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Burlington Hydro Marks 75 Years

In 1966 Burlington Hydro had 17,924 customers. In this photo, employees gather in the back lot alongside the vehicle fleet. (Image: Burlington Hydro archive)

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BURLINGTON HYDRO MARKS

75 YEARS OF SERVICE TO ITS COMMUNITY

Submitted by Burlington Hydro

On July 6, 1945, the Burlington Public Utilities Commission (PUC), Burlington Hydro’s predecessor, was created and its first meeting was held in the town’s council chambers. At that time Burlington had a population of 4,380 and World War II was coming to an end. The town was recognized as a hub of market gardening, basket and canning factories, and had a cluster of small businesses in its downtown core.

As the community continued to expand and redefine itself, so did Burlington Hydro. From post-war power shortages to the boom years of the 50s and 60s, through the 90s and to a time today when disruptive technologies are now altering the face of the electricity industry, we have continued to adapt and evolve with the times. Today, the city has a population of almost 200,000, with a vibrant mixed business and commercial sector, and a growing residential community.

Service a growing community

“Our 75th is a milestone that marks many decades of service to a growing and vibrant community,” says John Maheu, Burlington Hydro Board Chair. “We’re proud of that history and our ongoing commitment to provide safe and reliable electricity to the businesses, institutions and residents of our great city.”

Of course, Burlington was electrified before 1945. The radial railway was the first to bring electricity to the area in 1897. Powered by steam generation, the electric railway would eventually extend from Hamilton through to Oakville. Downtown businesses and residential homes were starting to be electrified as well, with power only available to customers from dusk to dawn in the early 1900s.

Prior to the creation of the Burlington PUC, the Town had resisted taking ownership of its utility, opting responsibility instead to private power companies to run the system. When the Dominion Power and Transmission Company was acquired in 1930 by the Hydro Electric Power Commission of Ontario (Hydro One’s predecessor), the provincial body took over system operations. It wasn’t until 1945 that the Town of Burlington opted to purchase the assets from the provincial body.

Post-war shortages and prosperity

After the war, Ontario was experiencing power shortages which in the fall of 1948 came to a head when electric utilities were given quotas aimed at reducing demand. In order to meet Burlington PUC’s quota, power was interrupted to all customers from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m. and from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. each day for six months. Prosperous years were to follow however, and as the community grew, so did Burlington Hydro. By the mid-fifties, linemen were receiving a top rate of $1.97 an hour, while meter readers were being paid $1.50, considered generous wages at the time.

As would be expected, great technological advances have been made over the decades. In a 2001 speech, retired General Manager Don Kelly remarked: “In 1965, our response to power interruptions was limited to a schematic (not geographic) map of our distribution system coupled with a single telephone in our operations area. Communications with our field crews were limited to a single radio frequency from a single transmitting source that could not reach all parts of our service area.”

Under the 1998 Energy Competition Act, Burlington Hydro Inc. was incorporated and wholly transferred to the ownership of the City of Burlington on January 1, 2000, as a for-profit company.

There are many more anecdotal facts from Burlington Hydro’s history featured on our commemorative website portal. A historical timeline features over 35 significant milestones, while a two-minute video celebrates 75 years of service to our community. We’re celebrating, albeit virtually, as we look back on our long and storied history. Although celebrations such as a public open house and attendance at local festivals and events have had to be scaled back because of the coronavirus pandemic, we’ll be marking the milestone through social media posts, virtual town halls and meetings, and feature stories in our local media.

Burlington Hydro has 68,000 residential, institutional and commercial customers. With a total licensed service area of 188 square kilometres , Burlington Hydro delivers electricity into the community through a network of 1,600 kilometres of medium-voltage distribution lines and 32 substations. Burlington Hydro is a progressive company committed to continuous improvement, system renewal and performance excellence. The company is wholly owned by the City of Burlington.

“At the heart of 75 successful years are our employees both past and present. They are the very core of our company – who we are and who we aspire to be as we look forward to many more years of providing power to our customers and the community.”

– Gerry Smallegange, President and Chief Executive Officer

Burlington has continued to grow and expand in the 2000s. Laying underground cable in a new subdivision circa 2009. (Image: Burlington Hydro archive)

Learn more at: www.burlingtonhydro.com. We’re also celebrating on Twitter, be sure to follow us @BurlingtonHydro

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