New Brunswick asks for public feedback on its plan for data centres

Advertisement

Advertise with us

FREDERICTON - The New Brunswick government wants residents to weigh in on its data centre policy as it considers a proposal for a facility in the province's southwest.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

FREDERICTON – The New Brunswick government wants residents to weigh in on its data centre policy as it considers a proposal for a facility in the province’s southwest.

The province created a framework for data centre development it says will prevent spikes in electricity costs for ratepayers and minimize the facilities’ impact on the environment.

A news release says the draft policy will support Canada’s efforts to control its own data and develop Canadian artificial intelligence.

The New Brunswick provincial flag flies on a flag pole in Ottawa, Thursday, July 23, 2026 in Ottawa.  THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The New Brunswick provincial flag flies on a flag pole in Ottawa, Thursday, July 23, 2026 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

The public can share their thoughts on the plan until Oct. 2 through an online form on the government’s website. 

The Liberal government’s request for feedback comes as it reviews plans for a proposed data centre west of Saint John, N.B. 

The 390-megawatt Spruce Lake AI Hub, pitched by Beacon Data Centres and VotaGrid, is currently under regulatory review.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2026.

Report Error Submit a Tip

More Stories

Today’s horoscope

Georgia Nicols 4 minute read Preview

Today’s horoscope

Georgia Nicols 4 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

MOON ALERT: After 3:30 a.m. today there are no restrictions to shopping or making important decisions. The moon is in Taurus.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

This is a poor day to achieve anything of substance at home or in dealing with family members. No matter what you suggest — or even what others proffer — will probably fall flat. Choose another time. In the meantime, just work hard and stay on track.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Read
2:00 AM CDT

Inquests to probe three in-custody deaths

Free Press staff 2 minute read 2:31 PM CDT

Inquests will be held into the deaths of three men, including two who died by hanging themselves in jail cells.

Dr. John K. Younes, the chief medical examiner, called for the inquests of Alvin Choken, 36, Arley Harper, 29, and Frank Manoakeesick, 52, on Tuesday.

Choken, who lived in Winnipeg, was arrested on July 11, 2025 and held at the Winnipeg Remand Centre in a cell by himself.

He was discovered the next day, hanging from the top bunk by a ligature made from a linen sheet that had been torn into strips.

Two people critically injured in highway crash

1 minute read Yesterday at 3:14 PM CDT

Two people are in critical but stable condition in hospital after they were injured in a two-vehicle crash just west of Roland on Friday.

The crash happened at the intersection of highways 3 and 23 at about 5:40 p.m.

RCMP said an eastbound SUV was crossing Highway 3 when it was hit by a southbound SUV. The eastbound vehicle then rolled into the southeast ditch.

A 51-year-old Morden woman who was driving the eastbound SUV was airlifted to a Winnipeg hospital by STARS air ambulance, RCMP said. A 44-year-old Winkler man who was a passenger in her vehicle was taken to a Winnipeg hospital by ground ambulance.

Winnipeg teacher disciplined for ‘liking’ student’s post

Maggie Macintosh 5 minute read Preview

Winnipeg teacher disciplined for ‘liking’ student’s post

Maggie Macintosh 5 minute read Yesterday at 6:05 PM CDT

A Winnipeg teacher has been reprimanded for accidentally clicking ‘like’ on a student’s year-old social media post during a late-night scroll.

A recent investigation by Manitoba’s independent teacher commissioner found Jordan Nelson, a hockey coach in the Pembina Trails School Division, engaged in professional misconduct by viewing online profiles of students who were following a team account he was managing on behalf of his school.

“Using information associated with the school’s hockey team account to access and review a student’s social media account, without any legitimate educational or workplace purpose, was inappropriate and inconsistent with the professional boundaries expected of a teacher,” commissioner Noni Classen wrote.

A five-page report, better known as a consent resolution agreement, details agreed-upon facts about an October 2025 incident and subsequent disciplinary action.

Read
Yesterday at 6:05 PM CDT

Autumn need not be melancholy forever

Maureen Scurfield 5 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: Autumn is almost here (the most beautiful time of the year) but it always puts me in mind of my dearest love — a young man from my university days who died tragically in the fall, a couple decades ago. I lost him forever!

How can I get through this time, when it feels like I’ve been punched in the gut every September, and I have to stay home in bed pretending to have flu for a week or more?

— Numbing Out Again, Headingley

Dear Numb: See your physician and confess that you haven’t been able to heal this serious emotional wound. You should really book a visit to a psychiatrist, sooner rather than later, as this tragic loss from the past incapacitates you every fall. A professional therapist can help you to carefully undo these painful “knots,” and a psychiatrist would also be able to prescribe medication that could help you with the process of getting into an improved state of mind. That way, you won’t fall back into a serious state of mourning every autumn.

New businesses start to creep up in former Winnipeg Slurpee shops

Tiago Resko 5 minute read Preview

New businesses start to creep up in former Winnipeg Slurpee shops

Tiago Resko 5 minute read Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026

The remnants of 7-Eleven can still be seen as new businesses move into spaces where Slurpee machines and taquitos once ruled.

As fresh paint dries on several new ventures — such as a pizza place and a convenience store with a name that might make a customer do a double-take — holes across Winnipeg once occupied by the international convenience chain are slowly being filled.

Business at a Domino’s Pizza in Elmwood, formerly a 7-Eleven, has been booming since it opened June 1, the store manager said.

“The issues that 7-Eleven would have had might be different than what we would have. They were dealing with a lot of theft where people can just walk in and out, but Domino’s isn’t set up that way,” said Paul Hemmerling.

Read
Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026