Although it passed without notice in most parts of the province, October 11 marked the 100th anniversary of the “switching on” of the electric power system in Ontario. A century before, the Premier of Ontario and Adam Beck, the original driving force behind Ontario Hydro, presided at a major public event as electricity supply was connected across publicly-owned lines from Niagara Falls to consumers in Central Ontario for the first time.
The ceremony took place in Kitchener-Waterloo Ontario, which was then known as Berlin. The most visible use of the first power delivered over the provincial grid was to illuminate a large set of electric lights hung prominently across a street in downtown Kitchener spelling out the words “For the people.” Eight thousand people attended the event, including dignitaries from the US and other provinces. Such a display of electric lights in the city streets was quite a spectacle at the time. Newspapers reported that the Premier, James Whitney, declined to ceremonially press the button that turned on the power as the original plans called for. Instead, he deferred to Adam Beck, who had been instrumental to the entire project, to do the honours. The local paper called it “the greatest day in the history of Berlin.” That evening, as Beck entered a banquet held in his honour, the orchestra played “See the conquering hero comes.”
The ceremony in Kitchener was followed by similar events in other Ontario cities in the months ahead, as each city activated its connection to the provincial power grid. The switching on ceremony in Toronto was marked by a replica of Niagara Falls over the portico at City Hall, and a large public gathering. Calamity apparently ensued as the crowds became unruly and water released from the replica drenched some of the top-hatted participants.
Power service in Ontario had previously been privately owned and relatively expensive. Adam Beck’s initiative to set up a public power company in Ontario was in many respects a response to widespread public anger with the prices and quality of service that had been offered by the private operators that preceded it.
A popular song of the day told the story of how the installation of the electric grid changed life in small town Ontario forever. It was called “Oh, What a Difference Since The Hydro Came.”
Another important anniversary was marked four years ago on June 7, 2006: The hundredth anniversary of the establishment of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario. On that date hundreds of professionals from all parts of the Ontario power industry gathered for a gala dinner in Toronto and a memorable speech by Sean Conway, a historian and former member of the Ontario Legislature. For details of that event, readers can access photos and the text of Mr. Conway’s speech at this link . Or go to https://magazine.appro.org (and search for the term “Megabash”).
Paul McKay, author of the Electric Empire, will be delivering a speech on November 15 commemorating the switching on of the Ontario power grid and the evolution of the public power mandate that it symbolized. For further archival photos and historical documents like those on these pages, readers are invited to contact APPrO.
Parts of this article are based on historical accounts recorded in “Sausages, schnitzels and public power: A brief history of Ontario Hydro’s first 75 years,” by Gordon Donaldson.