Eli Ridder

Eli Ridder is a reporter for The Canadian Press whose coverage links government decisions, economic shifts and contentious cultural or technology stories across Atlantic Canada. He has reported for The Canadian Press since 2026, after earlier work as a reporter-editor at CBC/Radio-Canada. His entertainment and culture pieces grow out of the same hard-news instincts as his political and economic reporting, focusing on how policy, controversy and public sentiment collide.

Provincial policy and economic strategy

Ridder spends much of his time following how provincial leaders manage economic risk, trade relationships and long-term growth plans. His coverage of a premiers’ meeting in Prince Edward Island highlighted how leaders presented themselves as a united “Team Canada” in the face of U.S. tariff threats ahead of talks with Prime Minister Mark Carney. In business-focused reporting, he has detailed New Brunswick’s target of boosting its economy by 10 per cent by 2030 and raising labour productivity by 3.3 per cent, situating those ambitions in the province’s wider industrial strategy.

He has also covered Moody’s decision to shift New Brunswick’s outlook from stable to negative, framing that call against a forecast historic $1.4‑billion deficit in the 2026 budget.

Ridder follows investment and trade narratives down to specific projects and deals. In a report on Canada’s first national investment summit, he traced how New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt sought to secure a share of capital for eight major projects representing $30‑billion in investment opportunities, tying provincial aspirations to national industrial priorities. His reporting on an Atlantic Economic Panel report captured former premier Frank McKenna’s description of the region as a “burning platform” and outlined recommendations for treating the Atlantic provinces as a single economy of 2.7 million residents while preserving their separate governments. Taken together, these pieces show a reporter who returns repeatedly to the question of how political choices and external pressures affect the economic trajectory of the provinces he covers.

Regulation, consumer protection and local industry

Ridder’s work often follows the regulatory machinery that shapes everyday life and local business. In a story on New Brunswick’s data centre policy, he reported on the government’s request for public feedback as it weighed a proposed 390‑megawatt artificial intelligence hub near Saint John, explaining how Beacon Data Centres and VotaGrid’s Spruce Lake AI Hub proposal was moving through regulatory review.

A companion piece relayed Conservative MP John Williamson’s warning that the same AI project could overwhelm the power grid and drive up electricity rates, setting out the political and consumer stakes around high‑demand infrastructure.

Ridder also covers regulation at the level of neighbourhoods and consumers. His reporting on complaints about a “sickening” smell from the Covered Bridge chip factory detailed how 17 residents alleged significant and ongoing disruption to their lives and had filed legal claims against the company.

In another piece, he described how New Brunswick’s Financial and Consumer Services Commission revoked a solar company’s licence after multiple complaints about unfulfilled orders worth tens of thousands of dollars, quoting a report that found the firm “not trustworthy and incompetent.” His story on a rural New Brunswick mill’s plan to lay off hundreds of workers, including 228 union members, showed how industrial decisions feed into regional employment and community stability.

These articles underline a consistent focus on how rules, enforcement and corporate behaviour intersect with public interest.

Justice, public safety and accountability

Justice and public safety form another core strand of Ridder’s reporting.

He has covered New Brunswick’s coroner service opening an inquest into the death of a 48‑year‑old inmate, explaining the scheduling of hearings and the circumstances in which the inmate was found unresponsive in his cell. In a separate piece, he reported on charges against a former Fredericton police officer, detailing allegations of perjury, uttering forged documents and breach of trust after an independent review of the officer’s files.

His stories typically trace timelines, investigative steps and the institutional responses that follow, making clear how accountability processes unfold.

Ridder’s public safety coverage extends to environmental and protest‑related risks. In reporting on flooding in Nova Scotia, he wrote about the death of a 46‑year‑old woman on Cape Breton Island and the premier’s description of the province as mourning her loss, while documenting the extent of rainfall and damage to roads, culverts and bridges. Another story on highway blockades in Nova Scotia covered Premier Tim Houston’s criticism of First Nations protests over cannabis raids and his call for respect for the RCMP, setting out both the grievances and the government’s response. His work on national health‑care funding debates has included advocates urging the federal government to increase transfers while imposing more conditions on how provinces spend the money, again framing policy arguments in terms of service delivery and accountability.

Across these pieces, Ridder treats justice and safety as questions of systems and responsibilities rather than isolated incidents.

Culture, technology and public debate

Ridder’s entertainment and culture reporting centres on controversy, free expression and the ethics of technology. In his story on the Beaverbrook Art Gallery’s decision to display Andres Serrano’s Piss Christ, he described the photograph of a crucifix submerged in urine and explained how the gallery aimed to spark debate around a piece that has generated global controversy for decades.

The article connected artistic intent, religious sensitivity and the institution’s choice to foreground a provocative work, reflecting his tendency to treat culture as a live public argument rather than a lifestyle topic.

His coverage of a lawsuit against OpenAI about the death of a New Brunswick woman’s daughter examined claims that ChatGPT reinforced harmful views and failed to include necessary safeguards despite knowledge of the daughter’s mental health, situating the case within broader concerns about artificial intelligence and user protection. Together with his reporting on protest movements, police actions and regulatory responses, this work shows a reporter who approaches entertainment, culture and technology by asking how they challenge norms, test institutions and drive public conversation.