Gaslights to Gigawatts: A Human History of BC Hydro and Its Predecessors, Updated

Newly revised and redesigned, this is the human history of the company that powered the development of the electric system in British Columbia—and in turn played an integral role in shaping the province.

“A utility is a thing with a heartbeat—a steady beat of progress brought about not by water and wire, turbines and transformers, but by all the people who put our resources and equipment to the benefit of all.”—Sam Weston of the BC Power Commission

From its earliest days in colonial Victoria to the initiation of the massive Site C power project in 2015, BC Hydro and its predecessor companies have played a central role in the history of British Columbia. Told through the voices of its employees over three different centuries, Gaslights to Gigawatts recounts the story of the people and projects that delivered power–and much more–to the citizens of the province. It opens in an era when the gas street lamps were lit by hand each evening, covers the decades when the company offered a remarkable array of services to more and more of the province, and finishes in a century when advanced technologies and societal expectations have dramatically altered the way power is delivered to British Columbians.

First published in 1998, Gaslights to Gigawatts was a BC Bestseller. This edition brings the story up to date with new interviews and a contemporary design, and includes more than 300 black-and-white and full-colour archival photographs and illustrations, a glossary, chronology, and index.

Proceeds from the sale of this book go to the BC Hydro Power Pioneers Miracle Millions Campaign for BC Children’s Hospital.

Hugh Wilson is a Vancouver teacher, writer, and editor who specializes in oral history. He was a BC Hydro meter reader for one epic summer.

The BC Hydro Power Pioneers is an organization of retired BC Hydro employees who support their communities across British Columbia through an array of activities, including fundraising for provincial and local charities, volunteer work, and the preservation of history of BC Hydro and its predecessors through its website and publications.