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Moncton to MiramichiNew BrunswickThe IssuesEnergy & Environment
Provincial document suggests Centre Village was preferred, in part, because of woodpecker nesting at alternative site
Published Nov 05, 2025 • Last updated 13 hours ago • 4 minute read
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Atlantic Wildlife Institute executive director Barry Rothfuss says he has received photos of pileated woodpecker nest cavities from the site of a proposed gas plant in the Centre Village area. The woodpeckers are a protected species according to federal regulations. SUBMITTEDArticle content
A wildlife group says it has evidence a protected migratory bird species is present at the site of a proposed gas-fired power plant in southeastern New Brunswick, which its leader says should rule out Centre Village as a location for the project.
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But the provincial government says an earlier analysis showed no nesting activity for the pileated woodpecker, which is protected under Ottawa’s Migratory Bird Regulations. In the same statement, however, the province said gathering information about the woodpecker is part of the ongoing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed 500-megawatt facility.
An Oct. 22 NB Power document obtained by Brunswick News shows the presence of the red-crested bird at an alternative potential site at Scoudouc was one of the reasons the province decided to prefer Centre Village instead.
Yet Barry Rothfuss, executive director of the Atlantic Wildlife Institute, said he’s seen photos showing what appear to be trees containing woodpecker cavities at the latter site.
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The institute is located several kilometres away, and Rothfuss noted there have been pileated woodpeckers spotted around the institute’s property.
“This is a far more biodiverse area,” he said. “Biodiversity is something we can’t afford to lose.”
He told Brunswick News he notified Tantramar Mayor Andrew Black and Environment and Climate Change Canada about the woodpecker nesting photos. In a letter to Black, he wrote the institute had been notified by someone working at the site.
“We have had two provincial professionals verify the photos suggesting Pileated Woodpecker activity. And this morning we received an image of a tree cut down that also had woodpecker activity on the section where the new road has been cut in for water testing,” he wrote in the letter.
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Brunswick News has requested an interview with Black and is awaiting a response.
Barry Rothfuss, executive director of the Atlantic Wildlife Institute, said the Centre Village site is not a suitable site for a proposed gas plant because pileated woodpeckers are a protected species and the Chignecto Isthmus region is a biodiverse ecosystem. SUBMITTED
Federal regulations state the woodpeckers are a “keystone species,” meaning it has a disproportionate effect on its natural environment.
“Cavities are a critical and limiting resource for many migratory birds, both for nesting and for overwinter survival,” Environment and Climate Change Canada says on its website.
The nesting cavities are protected year-round, including when they are not occupied by a migratory bird or viable eggs.
“If (a) proponent wishes to destroy (an) unoccupied nest, they must submit a notification through the Abandoned Nest Registry, and if the nest remains unoccupied by Pileated Woodpeckers and other migratory bird species for 36 months, it may at that point be destroyed by cutting down the tree,” reads the federal agency’s webpage.
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The presence of pileated woodpeckers were one of the reasons the 20-hectare Centre Village site was chosen over the Scoudouc location, according to a two-page “location analysis” document. NB Power confirmed the document was used in the site-selection process.
The same paper also suggested Centre Village was chosen because it had only 29 per cent wetlands, no identified watercourses, and no areas of high or medium archaeological significance.
It goes on to say the Scoudouc site was ruled out because it would require substantial transmission lines, had watercourses and would require a Fisheries Act authorization that would delay the project by 18 months, and because evidence of pileated woodpecker nests had been found at the site.
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In an emailed statement, Department of Environment spokesperson Vicky Lutes said the province has already undertaken a “targeted survey” for woodpecker cavities at Centre Village, but gathering further information is part of the ongoing review.
“(N)o evidence of pileated woodpecker nesting activity was observed on either of the survey days or incidentally during non-targeted surveys,” said Lutes, noting one pileated woodpecker was observed flying over the project site during the survey.
“As a requirement of the field work authorization, the proponent is required to ensure that all proposed alterations associated with water supply source assessment are conducted in compliance with the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act (MBCA) and associated regulations, as well as the federal and provincial Species at Risk Acts (SARA) and associated regulations.”
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Lutes said the EIA review process is designed to address those types of issues and to avoid or mitigate impacts early in the project planning phase.
“This process is ongoing, and no decision will be made until all issues have been appropriately addressed,” she said.
When Brunswick News asked Environment Minister Gilles LePage if there are other sites under consideration, he said only that the EIA will uncover any challenges with the Centre Village site, and that ProEnergy, the private proponent, will make recommendations on how to mitigate them.
“We’re going to wait for the company because it’s the company’s decision what to do, what to recommend and how to mitigate the impact on the woodpeckers if there (are) any,” he said.
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He noted the EIA process takes roughly six months, but the timeline will ultimately depend on the findings and how quickly the company responds.
Environment and Climate Change Canada spokesperson Hannah Boonstra said in an email the federal department did receive a complaint about the site and is monitoring the situation closely.
“If evidence of an alleged violation is found, enforcement officers will take appropriate action in accordance with the compliance and enforcement policy for wildlife legislation,” Boonstra said in the email.
If the project goes ahead, ProEnergy will build the plant and sell electricity to NB Power as part of a 25-year tolling agreement.
Last week, LePage said in the provincial legislature a comprehensive-review EIA “isn’t necessary,” despite calls from local Green MLA Megan Mitton to scale up the requirements from a lower-level “determination review.”
“If we find throughout the process that there is, then we will change our minds,” LePage said. But until then, until the member opposite and First Nations and New Brunswickers present information that justifies a comprehensive process, we will continue to undertake the current environmental process to ensure answers are given.”
NB Power deferred questions to ProEnergy. Brunswick News has asked ProEnergy for comment.
More to come….
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