory shelter-in-place order, a voluntary shelter-in-place order remains in effect for the immediate area. Local schools and Credit Union Place remain closed as third-party firms conduct air quality sampling and officials analyze drinking water and runoff samples.

Councillor wants to bill developers for felled trees in new neighbourhoods

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-09-07 20:11:02.0
Tags: [Municipal, Housing, Environment, Climate, Infrastructure]

Edmonton City Councillor Michael Janz (Ward papastew) has put forward a municipal motion to charge developers a per-tree fee for clear-cutting forests and wetlands during the construction of new greenfield neighbourhoods. The policy aims to internalize the true environmental cost of urban sprawl, noting that a single mature tree absorbs roughly 21 kilograms of CO2 annually while offsetting the climate risks currently offloaded onto taxpayers. This motion coincides with a separate proposal by Mayor Andrew Knack regarding permit requirements for tree removal during infill developments, supported by committee findings that urban redevelopment generates 30 to 50 percent fewer emissions than outward expansion.

Who's responsible for Horseshoe Creek? It depends who you ask

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-09-06 18:11:55.0
Tags: [Alberta, Municipal, Infrastructure, Environment]

Heavy rains washed out the 137 Avenue bridge at Horseshoe Creek in northwest Edmonton in July 2026, forcing a multi-million-dollar repair and expanding a $2.7 million project. Mayor Andrew Knack stated that planned road and culvert work by the City of Edmonton, developer Rohit, and Epcor was delayed in spring 2024 following a provincial Order in Council adding 238 hectares to the Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park. The Ministry of Forestry and Parks maintains it has not yet received a formal application from the cities of Edmonton and St. Albert for the roadwork, while St. Albert transportation manager Dean Schick asserts the project falls under provincial jurisdiction. Meanwhile, Epcor replaced an inadequate 800-millimetre culvert with a 2,000-mm version, returning the site to the City of Edmonton on August 31, 2026, to complete repairs expected to take nine weeks.

Lunenburg water conservation continues after Dares Lake dam breach

Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
Date: 2026-09-04 20:59:53.0
Tags: [Nova Scotia, Municipal, Infrastructure, Emergency, Environment]

A crack formed in the recently constructed $1 million Dares Lake dam in Lunenburg, N.S., causing a breach that submerged the pump building and interrupted the town's main water supply. Mayor Jamie Myra reported that mandatory water conservation efforts, along with closures of schools like Bluenose Academy and businesses including High Liner Foods, were implemented to prevent the town from running out of water over the Labour Day weekend. As of Friday, two of the three pumps were partially operational, allowing the water utility to slowly recover capacity while provincial officials collaborate with the town to investigate the cause of the failure.

‘211 years of community’: Funding aims to protect Upper Hammonds Plains from wildfires

Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
Date: 2026-09-04 19:36:52.0
Tags: [Nova Scotia, Municipal, Environment, Climate, Emergency, Infrastructure]

The Government of Nova Scotia is committing $199,000 from its Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund to the Upper Hammonds Plains Community Land Trust. The funding supports wildfire risk assessment and mitigation initiatives, including FireSmart Canada home assessments, community clean-ups, and remediation for 85 historic homes, a church, and other community buildings. The initiative addresses heightened wildfire safety concerns following the 2023 Tantallon wildfire and local emergency egress vulnerabilities identified in a Halifax Regional Municipality staff report.

Industrial development near Whitehorse's Ice Lake should go ahead, board says

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-03 23:14:10.0
Tags: [National, Municipal, Industry, Infrastructure, Environment]

The Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) has recommended that a contentious industrial development project near Ice Lake in Whitehorse proceed, concluding it will not cause significant adverse environmental or socio-economic effects. Proposed by the territorial government, the project involves building a subdivision of approximately 15 industrial-commercial lots across a 25-hectare forested parcel off the Alaska Highway, which includes the Whitehorse weigh scales and 526 metres of new roadway. While the Yukon Contractors Association strongly supports the development due to an acute shortage of commercial and industrial land in the city, local residents and trail users have raised public backlash over the loss of popular green space used for hiking, biking, and snowmobiling. The YESAB recommendation has now been submitted to the Yukon government for a final decision.

City to debate $114.58 million in climate mitigation actions in four-year budget talks

Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-09-03 22:01:58.0
Tags: [Municipal, Alberta, Environment, Climate, Infrastructure, Finance]

The Edmonton City Council Executive Council unanimously passed motions to advance $114.58 million in climate mitigation actions for consideration during the upcoming four-year budget deliberations, down from a total proposed package of $257 million. The package includes four no-cost immediate actions—such as exploring alternative funding options and working with Epcor to improve electrical grid resilience—along with eight actions headed to December budget talks, including funding for energy-efficient buildings under the Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program and fleet decarbonization. Additional proposals include $5 million to support community climate initiatives, $5 million to fund the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation's Climate Fund Endowment, and exploring the daylighting of urban creeks like Mill Creek with Epcor.