- 1820
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1821
In England, Michael Faraday made the first dynamo / first generates electricity.
- 1850
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1853
The first Canadian transmission pipeline was built.
- 1870
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1873
The first arc lamp was switched on in front of the Davis Hotel in Winnipeg making it the first record of electric light in Canada.
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1876
Alexander Graham Bell made the first long distance telephone call from Paris, Ontario to Brantford.
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1878
The American Electric and Illuminating Company was formed in Montreal. This was the first record of an electric utility company in Canada.
- 1880
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1880
The Manitoba Electric & Gas Light Company was incorporated with a broad charter to “supply light and heat in Manitoba by gas, electricity or by other means.”
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1881
Hydro-electric power becomes the first form of commercial electricity in Canada.
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1881
The first Canadian made electric generator was built by J.J. Wright and supplied to the Eaton department store at Queen and Yonge.
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1881
At Chaudière Falls on the Ottawa River, Thomas Ahearn and Warren Y. Soper built Canada’s first water-powered electricity generating station.
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1881
The Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Company established a small hydro generation facility which provided electricity to the Village of Niagara Falls and to the mills on the American side of the river.
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1882
The Parliament Buildings in Ottawa are lit with electricity, a full year before the U.S. Capitol Buildings in Washington, D.C.
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1882
Thomas Edison installed the world’s first central steam-generation electricity plant in New York City’s financial district.
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1885
The City of Ottawa made a contract with the Ottawa Electric Light Company for the illumination of all its streets with arc lamps, thus becoming the first city in North America to achieve this distinction.
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1886
The first streetlights in Montreal were installed, totalling 113 lamps.
- 1890
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1891
The Canadian Electrical Association was formed, a clear sign that the emerging electrical industry was starting to find its feet.
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1891
Generating Station No. 2 (today an asset of Energy Ottawa) was built on Victoria Island. It holds the distinction of being Canada's oldest operating hydroelectric station.
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1893
Water was diverted from the Canadian side of the Niagara River for generating electricity.
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1893
Canada's first electric car was commissioned by Toronto attorney, Frederick Fetherstonhaugh.
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1895
Adam No. 1 station in the Niagara region – built with contributions from legendary electricity pioneers such as George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla – became the first large-scale alternating current (AC) generation plant in the world. This is widely considered to be the advent of modern grid operations, as AC power could be transmitted over much farther distances than DC, with fewer losses along the way.
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1898
B.C Electric built its first hydro-electric plant at Goldstream, Victoria.
- 1900
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1903
British Columbia’s first hydroelectric station opened at Buntzen Lake with a 27-kilometer transmission connection to Vancouver.
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1909
First international transmission line opened between Canada and the United States.
- 1910
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1912
The Steel Company of Canada opened the world’s first all-electric steel mill, revolutionizing the electricity industry.
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1918
Canada launched the world’s first electrically welded ship.
- 1920
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1921
Ontario Hydro became the largest utility in the world with the completion of the first hydro plant at Niagara Falls.
- 1930
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1932
The trans-Canada phone system was inaugurated, connecting the country.
- 1950
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1951
The first Canadian thermal-electric (coal-burning) power station with an installed capacity of 1 million kW was put in service in Toronto.
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1954
The first practical solar panel was invented.
- 1960
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1962
Canada's first nuclear power plant, the Nuclear Power Demonstration Plant, was opened in Rolphton, Ontario.
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1968
North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) was formed.
- 1980
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1983
The Bloodvein Indian Reserve on the east side of Lake Winnipeg was the first of several native communities that switched from diesel generation to the provincial power system.
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1984
The Annapolis Royal Generating Station was a tidal power generating station in the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, was built.
- 1990
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1993
The first commercial wind farm in Canada was completed in Alberta.
- 2000
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2002
Work begins on a third unit at the Genesee Generating Station. This was the first coal-fired unit in Canada to use supercritical boiler technology.
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2009
Canada’ first solar farm, the Arnprior Solar Project, was built.
- 2010
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2010
Canada’s largest photovoltaic plant, Sarnia Photovoltaic Power Plant, was built.
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2013
80 per cent of Canadian electricity is produced greenhouse gas free.
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2014
SaskPower’s Boundary Dam facility becomes the first power plant in the world to integrate carbon capture and storage technology.
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2016
North America’s first tidal turbine was installed by Cape Sharp Tidal.
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2017
NB Power officially launched the eCharge Network. The corridor connects New Brunswick with the neighboring provinces of Quebec and Nova Scotia, ensuring seamless charging for both residents and visitors with electric vehicles.
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2019
The world's first fully electric commercial airplane took off in Vancouver.
- 2020
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2021
Canada's first Floating Tidal Energy Array launched near the Bay of Fundy.
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2021
Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation partnered to launch Ivy Charging Network, which will be Ontario’s largest electrical vehicle fast-charger network.
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2021
ENMAX Energy introduces Canada’s first Hybrid Electric Gas Turbine.
History of Electricity
While the electricity sector continues to transform at a rapid pace, it has always been the great enabler of modern society. Look back at the past 130 years for a snapshot of Canadian electricity's history.
