The province is seeking feedback on a proposed policy framework designed to guide data centre development in New Brunswick.
According to a press release, the provincial government designed the framework to protect electricity ratepayers, support responsible use of resources, generate measurable economic and community benefits, promote environmental sustainability, and advance Canadian data sovereignty and artificial intelligence objectives.
The policy guidelines focus on five areas:
- Protecting ratepayers: Any new data centre must pay for the costs it creates and cannot lead to higher electricity rates for New Brunswickers.
- Sustainable development: Data centres must be designed to minimize impacts on the environment, water, land and local infrastructure, while also promoting the responsible use of resources.
- Economic benefits: Projects will be assessed on the economic benefits they bring to the province, including new investments, job creation, workforce training, innovation and opportunities for local and indigenous businesses.
- Long-term impact: The government will prioritize projects that are technically and financially sound, deliver long-term benefits, and align with provincial and national priorities, including data sovereignty and artificial intelligence growth.
- Community engagement and benefits: The government will require “meaningful engagement with local governments, First Nations and communities throughout the development process. Transparency, accountability, and measurable community benefits will be key considerations in evaluating and approving projects.
To support consistent implementation, the government will also establish and maintain a governance framework to oversee the assessment, review, and prioritization of data centre proposals and ensure alignment with provincial strategic, economic and fiscal objectives.
Under the framework, a data centre proposal will receive a positive recommendation only if it meets each core criterion.
Where multiple qualifying proposals compete for limited electricity or infrastructure capacity, preference will be given to proposals demonstrating greater overall community benefit and economic value.
Colocation customers — businesses that rent physical space in an external data centre to store their own servers and computer hardware — are not subject to the policy.
However, the province said it may consider future measures to encourage strategic economic, innovation, workforce, and research benefits associated with major data centre users within New Brunswick.
People can share their thoughts until October 2 through a consultation website.
The province added that preliminary stakeholder consultations are underway, and any required legislative or regulatory changes will begin during the 2026-27 legislative session.
You can read the full policy framework here.
