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Protesters hold signs expressing their concerns about the Tantramar gas plant and Lorneville data centre. (Isabella Pacheco/The AQ) On Oct. 19, protesters gathered outside the New Brunswick Legislature in Fredericton to voice concerns about future industrial development across the province either supported or being mulled over by Susan Holt’s Liberal government. From gas plants and data centers to mining and fracking, people raised their voices in opposition regarding thes

Customers line up outside Bagel Seoul at 361 Queen St. in downtown Fredericton. The bakery has sold out before 12:30 p.m. every day since opening. (Credit: Bagel Seoul/Instagram) The sign outside Bagel Seoul says, "This is the bagel place I was telling you about." By my third failed attempt to buy a bagel there, I had started to take it personally. Fredericton's newest bakery, at 361 Queen St., has done something rare for a chilly week in October. It has made people line up i

Christa Big Canoe passionately lecturing on Disappearing Indigenous Children-Canada’s Ongoing Genocide. (Credit: Peter Gross) On Oct. 14. In the Kinsella Auditorium at St. Thomas University (STU) the greater Fredericton community gathered for the Vigod Lecture in Human Rights delivered by Christa Big Canoe, on Disappearing Indigenous Children-Canada’s Ongoing Genocide. This lecture was organized by Gül Çalışkan, STU Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Actin

War reporter Francis Farrell on a field trip near the front line in Donbas (Photo credit: The Kyiv Independent) In Sydney, Australia, Francis Farrell told a Fredericton audience, the hazards are well known. “Snakes and spiders are a problem. Drones and glide bombs or invading armies, not so much.” Farrell is a senior reporter at the Kyiv Independent and for four years the second list has been his beat. On Oct. 15, he delivered the inaugural Stephen Smith lecture at the Univer

Protestors in front of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. (Photo credit: Brunswick News) A second proposed AI data centre in Saint John has Lorneville residents, already fighting one project in their community, asking who will pay for the province’s AI ambitions. Documents Save Lorneville obtained from the province through a right-to-information request show that Cross River Infrastructure Partners, a U.S. company, pitched a data centre campus at the Saint John Indust

Megan Mitton, new face of the New Brunswick Green Party. (Photo credit: Office of the Green Caucus) With the 2028 provincial election approaching, Mitton’s leadership could reshape how the Green Party approaches climate change, health care and economic justice. Megan Mitton is set to become the next leader of New Brunswick’s Green Party, bringing a new face to a party led by David Coon for 14 years. Mitton, the MLA for Tantramar, is the only registered candidate in the party’

AI is showing up all around us, especially in the classrooms. (Photo credit: New York Magazine) Artificial intelligence is becoming part of education in New Brunswick, but university students are already navigating questions about when — and how — they should use it. The province is introducing AI learning across the K–12 curriculum, teaching students about the technology and how to use it responsibly. At St. Thomas University, the conversation is already happening in classro

Statistics Canada now uses a new method of counting populations. (Photo credit: Canadian Press) Statistics Canada’s revised counting methods have changed the province’s population estimates, turning a reported decline into growth and raising questions about the people behind the numbers. New Brunswick did not suddenly gain 17,000 residents in three months. Instead, Statistics Canada has revised its population estimates, revealing that the province had more residents than prev

Professors at a public forum discussed Canada's response to the U.S. trade war, economic diversification and the country's long-term relationship with its largest trading partner. (Credit: The Associated Press ) New Brunswick businesses are navigating a changing relationship with Canada’s largest trading partner as tariffs and trade tensions continue to reshape cross-border commerce. That uncertainty was discussed by three St. Thomas University (STU) professors, but the bigge

Kamylle Bonenfant at the Earth Charter Youth Summit at Soka University in California. (Photo credit: Kamylle Bonenfant) For St. Thomas University (STU) student Kamylle Bonenfant, studying climate change has meant more than learning about environmental problems. It has also meant confronting the emotions that come with them. Bonenfant, a fourth-year student completing an honours degree in sustainable and environmental studies with a minor in psychology, recently attended the E

