New Brunswick's largest municipal power utility marks 100 years

Saint John's municipal power utility grew out of an uprising by the city's electorate in 1922 — one that had never been seen before, or since.

Dave Horgan, Saint John Energy's manager of shared services and a 35-year employee with the utility, says it started out with a mayor's unfulfilled promise to lower the cost of electricity for city residents.

"In the early years of the 20th century, electricity in New Brunswick was largely in private hands with large businesses having their own power plants," Horgan said.  "And they would sell surplus to the nearby homes."

It wasn't cheap.

"In some cases, they were selling power at almost $0.15 a kWh and, like, even today we're at $0.10 a kWh."

So, in the spring municipal election, mayoral candidate Harry Mclellan campaigned on the slogan "Power at Cost."

His plan was to sign a deal with the newly formed N.B. Power to buy energy from the generating station it was building in Musquash.

"So, he wins the election handily, promises the contract is going to be signed," Horgan said. "But then a month later, he backs out of the agreement and says he wants Saint John to build [its] own power plant at either Mispec or out at Silver Falls in east Saint John.

"And the electorate, of course, is up in arms."

For the only time in Saint John's history, the mayor is subjected to a recall.

In the ensuing election, Mclellan goes down to defeat to Fred Fisher, who ran on a single issue — the price of power.

Fisher's initial deal with N.B. Power gives Saint Johners access to electricity at just a little over a penny per kWh, and the Power Commission of the City of Saint John is born on Dec. 5, 1922.

In a little under 30 years, Civic Hydro, as it was commonly known, would swallow up its main competition in power distribution, doubling in size and creating the municipal utility known today.

It's hard to argue against the utility's success.