Protests Erupt in Nova Scotia Over Proposed AI Data Centre in Cape Breton

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Nearly 1,000 Nova Scotians protested against a proposed AI data centre in Cape Breton, raising concerns over environmental impacts and community consultation.

In Halifax, nearly 1,000 residents gathered on Saturday to voice their opposition to a proposed artificial intelligence data centre in southern Cape Breton, marking a significant protest against the project. The demonstration occurred in front of the provincial legislature at noon, with protesters taking over an entire block of Hollis Street before marching through the downtown area. The rally was organized in response to Everwind Fuels' recent announcement regarding the leasing of a data centre in Point Tupper, Nova Scotia, to the U.S. AI company Anthropic. Protesters are demanding a moratorium on all large-scale AI data centre proposals throughout the province.
Ned Zimmerman, a tech worker from Dartmouth and one of the rally's organizers, expressed concerns about the societal and environmental implications of large-scale AI data centres. "The integration of AI into everyday life raises significant issues for society, and we do not want such developments imposed on our communities, landscapes, ecosystems, and populations," he stated. The rally in Halifax was one of seven such events taking place across Nova Scotia on the same day.
The proposed project has been characterized by Everwind as a $10 billion investment, which it claims would represent the largest private investment in the province's history. Anthropic has signed a 20-year lease for the facility, which will span 18,600 square meters and is intended to power its AI assistant, Claude. The data centre is projected to begin operations in 2027, with an initial electricity requirement of 95 megawatts. Plans for a 325-megawatt expansion are set for mid-2028, bringing the total energy demand to 420 megawatts.
Despite the promises from Everwind, local residents have expressed concerns regarding the project's environmental impact and its potential to affect electricity rates. A petition on Change.org aimed at halting the development of AI data centres in Nova Scotia has already garnered nearly 28,000 signatures. Everwind has assured that it will bear the costs for all necessary electricity infrastructure, claiming that the project will not result in increased power rates for consumers.
The provincial government, through a statement from Premier Tim Houston's office, emphasized that the data centre will only move forward if it complies with provincial and federal guidelines, which include safeguarding water resources, the environment, and power rates. However, Zimmerman criticized these guidelines as insufficient for a project of this magnitude, noting that community consultations were limited and lacked transparency.
Rebecca Lawrence, another protester from Dartmouth, voiced her concerns about the provincial government’s haste in progressing the data centre without adequately considering its potential consequences, including noise pollution and the impact on local water supplies. The data centre is planned to utilize water from nearby Landrie Lake, which also supplies drinking water to the town of Port Hawkesbury, with an anticipated average water consumption of 100,000 litres per day in the first phase, and an increase to 500,000 litres per day in the following phase. "I think that one drop of drinking water wasted on generative AI is too much," Lawrence remarked.
Everwind has stated that its cooling system will be a closed-loop system, similar to a car's radiator, designed to recycle or responsibly dispose of cooling fluid off-site rather than in local waterways. Ashley Drodge, another organizer of the Halifax protest, highlighted concerns about the lack of enforceable regulations governing AI data centre development and the absence of a comprehensive environmental impact assessment for the project. "This is short-sighted, money-driven development," she said.
Earlier this month, Nova Scotia’s Minister of Environment, Timothy Halman, indicated that instead of requiring an environmental impact assessment, the project would need industrial approval, which he described as the most suitable regulatory tool for this type of facility. Houston has previously commented on the potential need for new legislation to regulate data centres, with the provincial government remaining open to legislative changes if necessary.
Lawrence’s message to the premier was clear: listen to the voices of Nova Scotians. "People across the spectrum are making it known that we do not want these data centres," she said, emphasizing the widespread opposition to the proposed development.

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