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1951 THE MANITOBA HYDRO-ELECTRIC BOARD'S FIRST MEMBERS were appointed on May 18 — the date that has gone on record as the beginning of MHEB as a separate entity. From 1949 until 1951, the provincial Department of Mines and Natural Resources had conducted MHEB business on an interim basis.
PINE FALLS GENERATING STATION, built by MHEB on the Winnipeg River at Pine Falls, went into service. The first power project to be developed under the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board Development Act of 1949, the construction of Pine Falls was initiated by the provincial Department of Mines and Natural Resources, acting on behalf of MHEB. Six units were installed during the fiscal year of 1951–52 for a total capacity of 82 MW.
PINAWA GENERATING STATION, the first hydroelectric plant on the Winnipeg River, was dismantled after 45 years of continuous service. It was retired to provide a more efficient use of water flows at Seven Sisters Generating Station, which was completed in 1952.
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1952 THE MANITOBA POWER COMMISSION (MPC) ACQUIRED the transmission and distribution facilities of the National Utilities Corporation Limited, which supplied electricity to six towns and villages located in the Swan River Valley.
THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORIZED MHEB TO NEGOTIATE WITH WINNIPEG ELECTRIC COMPANY (WECo.) SHAREHOLDERS in order to acquire control and operation of WECo.'s generation and distribution assets. The negotiations culminated in a formal offer on October 28, which WECo. accepted.
On November 30, WECo. transferred its gas and transit assets to two newly incorporated companies. Its gas assets to Greater Winnipeg Gas, and its transit assets to Greater Winnipeg Transit Company .
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1953 MHEB AND WECo. amalgamated. By April 4, all issued and common shares of WECo. came under the ownership of MHEB. In other words, WECo. remained in business as a power generation and distribution utility only, with MHEB in control.
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1954 FARM ELECTRIFICATION MILESTONE was reached on October 22 when MPC connected its 100,000th customer. By this date, the Farm Electrification program was virtually completed, with about 75 per cent of all farms in Manitoba having electrical service.
McARTHUR GENERATING STATION went into service as the second power project undertaken by MHEB. Eight units were installed during 1954 and 1955 for a total capacity of 56 MW. Its construction marked the end of hydroelectric development on the Winnipeg River. Although McArthur is the smallest generating station on the Winnipeg River, it also has the distinction of being the largest in the world operating with such a low head (waterfall) — seven metres.
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1955 THE TRANSFER OF WINNIPEG'S DISTRIBUTION PROPERTIES occurred under the terms of an agreement reached between MHEB, MPC and the City of Winnipeg Hydro Electric System (City Hydro) whereby:
all distribution properties in the suburbs owned by City Hydro were sold to MPC, which became the sole distributor of electrical energy in suburban Winnipeg and the rest of the province; all distribution properties in the City of Winnipeg owned by the former WECo. were sold to City Hydro which then became the sole distributor within the boundaries of the City of Winnipeg as they existed at that time.
Under the terms of the agreement, MHEB would supply the additional power requirements of City Hydro. The two systems were interconnected at the Mill Street terminal station in Winnipeg.
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1956 FIRST INTERCONNECTING TRANSMISSION LINE went into service October 25 between Manitoba and Ontario for the exchange of power. The transmission line from Seven Sisters to Kenora connected the northwestern system of Ontario Hydro and the southern system of MHEB. The two utilities have subsequently signed many power exchange agreements.
STUDIES OF LAKE WINNIPEG AND LAKE MANITOBA were undertaken after the governments of Manitoba and Canada entered into an agreement to carry out a flood control survey of the lakes and all waters flowing into them. The study was carried out by an appointed agency known as the “Lakes Winnipeg and Manitoba Board”. The Board's report in 1958 affirmed that regulation of the lakes would be advantageous to the development of potential generating sites on the Nelson River.
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1957 BRANDON GENERATING STATION, the first coal-burning generating station built by MHEB, went into initial service December 18 with one 33-MW unit. Three more units, each rated at 33 MW, were added in 1958. In October 1970, the installation of a 105-MW unit was completed, bringing the total capacity to 237 MW. The thermal generating station is located on the eastern edge of the City of Brandon.
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1958 MPC'S FIRST MOVE NORTHWARDS WAS PURCHASE of the diesel generation facilities and distribution system of The Pas Electrical Utility. Until then, activities were for all practical purposes confined to the more populated southern areas of the province. The take-over at The Pas was the first step north of the 53rd parallel and the start of a new chapter in the history of electrical power development in Manitoba.
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1959 MPC DISCONTINUED ITS APPLIANCE SALES after being in the retail business for almost 40 years. Electric appliance sales had been an integral part of MPC's load building program ever since the early 1920s, when all-out efforts were made to promote the use of electricity. However, by the 1950s, with many retailers now carrying electric appliances, it was no longer practical for MPC to continue in the business.
MPC PURCHASED THE CRANBERRY PORTAGE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, the privately owned electrical distribution system serving the northern community of Cranberry Portage. Diesel generation power was supplied under special arrangements with the Department of National Defence. Then, in 1964, MPC installed its own diesel generating station. In September 1976, Cranberry Portage was connected to the provincial power system.
MPC PURCHASED THE TOWN OF SELKIRK'S electrical distribution system.
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Electrical industry at the crossroads
After World War II, the economy of Manitoba began to expand following the Depression years and war-time shortages. This economic expansion, plus the fact that Farm Electrification was extending electrical service throughout the province, meant that existing generating capacity would quickly become inadequate.
Realizing this, the three major electrical utilities in the province, the City of Winnipeg Hydro Electric System (City Hydro), the Winnipeg Electric Company (WECo.), and the Manitoba Power Commission (MPC), met with the provincial government in 1949. All parties agreed that the future power needs of Manitoba would be best served by a coordinated policy for developing and distributing electricity. To carry out this policy, the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board (MHEB) was formed by the Government of Manitoba.
In the words of the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board Development Act, MHEB was “to provide for the continuance of a supply of power adequate for the needs of the province, and to promote economy and efficiency in the generation, distribution, and supply of power”.
Initially, the affairs of MHEB were the responsibility of the provincial Department of Mines and Natural Resources. The first task was to build Pine Falls Generating Station on the Winnipeg River to meet the growing electricity needs of the province. On May 18, 1951, the first MHEB members were appointed, and that date was considered as the beginning of MHEB'S existence as a separate entity from government departments. The members were: Messrs. D. M. Stephens (Chairman and General Manager), W. D. Fallis, J. W. Sanger, D. A. Thompson, and A. H. Watson. Mr. George Reid was appointed as Acting Secretary.
Their first task was to consolidate the generation and distribution facilities in Manitoba — a task which would ultimately take about 10 years to complete. During 1952–1953, MHEB acquired the generation and distribution facilities of WECo., reducing the number of electrical utilities in Manitoba to three — MHEB and MPC, which were owned by the provincial government, and City Hydro, which was owned by the City of Winnipeg.
In 1955, the next step in the consolidation process took place. Agreement was reached between MHEB, MPC, and City Hydro, whereby MPC became the sole distributor of electricity in suburban Winnipeg and the rest of Manitoba, while City Hydro became the sole distributor within the boundaries of the City of Winnipeg. Also through this agreement, MHEB promised to supply the additional power requirements of City Hydro.
Ten years later, the two provincially owned utilities, MHEB and MPC, were amalgamated via the Manitoba Hydro Act, which was passed by the Manitoba legislature on April 1, 1961.
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