Validus Power to create more than 50 jobs in Iroquois Falls
Iroquois Falls is welcoming a major job creator to the community for the first time since its paper mill closed in 2015.
Following Validus Power's purchase of the town's power plant from Northland Power last month, the company announced that it will be using the plant to power two, 55,000 square-foot data centres currently in development.
The project is expected to bring more than 50 jobs to the area, to the excitement of the town's mayor, Tory Delaurier.
"Any job development is awesome for our community," Delaurier said.
Great for northern Ontario
"It's a great thing for northern Ontario and local residents and bringing new people into our community. Tax base and everything too, this is going to be great."
Validus' president and CEO, Todd Shortt, said that as a former worker at the town's old paper mill and Englehart native, he recognized the untapped potential in the north to add to the tech industry.
The data centres will be used for the cryptocurrency market, he said, as well as other processing needs for tech clients.
This comes as the company's North Bay data centres are set to come online this week, with the Iroquois Falls facility aiming to be completed and operational by the end of the year.
"We have a lot of demand for these high-processing computer systems and, therefore, we need the power," Shortt said.
"These power plants are perfect for that. The low annual temperature (in the north) ... it's great for data centres. We have a very highly skilled workforce, we have great internet connectivity. Everything that you need for a good data centre, (it's) here in northern Ontario."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.