Protesters Press Holt as N.B. Promises Data-Centre Law

Hundreds of protesters rallied outside the New Brunswick legislature on Oct. 20 against an AI data centre planned for Lorneville in Saint John and other energy projects. Inside, the throne speech promised to write data-centre standards into law.

Projects that miss those standards "will not be approved to move forward," the speech says. The rules are to come as amendments to the Electricity Act, introduced this session.

The Lorneville project would draw 200 megawatts from the N.B. Power grid and 190 MW from an on-site natural gas plant, according to CBC News. Alberta-based Beacon Data Centres and U.S.-based VoltaGrid are behind it, CTV reported.

Holt's test: water, rates, community

Premier Susan Holt stopped to talk with demonstrators before going in, CTV News reported. Asked about AI data centres, she answered with three questions:

"Can they do it without impact on water? Can they do it without impact on energy rates? Can they do it with a positive benefit on the community? And if they cannot, then they haven't met our threshold that the project would need to have to be able to go forward."

'This is an American company'

Ashley Anthony of the Save Lorneville group was among those Holt spoke with. "This isn't about Canadian digital sovereignty," she told CTV. "This is an American company. These are going to be American tenants."

She told Global News that freedom-of-information records show three data-centre proposals in the area. "These AI data centres are coming way too quickly for the government to even understand and discern what's happening," she said. She wants the province to pause and "create science-backed policy."

Hundreds on the lawn

The NB Media Co-op put the crowd at about 350. CTV reported about 300. The rally ran while the speech was being read.

Global News video of the rally is also online.

The Voice of the People rally took aim at more than data centres. It also opposed the proposed Tantramar gas plant, the Sisson mine and the province's review of its shale-gas fracking moratorium.

The Protect the Chignecto Isthmus Coalition and Seniors for Climate Tantramar organized it. Supporters included Save Lorneville, No Data Centres NB, the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, the New Brunswick Anti-Shale Gas Alliance, the Coalition for Responsible Energy Development in New Brunswick and the Atlantic Wildlife Institute.

Dr. Chris Arsenault, a Fredericton family physician, co-chairs the New Brunswick chapter of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. He grouped the data centre with the mine, the gas plant and fracking. Those projects "will worsen the problem by adding more sickness to an already overburdened system," he told Global News.

What the speech promises

Lt.-Gov. Louise Imbeault read the speech from the throne to open the third session of the 61st legislature. It says the government will use feedback on its draft data-centre framework "to guide legislative amendments to the Electricity Act to be introduced this session."

"The framework will set high environmental, social, economic and energy standards that data centre projects will be required to meet," the speech says. It does not say what those standards are. The government's summary of the speech lists the amendments under its environment priorities.

The draft framework was open for public comment from Sept. 1 to Oct. 2 through the province's data-centre consultation. On Oct. 18 we reported that N.B. Power has 10 data-centre projects in its connection queue, needing about 900 MW in all. The utility says a place in the queue is not a commitment to build.

Also in the speech

• legislation this fall "aimed at making digital services safer for children under 16"
• a New Brunswick Defence Growth Framework, also this fall
• new courtroom technology for remote appearances and digital evidence, now in Moncton and Bathurst and expanding next year
• tighter rules on buying and selling copper wire, through the Salvage Dealers Licensing Act, to protect critical infrastructure
• continued work on gaps in rural cell coverage

What comes next

The government has committed to introducing the Electricity Act amendments this session. No bill has been tabled yet.

Sources

• Speech from the Throne 2026: Delivering Change
• GNB: Throne speech focuses on delivering change
• NB Media Co-op: Activists call for province to reverse energy, resource projects as MLAs return to Legislature
• Global News: Rally urges New Brunswick government to rethink energy plans
• CTV News: N.B. premier meets with protestors against AI data centre, natural gas projects
• CBC News: Data-centre partner asked province to 'fix' carbon tax