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Greens unable to secure unanimous consent for vote on moratorium motion to occur
Published Jun 11, 2026 • Last updated 12 hours ago • 5 minute read
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Leah Leavitt, of St. George, marches outside of the New Brunswick legislature Thursday. Dozens of protesters gathered to call for a moratorium on the development of AI data centres in New Brunswick. BARBARA SIMPSON/BRUNSWICK NEWSArticle content
Zoe Ritchie knows firsthand the footprint that technology can leave on the environment.
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The 29-year-old Fredericton electronics engineering technologist is heavily involved with the e-waste industry as part of her job, overseeing, as she describes, the “deaths of many computers.”
It’s through this tech-sector lens that Ritchie has arrived at the conclusion that artificial intelligence (AI) data centres don’t have a place in New Brunswick.
“They’re extremely wasteful operations,” said Ritchie, who grew up in Saint John where a 390-megawatt AI data centre is proposed for the city’s Spruce Lake Industrial Park.
Zoe Ritchie, 29, of Fredericton, works in the technology sector. She says AI data centres are “extremely wasteful operations” that don’t deliver as many new jobs as advertised. Photo by Barbara Simpson/Brunswick News
The proposed hyperscale data centre, which is currently undergoing a provincial environmental impact assessment, is expected to be powered in part by an on-site, natural gas-fired generation facility but also through the NB Power grid, according to EIA documents.
The project is expected to need 200 megawatts from NB Power, which recently secured regulatory approval for a 400-megawatt natural gas plant to be built in Tantramar to deal with the province’s looming energy shortfall.
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“(These data centres) take a large amount of our power, so I’m 100 per cent against a data centre in New Brunswick, especially in my hometown,” said Ritchie, who took her opposition to the New Brunswick legislature this week.
More than 150 people marched outside of the legislature Thursday, showing support for a Green Party motion calling for an immediate moratorium on the current and future development of AI data centres in the province.
Waving signs and ringing cowbells, marchers drew attention Thursday to a variety of environmental and health concerns they’ve identified with data centres.
Among those concerns include the demand that AI data centres place on energy and water systems, the potential destruction of natural habitat and pollution.
“(These data centres) are about as unenvironmental as you can get, and we understand there’s a worldwide environmental crisis, which is the worst problem we’re facing,” said Mark Woolsey, 82, of Quispamsis, who attended Thursday’s march.
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Tim and Goldie Osmond, of Rusagonis, create signs outside of the New Brunswick legislature Thursday. They participated in a protest against AI data centres. Photo by Barbara Simpson/Brunswick News
The Greens’ non-binding motion – which ultimately didn’t proceed to a vote Thursday and will now likely die on the order paper – called for a data-centre moratorium to replace in place until legislation is enacted to ensure these facilities don’t “increase the price of electricity, harm communities or harm the environment.”
“What is happening in (Saint John) is absolutely unacceptable,” Green MLA Megan Mitton told protesters Thursday ahead of debate on her moratorium motion.
“There’s this vision of the world that the Holt government, the Carney government, a bunch of people who are unfortunately in decision-making positions, are trying to push forward, and that’s this vision of AI taking over everything, taking our jobs.
“It’s building more and more gas plants, it’s burning more and more natural gas, and it’s not looking at what New Brunswickers need.”
Both the Holt and Carney Liberal governments have shown steadfast support for the development of Canada’s AI sector, citing the economic and data sovereignty benefits from these projects.
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Last November, Energy Minister René Legacy told Brunswick News that he had no plans to introduce legislation to block NB Power from selling electricity to AI data centres despite a similar ban being in place for cryptocurrency mining operations.
In 2023, the Higgs Progressive Conservative government put that permanent ban in place, citing the significant demand these mining operations place on the province’s energy grid.
According to recent York University research, Canada has a total of five active “hyperscale” data centres, which are defined as at least 50-megawatt operations. Researchers say 96 more hyperscale projects that are in development across Canada.
Earlier this month, the Carney government unveiled a national AI strategy, with the goal in part of supporting the construction of large-scale data centres.
‘Strong system’ in place to evaluate projects: minister
During debate on Mitton’s motion Thursday, Luke Randall, the minister responsible for Opportunities New Brunswick, spoke about discussions between the Crown corporation and Calgary-based Beacon AI, which is a proponent of the Saint John data centre project along with Texas-based VoltaGrid.
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Although he acknowledged public concerns over the proposed centre, Randall said the province has a “strong system in place to evaluate these projects, including rigorous environmental impact assessments, investment reviews and opportunity for robust public engagement.”
“These are not rubber-stamped processes,” he said. “They are detailed, data-driven evaluations to ensure high standards are met before any project moves forward.”
In the case of the Saint John project, Randall said the proposed data centre would initially require the “equivalent of the amount of water that would fill the Saint John aquatic centre pool one and a half times.”
“After that, demand would just drop to 6,500 gallons of water per day, which would be roughly the equivalent of what a 100-seat local restaurant would use or the amount of water needed to maintain a two-acre field,” said Randall, who didn’t address the specific energy consumption concerns some members of the public have raised about the Saint John project.
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Data-centre projects like the one in Saint John present “real economic opportunities for our communities,” the minister said, noting that “New Brunswick can pursue growth and still be responsible.”
“Hyperscale data centres represent a new global industry and it is growing rapidly as the demand for AI and cloud-based technology and digital services continues to accelerate,” Randall said during the debate late Thursday afternoon.
Progressive Conservative MLA Ian Lee believes the Holt government needs to undertake a review of “the role and expansion of AI data centres in our province before allowing large-scale projects to move forward.”
His riding of Fundy-The Isles-Saint John Lorneville would house the Beacon AI data centre if the project secures regulatory approval.
“The province should not rush into approving energy-intensive developments without fully understanding the long-term consequences for citizens, infrastructure and sustainability,” said Lee, who indicated in the legislature he was in favour of the Greens’ motion for a moratorium.
Green party MLA Megan Mitton brought forward a motion calling for a moratorium on the development of AI data centres in New Brunswick. She and Green party Leader David Coon spoke to protesters gathered outside of the legislature Thursday. Photo by Barbara Simpson/Brunswick News
Debate on the Greens’ motion continued into early Thursday evening, with Mitton asking for a vote to occur before the day’s proceedings wrapped up given the legislature was expected to break Friday for the summer.
Mitton was unable to secure unanimous consent for the vote to occur, meaning the motion will likely die on the order paper when a new legislative session starts in the fall.
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