Saint John Residents Raise Concerns Over Prospect of Second Large-Scale Data Centre

Residents of Lorneville in Saint John are raising fresh concerns after learning that the New Brunswick government is in discussions with a company interested in developing another large-scale data centre in the city.

The potential project comes as a separate data centre proposed for the expanded Spruce Lake Industrial Park remains under provincial environmental review, intensifying local debate over electricity demand, water resources, noise and the cumulative environmental effects of major technology infrastructure.

Residents Call for Cumulative Environmental Assessment

Chris Watson, a resident of the west-side rural community of Lorneville, said any additional data centre development should be assessed alongside projects already proposed for the area.

“If there are other large data centre campuses proposed in or near the Lorneville area, the government has to assess the cumulative effects of all these projects together and not treat each one as though nothing else is happening around it,” Watson said.

“You can’t assess each project against the existing background and ignore other major projects that might also be operating.”

Watson is part of a residents’ group that has opposed the expansion of the Spruce Lake Industrial Park for more than two years. The expansion, located near Lorneville, was approved in 2025.

Residents have also opposed a data centre planned for the industrial park by a partnership between U.S.-based VoltaGrid and Alberta-based Beacon A.I. Centers. That project has been undergoing a provincial environmental review since April.

Cross Rivers Proposed Large-Scale Saint John Campus

Documents obtained through a right-to-information request revealed that Cross Rivers Infrastructure Partners submitted another data centre proposal in April.

Opportunities New Brunswick Minister Luke Randall confirmed in emails that discussions with the company were underway. Opportunities New Brunswick did not provide an interview.

“When I learned about these projects, I was quite alarmed,” Lorneville resident Lauren Smith said.

“This is new technology that we’re dealing with and governance has not been in step with this new tech. … There’s no regulatory framework for this type of technology.”

Cross Rivers Infrastructure Partners has offices in Canada and the United States and describes itself on its LinkedIn page as 100 per cent Canadian-owned.

A February email exchange between the province’s Regional Development Corporation and Opportunities New Brunswick indicated the company was interested in a possible “site walk” of the expanded Spruce Lake Industrial Park.

The correspondence also said the company was “carefully watching how things unfolded with Beacon AI.”

Proposal Seeks 50 Megawatts of Firm Power

In April, Cross Rivers sent Randall a proposal concerning a new “large-scale data centre campus at the Saint John Industrial Park in Saint John.”

The proposal did not specifically identify the Spruce Lake Industrial Park.

According to the correspondence, the project would begin with “an initial request for 50 megawatts of network firm power service,” referring to electricity service designed to provide a continuous and reliable supply.

Saint John Industrial Parks identifies three major industrial locations in the city: Spruce Lake Industrial Park, Spruce Lake Barge and McAllister Industrial Park.

For residents, the potential electricity requirements are only one concern. Smith said the community is also worried about water use and water quality.

“There are Canadians who do not have the opportunity to drink clean drinking water. Why are we giving that to a computer?” she said.

Cross Rivers Infrastructure Partners did not respond to requests for comment or an interview.

Data Centres Linked to Economic Growth and AI Sovereignty

Data centre infrastructure has taken on greater economic and strategic importance in Canada, particularly amid heightened trade tensions with the United States and growing demand for domestic artificial intelligence and computing capacity.

The Beacon AI development was included in a federal document listing 167 investment opportunities presented to investors during a recent summit in Toronto.

Cross Rivers told Opportunities New Brunswick that its proposed development could support economic growth, “sovereign hosting capacity,” and “future transatlantic connectivity opportunities.”

Watson acknowledged the importance of data sovereignty and critical infrastructure but argued that the location of major facilities must also be considered carefully.

“But where you put these things matters. Here we have a desperate provincial government, that basically wants to grow its tax base, and we feel like they’re sacrificing our community to do that.”

The Cross Rivers proposal also identifies potential industrial growth, employment and tax benefits.

No Permit Application Filed With Saint John

Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon said that when a developer purchases industrial land that does not require rezoning, the city may not become aware of a specific development until a permit application is submitted.

Reardon said no permit application for the potential project has been filed so far.

Saint John Industrial Parks did not respond to requests for comment or an interview, while Andrew Beckett, CEO of the city’s economic development organization, Envision Saint John, declined to comment.

With one large data centre already undergoing environmental assessment and another company expressing interest in Saint John, the debate is likely to remain focused on how New Brunswick balances investment in AI and digital infrastructure with electricity, water and environmental considerations in surrounding communities.