• 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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• AI-driven project to modernize New Brunswick forestry getting $50M boost from Ottawa

  Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
  Date: 2026-10-14 20:19:53.0
  Tags: [New Brunswick, National, Economy, Resources, Technology, Industry]

  The federal government is committing up to $50 million to help build the New Brunswick Strategic Innovation Centre in Digital Forestry. The total $86 million project, led by the Northern Hardwoods Research Institute in collaboration with ResearchNB and the provincial Department of Natural Resources, will use artificial intelligence and digital tools to better track wood supply, optimize logistics, and reduce empty truck miles. Forestry currently supports approximately 24,000 jobs in New Brunswick and contributes roughly $1.5 billion annually to the provincial economy.

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• Atlantic Canadian businesses can now apply for nearly $40M in AI funding

  Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
  Date: 2026-10-14 18:00:00.0
  Tags: [Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, National, Technology, Economy, Industry, Finance]

  The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency has launched a federal funding program offering nearly $40 million for small and medium-sized businesses pursuing large-scale artificial intelligence projects costing at least $1 million. The funding supports two primary tracks: adopting AI into internal business operations, such as proposal development tools utilized by Cabco Technologies, or developing new AI solutions to bring to market. Applications for the program remain open until November 20. The initiative aims to address a regional adoption gap highlighted by the Atlantic Economic Panel, which reported that approximately 15 per cent of Atlantic Canadian businesses with 10 or more employees use AI, compared to 20 per cent nationally.

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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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