An ex-mayor in Quebec who was convicted of fraudulent electoral maneuvers is now lobbying the provincial government to finance an Indigenous-owned data centre in Cree territory.

For the last year, Robert Milot, the former mayor of Sainte-Adèle, Que., has been representing E-New Data Corp., an Indigenous-owned private company from Waswanipi Cree First Nation. On July 21, 2026, Milot also registered to lobby on behalf of Yab Management, a consulting firm specializing in remote Northern and Indigenous regions.

E-New Data Corp is privately owned by Sam Gull, whose address also appears on the business registration for Yab Management. The two companies want funding from Quebec’s Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy for a data centre in Waswanipi, their registrations indicate.

Located in Eeyou Istchee territory in northwestern Quebec, Waswanipi is a Cree village with a population of less than 2,000 people. The Cree First Nation of Waswanipi already operates a data centre with heat-recovery technology in the community and is hoping to expand its facilities and heat recovery mechanisms to eventually be used for a future greenhouse.

In 2017, the Court of Quebec found Robert Milot guilty of committing a fraudulent electoral maneuver. Milot had solicited an illegal donation on behalf of his party, Coalition Avenir Québec, from Georges Sabbah, a Montreal jeweller. In 2016, Milot was given a second notice of violation for submitting an incomplete or false expense report. Federally, E-New Data Corp has been registered to lobby the Department of National Defence and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada since 2024. Though its registration is still active, the only recorded communication dates back to July 2024.

E-New Data Corp. says it is “seeking procurement opportunities to discuss technological solutions to support Canadian defence systems in the Northern Territories in partnership with aboriginal communities.”

Despite multiple attempts, the IJF could not reach Robert Milot or anyone from E-New Data Corp and YAB Management for comment.

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