Nova Scotia’s Legislature will not sit for an emergency debate on EverWind’s proposed $10 billion AI data centre in Cape Breton.
According to the NDP, Speaker Danielle Barkhouse declined a request saying it was not in the public interest
Members of the Legislative Assembly last met on September 18 after a nine-day fall sitting.
The request to recall came after it was announced last week that U.S.-based AI company, Anthropic, had signed a long-term lease for data centre capacity at Point Tupper as part of the investment involving the data centre and new wind generation.
The announcement has prompted questions and criticism from across the province, particularly around electricity demand, water use, regulation and the potential benefits and costs to Nova Scotians.
NDP Leader Claudia Chender was the first to call for the Legislature to be recalled. Liberal MLA Becky Druhan also wrote to Premier Tim Houston supporting an emergency sitting and calling for answers about the project.
Under Nova Scotia’s rules, when the House has been adjourned for at least ten sitting days, the Speaker can give notice of an earlier meeting if, after consulting with government, the Speaker is satisfied that the public interest requires it. The opposition’s request does not automatically trigger a recall.
“This is unacceptable,” Chender said. “People are losing trust that this government is even listening, much less considering their interests.”
Power rates is one of Chender’s concerns
Chender says Nova Scotians have questions about potential impacts on power bills and water supplies and argues that additional regulations as well as written agreements should be in place before the project moves forward.
She also says the Legislature is the appropriate place to establish legal protections.
Premier Tim Houston has said the Point Tupper proposal will be subject to environmental and industrial approval processes and has emphasized that there will be checks and balances as the project moves forward. He has also said protecting Nova Scotia ratepayers is a condition of his government’s support for the project.
EverWind says the first phase of the data centre is expected to require 95 megawatts of electricity, with the full development targeted at 420 megawatts. The company says it will cover electricity infrastructure costs attributable to the project, so they are not passed on to existing ratepayers.
Meanwhile, the public are awaiting dates for community engagement sessions to be hosted by EverWind.
