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
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.