I had a bit of a rocky start to my time at STU. Most people have a “gap year,” or a few, before they start university. I decided to have mine after my second year. I had no idea what I was doing. I had a strong start in sociology, but enjoyed journalism through the classes I took with Phillip Lee and Mark Tunney. Despite this, in my first years at STU, I was too nervous to write for the Aquinian. These seemed like professional and serious people, an entire world away from m

I’ve never been the best at saying goodbye. I could write 2,000 words and still fall short of capturing my time as editor-in-chief of The Aquinian. In my opinion, no word in the dictionary could do justice to what this year’s AQ team accomplished. And that’s not an exaggeration, it’s a fact. Camaraderie. Joy. Passion. If someone asked me to sum up my time at The Aquinian in three words, those would be it. As my chapter in Fredericton, New Brunswick, comes to an end, I am bot

Stories: I have heard and repeated that word countless times throughout my life. The simplest definition that comes to mind is a narrative with a beginning, a middle and an end. But there is so much more to them. When I was younger, I thought I loved books. I could read more than five in a week and still be thirsty for more. I could be up all night and feel like I had lived millions of lives in a few hours. The magic was in believing that I could experience anything, ev

Course registration is officially open and different programs at STU don't offer enough options to students. (Credit: STU communications) As students log in to STU's self-service to register for the coming year, many find themselves adding courses to their schedules that don’t interest them. Course registration for the 2026-27 academic year opened to students on March 17, giving them the chance to review and choose courses for the upcoming year. Ambar Vasquez, a second-year s

New Brunswick Finance Minister René Legacy presented the provincial budget on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ron Ward) New Brunswick’s record deficit is prompting changes to post-secondary education as the province freezes funding to universities, colleges and directs institutions to find internal savings that won’t be passed on to students. The 2026-27 provincial budget forecasts a $1.3 billion deficit, mainly due to increased health care and social ser

Canada warns of escalation risks as Middle East conflict widens. (Credit: Diego Ibarra Sanchez / NYT / Redux) Canada is warning that further escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, particularly a possible ground occupation of southern Lebanon, could have serious legal and geopolitical consequences. In recent joint statements with allies including France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, Canada urged restraint, warning that a wider war in the Middle East

Nauman Farooqi stands outside his office at Margaret Norrie McCain Hall. (Polina Kozlova/AQ) Nauman Farooqi, president and vice-chancellor of St. Thomas University, said that the province’s latest budget will put continued pressure on universities, even without an immediate reduction in funding. “It’s a zero per cent increase, but effectively it is a cut because it’s not keeping pace with inflation,” he said, following the release of the 2026–27 provincial budget. The gover

Colby Leblanc is the incoming STUSU president for the 2026-27 academic year. (Credit: STU Communications) The St. Thomas University Students’ Union held its annual general election on March 9 and March 10. Fifteen candidates ran in total, a number chief returning officer Thomas Hamilton described as “on the higher end” compared to previous years. Colby Leblanc won the race for president, defeating fellow candidate Gabriel Prah. Leblanc, a human rights student and current at-

Student union leaders across New Brunswick gather at a protest outside the legislature in Fredericton, N.B. (Polina Kozlova/AQ) Approximately 400 students, faculty members and community supporters gathered outside the New Brunswick legislature on March 17 to protest proposed cuts to post-secondary education as the provincial government presented its budget. Finance Minister René Legacy presented the 2026-2027 provincial budget at 1:00 p.m., announcing that the government will

(left to right) Christian Cunningham, NBCC representative; Wilson Paluch, Mount Allison University representative; Kierra MacAlpine, University of New Brunswick representative; N.B. Premier Susan Holt; Ana Lucia Pavon, St. Thomas University representative; Connor Stevens, University of New Brunswick Saint John representative; and Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training, and Labour Jean Claud D'Amours. On March 10, student leaders from student unions around New Brunswic