About 150 protesters gathered at the New Brunswick legislature on June 11, 2026 to protest against a proposed 390-megawatt AI data centre in an expanded industrial park near Lorneville outside Saint John.
They were also supporting Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton’s resolution that was being debated in the legislature calling for an immediate moratorium on the development of big data centres with warehouses full of computer servers designed to handle requests from millions of users at once.
“This plant, the plant for Lorneville, would emit 750,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, making it the third largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the province after the Irving refinery and the Belledune coal power plant,” Mitton told the legislature after introducing her resolution.
It called on the Holt government to stop the development of big data centres until it passes legislation to ensure they don’t increase the price of electricity, hurt communities or harm the environment.
“We have to stop and pause and ask, ‘should we even build hyperscale data centres? Should we build those in New Brunswick? If so, how big and where?’” Mitton asked in her 20-minute speech.
“We should definitely not be building a 190 megawatt gas-powered plant that is going to harm the people who live near there, is going to cause air pollution and will negatively impact all New Brunswickers because it continues to contribute to the climate crisis,” she said.
The proposed Lorneville data centre is currently undergoing a provincial environmental impact assessment.
The project would be a joint venture between the U.S. firm VoltaGrid, which burns natural gas to generate electricity and its partner Beacon Data Centers of Calgary.
The VoltaGrid gas plant would generate 190 MW of electricity, but the data centre would also need an additional 200 MW from the NB Power grid.
“The environmental impact assessment for the project shows that 3.5 hectares of old-growth forest would be permanently lost during construction. On top of this, roughly 27 hectares of wetlands would be cleared and infilled to create space for the data centre,” Mitton said, adding the project would also affect a peat bog and salt marsh that are important for wildlife habitat.
“There’s also the concern of the noise for the people who live near these data centers. There’s a loud hum that comes from them. And the people who live near them have trouble living there,” she told the legislature, adding that the facility would increase the demand for power on a grid that is already under strain.
No moratorium
“This motion calls for a moratorium on the current and future development of AI data centres in New Brunswick. Mr. Speaker, this government’s approach is different. We believe in thoughtful, deliberate progress,” Liberal cabinet minister Luke Randall told the legislature after Mitton had finished speaking.
Photo by Ranz Jaren Bontogon.
Among other things, Randall is the minister responsible for Opportunities New Brunswick, the province’s business development agency.
“We recognize the importance of carefully assessing every investment to ensure it delivers real economic value, respects our environmental commitments, and builds a stronger future for New Brunswick. That’s exactly how we’re approaching the issue of data centres,” Randall said, adding that it is both a necessary step and a strategic move to store Canadian data within the country’s borders.
He went on to say that Opportunities New Brunswick has been discussing the Lorneville project with Beacon Data Centres and although he acknowledged that questions have been raised about its use of water, he said he wanted to put the issue in perspective.
“The Beacon 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, and that’s the opening amount. After that, demand would drop to just 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,” Randall said.
He added that hyperscale data centres present economic opportunities in a new global industry as the demand for artificial intelligence, cloud-based technology and digital services continues to gather speed.
“Digital transformation is critical for businesses of all sizes and across all sectors,” Randall said.
“Embracing technology is no longer optional. It is foundational to whether businesses can compete, whether workers can become more productive, whether our economy can keep pace with the changes happening all around us.,” he added, while stressing, however, that any project would have to undergo rigorous environmental, energy and financial reviews.
‘Province should not rush’
Ian Lee, the Progressive Conservative MLA whose riding includes Lorneville, said he supported Mitton’s motion on behalf of his constituents who would be directly affected if the Beacon/VoltaGrid project gets built.
“New Brunswick has an opportunity to learn from the experience of other jurisdictions rather than repeating their mistakes,” he said, referring to Maine where lawmakers passed a bill in April halting the development of data centres over 20 MW for 18 months. Maine’s governor later vetoed the bill, the first of its kind in the U.S.
“While there is a continual promotion of AI as the future of innovation and economic growth, citizens are increasingly skeptical,” Lee said citing polls that he said showed a majority of Canadians and Americans do not view artificial intelligence as a force for good in society.
“The province should not rush into approving energy-intensive developments without fully understanding the long-term consequences for citizens, infrastructure and sustainability,” he said, adding that governments must listen to what people are saying.
“instead of just dismissing people, they need to listen to the communities. People want a voice in shaping the future of their regions,” he said.
Mitton asks for vote
When the time for the debate ran out at 6 p.m., Mitton asked for unanimous consent to extend the sitting so that the House could vote on her motion for a moratorium on new data centres.
When the Speaker asked, “Do we have unanimous consent?” several Liberal members shouted “no” and the house adjourned without voting. On June 12, the legislature began its summer recess.
To read an in-depth report from The Narwhal on the proposed Lorneville data centre, click here.
For a CBC report headlined “What’s behind the growing backlash toward AI data centres?”, click here.
To read a letter to Premier Holt opposing the Tantramar gas plant from doctors at the Sackville Memorial Hospital, click here.
Bruce Wark worked in broadcasting and journalism education for more than 35 years. He was at CBC Radio for nearly 20 years as senior editor of network programs such as The World at Six and World Report. He currently writes for The New Wark Times, where this story first appeared on June 17, 2026.
Ranz Bontogon is a photographer, artist and cultural worker based in Moncton, New Brunswick. Originally from Taguig City, Philippines, he has lived in New Brunswick for more than a decade.
